Stewardship Contracting
Stewardship Contracting Projects.
Congress enacted legislation extending and expanding stewardship contracting authority with communities, the private sector, and others, allowing the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to enter into long-term contracts (up to 10 years) to meet land-management objectives (for example, to reduce wildland fire risk and improve forest and rangeland health). Stewardship contracts focus on producing desirable results on the ground that improve forest and rangeland health and provide benefits to communities. Among other things, the new stewardship contracting authority allows forest products to be exchanged for ecological restoration services, which may include thinning and removing brush.
Stewardship contracting allows private organizations or businesses to do the necessary thinning and remove small trees and undergrowth; as partial payment, stewardship contractors are able to keep part of what they remove.
- Stewardship Contracting Brochure Available (PDF, 682 KB)
Developed to help explain its benefits to units throughout the Forest Service, the brochure “Stewardship Contracting - Basic stewardship contracting concepts” describes what stewardship contracting is, how the contracts are used, what is unique about it, and more.