The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 4, awarded a $18,000 firm fixed price purchase order to Williams Forestry & Associates, LLC, a small disadvantaged business based in Ringgold, Georgia, for tree planting services at the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge in Dixie County, Florida. The contract, designated as a total small business set-aside, requires the contractor to hand plant 60,000 containerized longleaf pine seedlings across 50 acres in eight sites within Compartments 6A and 6B. This restoration effort converts existing slash pine habitat to longleaf pine, with seedlings planted at a density of 1,200 trees per acre using 6' x 6' spacing. Work is scheduled between December 8, 2025, and February 6, 2026, with planting conducted during daylight hours Monday through Friday under the supervision of Refuge Forester Daniel Barrand.
Williams Forestry & Associates brings substantial relevant experience to this project, having completed multiple restoration contracts at the Lower Suwannee refuge through the Fish and Wildlife Service. The firm also holds two significant Indefinite Delivery Vehicles: a $2.5 million vegetation management contract with the USDA Forest Service Southern Region for the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, and a $50 million Blanket Purchase Agreement with the USDA Forest Service effective through March 2033 for forestry and land management services across National Forest System lands. The company's expertise in vegetation management, habitat restoration, and revegetation positions it as an established partner for federal land stewardship initiatives.