Hatchery 25/26 Timber Sale

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida Forest Service is conducting a sealed bid procurement for the Hatchery 25/26 Timber Sale on Blackwater River State Forest in Santa Rosa County, Florida. This procurement involves a marked thinning operation across approximately 440 acres of longleaf pine and slash pine forest stands. The deliverable consists of harvesting timber marked with blue paint only, with estimated total volumes of 9,625 tons distributed across five product categories: 3,339 tons of pine pulpwood, 1,128 tons of pine super pulpwood, 1,377 tons of pine chip-n-saw, 3,273 tons of pine sawtimber, and 818 tons of pine poles. The successful bidder must complete all harvest activities within a nine-month contract period and must strictly adhere to marked tree specifications, as unmarked timber cannot be harvested or damaged. The sale area encompasses seven designated harvest areas with boundaries marked by double orange paint dots, and bidders must comply with specified access restrictions, including avoiding northern routes where a bridge is out and prohibiting commercial vehicle traffic on certain roads. Sealed bids must be submitted by February 26, 2026, at 10:00 AM CST, with opening occurring at 11650 Munson Highway, Milton, Florida 32570. Interested parties should contact Thomas Jernigan at (850) 957-5737 for complete bid information, and the bid submission deadline is February 26, 2026.

The procurement documents do not specify any set-aside designations, disadvantaged enterprise restrictions, or limitations on organizational eligibility to bid. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available materials. The Blackwater River State Forest is certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative standards (BVC-SFIFM-700005), indicating that successful bidders must comply with SFI-certified forest management practices throughout the harvest operation. No specific award values or budget ranges are disclosed in the sale advertisement; rather, bidders submit sealed bids for the right to harvest the marked timber, with the bid amount presumably based on the bidder's valuation of the timber volumes and site conditions. The Florida Forest Service reserves the right to reject any and all bids received and to waive any irregularities in submitted bids, providing the agency with discretionary authority in bid evaluation and award decisions.