Sierra National Forest (SNF5) Roadrunner Fuels Reduction and Site Preparation.

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Statement of Work SNF5 Roadrunner Fuels Reduction and Site Preparation 08/06/2026, v1 Contents Project 3 General Information 3 1.0 Scope of Work 3 2.0 Background 3 Contractor Requirements 4 3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks 4 4.0 Government Furnished 11 5.0 Deliverables / Schedule 11 6.0 Travel 14 7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel 15 8.0 Security Requirements 15 9.0 Data Rights 15 10.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards 15 Attachment 1 16 Attachment 2 17 Attachment 3 21 Project Sierra National Forest (SNF5) Roadrunner Fuels Reduction and Site Preparation General Information 1.0 Scope of Work The intent of this contract is to treat fire impacted and beetle mortality stands, remaining fuels and prepare the identified areas for future tree planting in the Balsam area of the High Sierra Ranger District on the Sierra National Forest. Work on this project shall be done in a manner that does not damage residual trees and vegetation not specified to be treated or other resources. This treatment requires the contractor to fell standing dead trees, to thin, where appropriate, stands of surviving conifer saplings and to treat the created and existing slash, brush and remnant right of way material. The remnant right of way material may consist of piles of slash not appropriately placed, log decks, and other natural material that will need to be piled in a manner suitable for burning. Created slash is the slash created by the contractor’s activities. Existing slash is already present on site. This includes trees that have fallen or already have been felled, branches or tops that have fallen and live and dead brush. It is expected that 90% of vegetation (see definitions) within the units will be treated. All the slash and dead trees will be treated. One example of this treatment would be to pile the material for future burning. Alternative proposals for treating this material are encouraged and will be considered, they must meet the objectives of reducing the dead material and preparing the site for planting. The project is around Tamarack lodge and on the east side of Tamarack ridge. 2.0 Background In the fall of 2020, the project area burned in the Creek fire. This fire impacted over 300,000 acres of the Sierra N.F. In the project area the fire burned at various intensities. Some stands in the project burned at high intensity. In some units you will see stands where the fire has killed most of the above ground vegetation on site. In other areas, the fire damaged the stand, leaving it susceptible in the coming years to beetles and droughts. Post fire mortality has played a role in this area, creating a need to treat the stands imminently. This project is designed to prepare identified areas for planting and to treat the remaining fuels. The proximity to public inholdings makes this project a high priority. This project has a small amount of acres with occupied, unknown occupied and critical habitat for the Yosemite toad. The Yosemite toad, Anaxyrus canorus, is a species endemic to the higher elevation (greater than 6,400 feet) aquatic habitats of California in the Sierra Nevada (Brown et al. 2015). The species has disappeared from approximately 50 percent of its historical range (Brown et al. 2015). The current abundance of the species is unknown, but there is evidence that abundance has declined significantly based on studies conducted in a few occupied habitats (Sherman and Morton 1993, Brown et al. 2015). Based on a considerable decline in distribution and abundance coupled with population fragmentation, the species was listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a threatened species in 2014 (79 Federal Register 24255). Critical habitat was designated for the Yosemite toad in 2016 (81 Federal Register 59045). Due to this, there are species specific design criteria within this contract that need to be followed for compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) laws and regulations. In the winter of 2023, the weather was extremely impactful on the stands and the road systems on the forest. Many roads received extensive damage, causing access issues. The forest has been working to provide temp repairs to the roads, and while many roads do have a temp repair applied to them, they can easily be damaged again. Project Location: The area to be treated is adjacent to Tamarack lodge, and on either side of highway 168 of the High Sierra Ranger District, Sierra National Forest. The main access road is off of Highway 168 just east of Shaver Lake. From the Prather office follow Highway 168 to the “top of the 4 lane”, continue towards Shaver Lake and through the town of Shaver Lake. Continue through Shaver Lake towards Huntington Lake, once past the Shaver Lake damn, continue on Highway 168 towards Huntington Lake. You will pass the Tamarack snowpark and the Coyote snowpark after the snowparks the project will begin on the right-hand side while heading east on Highway 168. The main units of the project can be accessed on the 8S10, 8S35, and 8S69. Unit boundaries will need to be referenced using georeferenced maps. Maps will be provided that can be geo-referenced. The contractor MUST USE GPS and geo-reference the files provided for the boundaries. The contractor must provide their own device for using this program. The contractor’s device is expected to have an accuracy of +_ 30 ft. Contractor Requirements 3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks Treat the stands and prepare the identified areas for future tree planting. Felling of snags (leaving 4 per acre, snags should be the largest available and >20” dbh) within the project site and the treatment of the slash and brush. There is remnant logging slash (piles, decks and material) that is adjacent and along unit boundaries, it is expected that this material be treated with this project (piled, masticated). Treatment…