Marie Butler

Marie Butler serves as a Contracting Officer’s Representative for the Southern Research Station within the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture. In this critical support role, she provides direct oversight of contract performance, ensuring technical compliance, deliverable adherence, and mission alignment with the Station’s scientific and operational objectives. She works closely with Contracting Officers to evaluate contractor performance, manage modifications, and validate that field-based research infrastructure meets environmental and safety standards. Her acquisitions primarily support applied forestry science, including the maintenance and upgrade of field laboratories, ecological monitoring systems, and environmental compliance tools essential to sustainable forest management. Marie maintains a consistent working relationship with LSG Management, LLC, a primary contractor delivering specialized support activities for forestry operations. Her engagements emphasize long-term, performance-based partnerships focused on reliability, technical expertise, and regulatory compliance. She collaborates closely with vendors to ensure seamless integration of field services with research protocols, fostering a collaborative environment where contractor capabilities directly advance scientific outcomes. Her oversight extends to site readiness, equipment calibration, and data collection infrastructure, requiring close coordination between scientific staff and contractor personnel. Marie’s procurement portfolio is entirely structured under the Total Small Business Set-Aside authority (FAR 19.5), reflecting a steadfast commitment to socioeconomic diversity in federal contracting. She consistently prioritizes small business participation, ensuring that all acquisitions are reserved exclusively for small businesses capable of delivering specialized forestry support services. This approach strengthens regional economic resilience and aligns with USDA’s mandate to empower small, locally rooted vendors with niche technical capabilities. Her primary focus lies in NAICS 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), encompassing services such as forest inventory support, habitat monitoring, wildfire risk mitigation logistics, and environmental compliance assistance. She procures technical field services that enable ecological data collection, GIS mapping, and sustainable land management practices, requiring deep domain knowledge in forest ecology and federal environmental regulations. Her expertise ensures that contracting efforts directly enhance the Station’s capacity to conduct science-driven conservation.