Kim Kuhar

Kim Kuhar serves as a Forest Fuels Specialist at the Lincoln National Forest, U.S. Forest Service, where she plays a pivotal role in advancing ecological resilience through strategic procurement of vegetation management and wildfire risk reduction services. Her responsibilities include planning, soliciting, and managing contracts for forest fuel reduction, prescribed burning support, hazardous fuel removal, and related silvicultural activities. Kuhar ensures that acquisitions align with the Forest Service’s mission of sustainable land stewardship, integrating ecological science with operational needs to enhance forest health and community safety. She routinely handles task orders and service contracts under the Support Activities for Forestry NAICS code, coordinating with field crews, ecologists, and fire management teams to translate operational priorities into actionable procurement strategies. Kuhar collaborates closely with a network of specialized forestry contractors, including small businesses certified in vegetation management, prescribed fire operations, and mechanical fuel reduction. Her working relationships emphasize technical proficiency, safety compliance, and adaptive management practices, fostering long-term partnerships with vendors capable of operating in complex, ecologically sensitive terrain. She prioritizes vendors with demonstrated experience in federal forest protocols, equipment certification, and environmental compliance under NEPA and ESA frameworks. Kuhar maintains a 100% Small Business Set-Aside preference for all forestry support acquisitions, consistently directing contracts to small, locally based enterprises under FAR 19.5. Her procurement patterns reflect a strong commitment to socioeconomic equity, with a focus on enabling small businesses to deliver critical ecosystem services while building regional workforce capacity. She actively encourages participation from HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, and Women-Owned Small Businesses within the forestry support sector. Her primary industry focus is NAICS 115310—Support Activities for Forestry—encompassing fuel treatment, brush clearing, trail maintenance, and forest health monitoring. She procures specialized services such as chainsaw operations, helicopter-assisted fuel reduction, and prescribed burn implementation, leveraging technical expertise in forest ecology and fire behavior modeling to ensure contract deliverables meet rigorous ecological and safety standards.