Specifications include, but are not limited to: (1) Mastication head mounted on equipment with steel or rubber tracks. Equipment may be excavator type or tractor type. Masticating heads may be rotating drums or discs. (2) With exception of wildlife and streamside leave areas, all brush, slash, and understory conifers within the treatment area shall be treated. All standing woody material less than a stem or branch diameter of 6 inches shall be shredded. The boles remaining from snags which fell naturally or were felled in fall 2023 shall be shredded completely regardless of size. Masticators with rubber padded tracks must be used in areas containing asphalt roads or trails. Disc golf targets, and other improvements shall be protected from disturbance. (3) The contractor shall provide for public safety when operating equipment within 200 feet of structures and open roadways. The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining and following all safety procedures policies, laws and regulations required by the state, county, and private roadways for the safe operation of equipment necessary to complete the contract. (4) Equipment shall be operated such that shredded material stays within the treatment unit and is not distributed on roads, structures, private property, protected sites, improvements, telephone lines, established trails, stock driveways, fence lines, established land corners, or other improvements. (5) The contractor shall remove all shredded material or debris resulting from contract operations that is distributed outside of treatment unit or on roads, structures, private property, protected sites, improvements, telephone lines, established trails, stock driveways, fence lines, established land corners or other improvements. (6) All watercourses within unit boundaries shall have flagged protection boundaries and equipment wheels or tracks shall remain outside of the flagged boundaries. Non-riparian vegetation and non-residual conifers within the boundaries shall be shredded to the extent it can be reached by the mastication head. (7) Riparian vegetation shall not be shredded, cut, or damaged. While conducting field work in the project area no nesting birds were observed. Operations will primarily be conducted in the fall, winter, and spring when fire danger has abated. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was contacted regarding this project. CDFW recommended conducting a survey for nesting birds if operations are conducted between February 1 and August 31. If an active nest is discovered during operations, the nest tree and appropriate screening trees shall be retained. A query of the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) did not indicate the presence of any rare, threatened, or endangered bird species within the proposed project area, and none were detected during pre-project field work. If any special status bird species are detected during operations, they will be protected through maintaining a 5-acre buffer while the nest is occupied. Removal of competing vegetation will increase growing space for residual trees and will protect habitat by making the stand resistant to stand replacing type fires. (8) Soils in the operating area must be dry enough to prevent rutting by a single pass of the equipment. (9) Contractor's equipment shall not enter or cross meadows, "wet" stream channels, or other non-work areas, except by prior, written agreement with Contracting Officer or Representative. (b) BRUSH TREATMENT (1) All brush within the designated units shall be shredded EXCEPT brush growing so close to adjacent leave trees that attempted brush removal would cause damage to the leave tree (generally 12 inches or closer to the bole of residual tree).
