Arkansas Forestry Commission

The Arkansas Forestry Commission, operating as the Arkansas Department of Agriculture - Forestry Division, is a U.S. local government entity that delivers tree seedlings, forest management services, wildfire suppression capacity, and forest conservation to federal agencies as a prime recipient of federal grants and contracts (99% of recent awards). The Commission does not hold SBA set-asides and does not compete under set-aside programs; it transacts with federal agencies on a full-and-open basis as a state government forestry authority.

The Commission's recent activity concentrates in federal grant work, not contracts. Across 185 total awards since 2004, the Commission has received $184.8 million in obligated dollars (42,143% of combined potential value), reflecting the structure of multi-year federal grants that obligate funds across several fiscal years. Recent prime work includes a $763,661 five-year project grant from USDA Forest Service Region 8 under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance program (CFDA 10.664) to support land management, wildfire detection, and suppression equipment acquisition on state and private lands across Arkansas, effective June 2026 through June 2031; a $9.33 million Inflation Reduction Act Forest Legacy Program grant (CFDA 10.734) awarded September 2025 for acquisition of 1,325 acres near Lake Maumelle critical to drinking water supply; a $4.824 million August 2025 Cooperative Forestry Assistance grant consolidating five integrated forestry initiatives including forest stewardship, forest health, urban and community forestry, and state and volunteer fire capacity programs; and a $500,000 Bipartisan Infrastructure Act Nursery Vegetation grant (CFDA 10.736) awarded September 2025 to modernize tree seedling nursery facilities and expand production capacity. The Commission also holds three purchase order contracts with USDA Forest Service and Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service for delivery of native tree seedlings (shortleaf pine, cherrybark oak, hardwood species) to the Ouachita National Forest and Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, ranging from $14,400 to $23,072 and completed or completing in 2022–2026.

Customer concentration sits entirely with federal forestry and conservation agencies. The Department of Agriculture Forest Service Region 8–Southern Region dominates the award footprint with 78 awards at $51 thousand combined potential value, alongside the broader USDA Forest Service (72 awards), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (6 awards), and smaller federal contributions from the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and Army Materiel Command. The top five agencies account for 90% of awards. By dollar volume, the top five account for 62% of combined potential value, with Army Materiel Command ($152 thousand across four awards) and Forest Service Region 8 ($51 thousand across 78 awards) leading the ranking—a divergence reflecting that Army awards carry higher individual values while Forest Service awards are numerous but small-dollar contracts and grants.

The Commission's capability portfolio centers on tree seedling production and nursery operations (primary NAICS 111421 and 111998), forest management and wildfire prevention services, and landscape-scale forest conservation. Recent grant work funds hazardous fuels reduction, Southern Pine Beetle eradication, invasive species mitigation, forest health restoration, community wildfire defense planning, riparian corridor conservation, and prescribed burn training and implementation across non-federal lands in Arkansas. The Commission acts as prime recipient on all named grants and carries two grant sub-awards under the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission for unpaved road improvements and Best Management Practice implementation on private forestlands (both October 2021).

Activity has remained relatively flat year over year—ranging from 9 to 15 awards annually across 2022–2025—with only one award present in 2026 so far. Two awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing minimal recompete exposure in the near term. The Commission operates from Little Rock, Arkansas, and transacts exclusively with USDA Forest Service Region 8–Southern Region and subordinate USDA agencies (NRCS, Agricultural Marketing Service) plus the Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service and limited Army Corps of Engineers work. No parent contract vehicles, BPAs, or GWACs appear in the award history; all work is direct grant and purchase order transaction with federal agencies.