This solicitation does not represent an award or guarantee of a future contract. All contracts are awarded through individual Requests for Proposals; or, private landowner direct outreach for services.

Wheeler Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) (“District”) invites qualifications from independent consulting foresters and firms to establish a list of qualified contractors for private land forestry technical assistance in Wheeler County, Oregon.

Background

Wheeler SWCD is a local, voluntary special district that helps private landowners manage, protect, and restore natural resources – such as forests and woodlands. The District’s service area includes all of the lands within the legal boundaries of Wheeler County, located in north central Oregon.

Wheeler County encompasses 1,715 square miles, or 1,097,600 acres, of which 316,384 acres are public and 781,216 acres are private. Of the Private acres, 435,911 are rangeland, 280,625 are forestland and 14,000 are irrigated cropland.

The District exhibits a widely varying terrain from deep river canyons, embedded with prehistoric plant and animal fossils, to high timbered mountains covered in pine and fir trees. Within the boundaries are portions of the Ochoco and Umatilla National Management, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, CTWS Pine Creek Conservation Area, Sutton Mountain Wilderness Study Area, John Day River, and other public BLM land.

As natural resources are the pride of Wheeler County, it is important to ensure sustainable use of those resources by protecting and maintaining them for generations to come. We provide resources, information, and expertise to help people achieve their conservation and stewardship goals to actively enhance and protect air and water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and soil health.

Scope of Services

Wheeler SWCD has historically relied on Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) for professional forestry services. Due to budget shortages and heavy internal workloads, it has been difficult for ODF to dedicate staff to SWCD projects. Furthermore, it is an extensive process for SWCD staff to obtain Job Approval Authority (JAA) for forestry practices through the Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS).

Forestry consultants may perform the following tasks in partnership with the District when contracted for project(s). Each contract will identify the property, deliverables, schedule, and authorized funds. The forester shall obtain landowner access through District procedures and coordinate site work with District staff.

• Assess forest condition, stand structure, fuels, invasive plants, regeneration, access, erosion risks, wildlife habitat, and postfire hazards; document objectives and treatment constraints with the landowner.
• Prepare maps, acreage estimates, treatment units, photographs, inventories appropriate to the assignment, and written site findings. Identify applicable permits, notifications, and resource protection measures.
• Develop practical forest management and fuels treatment prescriptions, including thinning, slash or woody residue treatment, reforestation, and postfire stabilization where appropriate. Include priorities, methods, measurable specifications, anticipated outcomes, maintenance, and cost estimates.
• Prepare conservation practice designs, job sheets, and supporting documentation consistent with the current Oregon NRCS Field Office Technical Guide when an NRCS funded assignment requires them. Coordinate any required technical review, signature, or certification with personnel holding the applicable authority.
• Inspect treated areas, measure and document completed quantities, compare work with the approved prescription and applicable specifications, identify deficiencies and corrective actions, and issue a dated written certification or exception report with maps and photographs.
• Assist the District and landowners with contractor bid packages or scopes, prework meetings, field layout, implementation checks, change recommendations, completion inspections, photographs, quantities, and records. The forester will not award construction contracts on the District’s behalf.
• Provide landowner communication, partner coordination, progress reports, and organized electronic project files; schedule, budget, safety, or compliance issues promptly.

Illustrative deliverables may include a site assessment memorandum, georeferenced treatment map, prescription and cost estimate, landowner review record, implementation checklist, inspection notes, and closeout summary. Specific products and due dates will be set by a contract.

Wheeler SWCD Contractor List

Anticipated contractor list will be maintained by the District and all qualified consultants will remain on the list unless a request to be removed is received by the consultant. The District may add contractors through a later solicitation or individual requests, remove contractors for cause, and reassess qualifications at any time. Listing creates no contract and guarantees no work. Before an assignment begins, the District and contractor will execute any required agreement and written scope of work. Each contractor will supply necessary transportation, field equipment, mapping tools, and office support. Contracts will address insurance, records, confidentiality, access, ownership of deliverables, termination, invoicing, and applicable funding terms.

Minimum Qualifications

• A degree in forestry or a closely related field, or a documented combination of training and professional forestry experience that demonstrates equivalent competence.
• At least three years of applied forestry experience, including field assessments and written treatment prescriptions; demonstrated ability to work with private landowners.
• Experience with dry forest management, fuels reduction, wildfire recovery, and applicable Oregon forest practices requirements, or a clear plan to obtain needed local expertise.
• Ability to produce accurate maps, estimates, clear written specifications, completion measurements, and certification records; capacity to travel to and work safely on rural properties in Wheeler County.
• Legal authority to conduct business in Oregon and all permits or licenses required for any services actually offered. Disclose any subcontractors and their roles.

Oregon does not generally require a forester professional certification for consulting forestry. Voluntary professional certification, NRCS Technical Service Provider certification for relevant practices, and documented job approval authority may be considered as additional qualifications. If NRCS certification is included, respondent must identify the specific practices and services they are authorized to certify.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in eastern Oregon ponderosa pine and mixed conifer systems; Oregon NRCS conservation planning and current practice standards; ODF coordination and forest practices notifications; postfire assessments; GIS deliverables; contractor oversight; and experience with publicly funded conservation projects, including documentation and conflict management.

Qualifications Package

Submit one searchable PDF, preferably no more than 15 pages excluding resumes and sample work, containing:

• Cover letter identifying the lead forester, firm, primary contact, and interest in the work.
• Approach to landowner intake, field assessments, prescriptions, coordination, quality control, and reporting; identify expected turnaround and general workload.
• Resumes of key personnel, roles, relevant credentials and practice-specific certification authority (with evidence and expiration dates), subcontractors, and two representative redacted work samples (such as a prescription, treatment map, or completed work certification record) and three client references with contact information.
• Proposed hourly rates by labor category, reimbursable expense schedule, and any standard travel charges. State rate validity for at least 90 days after the deadline.
• Statement of actual or potential conflicts of interest, including any financial interest in timber purchases or implementation contractors known to operate in Wheeler County; describe safeguards.

Submission and Questions

Email the PDF to administration@wheelerswcd.org with subject “Forester Contractor List RFQ — [respondent name]” by October 12, 2026. The District will acknowledge receipt; respondents are responsible for timely delivery. Submit written questions to administration@wheelerswcd.org. Qualifications received after the deadline will be considered. Do not include confidential landowner information in work samples.

General Provisions

The District may amend or cancel this RFQ, reject any or all responses, waive immaterial irregularities, or establish no contractor list, consistent with its adopted policies and applicable law. Respondents bear their own preparation costs. Submitted materials may be subject to Oregon public records requirements; identify any claimed exemption and its basis, recognizing that the District cannot guarantee confidentiality. Listed contractors must comply with applicable federal, state, and local requirements and any funding agreement terms incorporated into a subsequent contract. Neither submission nor list inclusion creates a contract.