Ozark-St. Francis National Forest Mt. Magazine Ranger District Cedar Removal

The USDA Forest Service is soliciting offers for cedar removal services in the Mt. Magazine Ranger District of the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest in Arkansas. The project involves chainsaw felling, delimbing, and removal of cedar trees across approximately 600 acres as part of a Quail Stewardship Restoration Area habitat improvement initiative. Contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and comply with specific requirements including cutting trees close to the ground, avoiding damage to Stream-Side Management Zones, and clearing debris from roads and wildlife openings. Cedars measuring 4 inches or larger in diameter at breast height must be removed, with work permitted during weekends and holidays but no night operations allowed. The contract will be awarded on a best value basis using firm fixed pricing, with offers originally due October 21, 2025, but extended to October 30, 2025 at 11:00 AM Central Time. An optional site visit was scheduled for October 15, 2025 at 10:00 AM to allow contractors to assess project conditions.

This is a total small business set-aside contract with no identified incumbent contractors. The performance period runs from November 6, 2025 through October 30, 2026, with specific work windows in November-December 2025, January-April 2026, and May-October 2026. The contract location is Paris, Arkansas, approximately 4 miles south of Paris at coordinates 35.236524, -93.692071. Contractors may employ either chainsaw or mulching techniques for cedar removal, with approximately 35-45% of the contract area having been previously timbered at varying basal area densities ranging from 70 to 150 BA. No budget range has been disclosed in the available solicitation documents, and no upfront payment is required, with invoicing permitted every two weeks upon completion of work. The NAICS code is 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry) with a small business size standard of $11.5 million.