Forest Service Region 2 Vegetation Management

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service Region 2 established this small-business-set-aside Master IDIQ for vegetation management services within Rocky Mountain Region forests on August 14, 2019, with a final ordering deadline of January 14, 2024. The vehicle is no longer active; ordering closed two and a half years ago and the most recent task order was awarded June 1, 2024.

The vehicle contracted fuels reduction, timber stand improvement, mechanical and hand thinning, mastication, and related labor and equipment services across Region 2 National Forests and adjacent lands where cross-boundary work serves project objectives. Task orders show a mix of manual thinning, mechanical mastication, lop-and-scatter, piling, decking, and habitat improvements, typically measured in acres treated. Work includes cutting standing dead or alive material and downed and dead material.

One hundred thirty-three task orders totaling $24.8 million in combined potential value were issued between August 2019 and June 2024. All obligated dollars—$24.8 million—have been committed. The vehicle saw increasing order velocity through 2023 (44 orders in 2023 alone, up from 21 orders in 2020), then dropped sharply to 2 orders in 2024 after the ordering deadline.

Five prime contractors captured 82 percent of task-order count: G E Forestry, Inc. (31 orders, $5.4 million), Cutting Edge Forestry, Inc. (21 orders, $2.3 million), Sweat US LLC (20 orders, $4.4 million), Summitt Forests, Inc. (19 orders, $6 million), and Imperial Forestry, Incorporated (18 orders, $3.5 million). These top five hold 87 percent of combined potential value by dollar volume, with Summitt Forests leading by value despite fewer awards than G E Forestry by count. The remaining three primes hold the balance. Approximately 89 percent of orders carried no set-aside designation; 11 percent were Total Small Business competitive awards. Region 2 issued 128 of 133 orders, funding $21.7 million of the total vehicle value; cross-regional orders to R4 and R6 and department-level funding account for the remainder. Task-order values range from roughly $15 thousand to $1 million, with most orders in the $100 thousand to $300 thousand band. Durations typically run six to twelve months. Work is performed across Region 2 National Forests in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota, with individual project focus varying by ranger district and forest.

The US Forest Service has requirements for Vegetation Management IDIQ contracts within Region 2. The services of this contract are designed to provide for fuels reduction, and timber stand improvement in Region 2 National Forests or on adjacent to R2 where cross boundary services can achieve project objectives. This includes furnishing labor, supervision, equipment, transportation, operating supplies (except those designated as Government furnished), and incidentals to perform all work necessary as listed in the schedule of items. This work may include cutting standing dead or alive and or downed and dead material laying on the ground or as specified in the task order.