Karen Larsen

Karen Larsen serves as a Technical Specialist within the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, supporting the U.S. Forest Service’s mission to sustain healthy, resilient forest ecosystems across Georgia. In her technical capacity, she provides critical subject-matter expertise to guide the development, evaluation, and implementation of procurement actions related to forest management operations. Her role bridges operational needs with acquisition strategy, ensuring that contracts align with ecological objectives such as silvicultural treatments, habitat restoration, and wildfire risk mitigation. She typically handles technical solicitations requiring specialized knowledge in forestry practices, environmental compliance, and land management services, working closely with field staff to translate mission-critical requirements into clear, defensible contract statements of work. While specific contractor relationships are not currently documented, Karen collaborates with a diverse pool of vendors qualified in environmental services and forest operations, fostering partnerships with firms possessing proven experience in ecological restoration, invasive species control, and forest infrastructure maintenance. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical rigor, performance-based outcomes, and vendor capability assessments to ensure contract success and resource stewardship. Karen demonstrates a strong, consistent commitment to small business participation, with 100% of her acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to cultivate local economic resilience and leverage the agility and specialized knowledge of small, community-based firms. Her contracting patterns prioritize socioeconomic inclusion without compromising technical standards, ensuring that small businesses—particularly those with forestry or environmental service expertise—have equitable access to federal opportunities. Her primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 561720 (Janitorial Services) and 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), reflecting a dual emphasis on facility maintenance and field-based ecological support. She procures services including trail and campground upkeep, debris removal, prescribed burn support, and non-timber forest product harvesting, demonstrating deep technical fluency in operational forestry and land management domains.