Georgia Forestry Commission

Georgia Forestry Commission, a state government agency operating under the Georgia Office of the Governor, functions as a prime recipient of federal grants and performs contract work for the USDA Forest Service as a specialized provider of nursery services, forest health management, and reforestation support on a full-and-open competitive basis without set-asides. The Commission is a state entity with no separate business structure — it operates as a division of the State of Georgia and receives no small business designations.

The Commission's federal footprint is concentrated almost entirely in grant work rather than traditional prime contracting. Of 301 total awards, 298 are prime grants and cooperative agreements (99%), with only three sub-awards. The grant portfolio centers on forest management, wildfire mitigation, invasive species control, and reforestation activities across Georgia and the Southern region. Recent grant examples include a $369.9 million Consolidated Payment Grant from the USDA Forest Service Southern Region under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance program (CFDA 10.664) awarded September 3, 2025, integrating funding for forest stewardship, forest health protection, urban and community forestry, and fire capacity programs; a $13.5 million Forest Legacy Program grant (CFDA 10.676) awarded August 13, 2025, to facilitate conservation easements and fee-simple land acquisitions protecting forest areas from conversion to non-forest uses; and an $11.83 million grant under Cooperative Forestry Assistance (CFDA 10.664) awarded July 8, 2025, funding forest health education, monitoring of non-native invasive plants and insects in partnership with the University of Georgia, and expanded pest monitoring protocols following Hurricane Helene impacts. The Commission also operates under Good Neighbor Authority cooperative agreements with the Forest Service to conduct forest inventory, stand delineation, and disaster recovery work on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, with a $851,106 ten-year agreement (CFDA 10.691) awarded August 26, 2025.

Customer concentration is extreme and by design: the USDA Forest Service R8-Southern Region dominates the award portfolio with 134 awards carrying $6.5 million combined potential value (90% coverage of awards by count). The top five funding agencies account for 90% of awards by potential value, with the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 4 and the Department of the Army Installation Management Command Southeast Region placing smaller numbers of awards valued at $55 thousand and $226 thousand respectively. The Commission also receives cooperative agreements from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (39 awards) for invasive species detection and control, and from the USDA National Resources Conservation Service for forestry practice certification and technical assistance to private landowners enrolled in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (CFDA 10.912).

The Commission operates under a single primary Blanket Purchase Agreement with the USDA Forest Service Southern Region (BPA 12444121A0002, established March 22, 2021, with a $300,000 ceiling) that generates the bulk of recent contract work. Task orders under this vehicle fund nursery seedling bed space, bare root seedling lifting and delivery, pine cone processing, and related forestry services delivered at the Savannah River Site in New Ellenton, South Carolina. Recent BPA calls include $30,000 for FY 2026 barefoot seedling bedspace (March 13, 2026), $32,365 for seedling lift and delivery at Savannah River Site (January 6, 2026), and $26,184 for FY 2025 seedling bedspace (March 18, 2025). The Commission also holds several indefinite delivery contracts with the Forest Service for specialized forestry work, with 10 to 14 task orders issued under each vehicle.

The Commission's capability portfolio spans nursery operations, forest health and pest management, wildfire mitigation and prescribed burning, invasive species detection and eradication, reforestation planning and implementation, and disaster recovery forestry services. Primary NAICS codes reflect this mix: Support Activities for Forestry (43 awards), Flower Nursery Stock and Florists' Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (12 awards), and Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (7 awards). The Commission operates a state-owned nursery facility in New Ellenton, South Carolina supporting the Forest Service's regional reforestation objectives across Georgia and South Carolina national forests, particularly for longleaf and loblolly pine regeneration and native hardwood species.

Activity has remained steady at 17 to 23 awards per year over the past five years, with six awards (combined potential value $50 thousand) reaching ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months and facing recompete exposure. The Commission functions as a primary federal partner for the Forest Service, with grant funding supporting landscape-scale forest management priorities established in Georgia's State Forest Action Plan and federal initiatives including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and Inflation Reduction Act. Funding obligations substantially exceed potential value ($702.1 million obligated against $7.5 million potential value), reflecting the fact that the source data captures a snapshot of recent awards while recording historical obligated amounts on long-running grants and cooperative agreements extending back to 2001. Sub-award work is minimal: the Commission receives sub-grant funding from the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency for emergency protective measures, from the American Forest Foundation for forest landowner support, and from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for longleaf pine and bottomland hardwood habitat restoration across South Georgia.