Mark Pistrang

Mark Pistrang serves as a key procurement lead within the Cherokee National Forest, overseeing the acquisition of scientific and technical consulting services critical to ecological stewardship and forest management. He is responsible for planning, soliciting, and awarding contracts that support wildfire mitigation, vegetation management, habitat restoration, and infrastructure maintenance aligned with U.S. Forest Service priorities. His acquisitions directly enable the agency’s mission to sustain forest health and ensure public safety through evidence-based, science-driven interventions. Pistrang specializes in performance-based contracting for environmental assessments, resource planning, and technical advisory services, ensuring compliance with federal environmental regulations and land use policies. Pistrang maintains collaborative relationships with a diverse pool of environmental consultants, ecological scientists, and technical service providers who deliver specialized expertise in forest ecology, hydrology, and wildfire risk modeling. He engages primarily with small, niche firms possessing domain-specific knowledge in forest management systems and natural resource analytics. His contracting approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in technical proficiency, regulatory compliance, and adaptive management capabilities, fostering accountability and mission alignment. Pistrang demonstrates a steadfast commitment to small business participation, directing 100% of his procurement activity toward full small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. He consistently prioritizes contracts awarded to small businesses, including those certified under HUBZone, 8(a), and WOSB programs, reinforcing the Department of Agriculture’s socioeconomic goals. His procurement pattern reflects a deliberate strategy to cultivate capacity within the environmental consulting small business community, ensuring equitable access to federal resources. His primary procurement focus is on NAICS 541690—Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services—encompassing ecological surveys, forest inventory analysis, GIS mapping, environmental impact assessments, and prescribed burn planning. He procures services that integrate field data with modeling tools to inform land management decisions, demonstrating deep technical expertise in conservation science and federal environmental compliance frameworks.