Michael Montgomery

Michael Montgomery serves as a key procurement lead within the Stewardship Contracting Branch of the U.S. Forest Service, where he facilitates landscape-scale stewardship contracts designed to advance ecological restoration and wildfire risk reduction. His responsibilities include managing complex, performance-based acquisitions that integrate timber harvesting with watershed protection, forest thinning, and infrastructure maintenance. He specializes in contracting mechanisms that align with the USDA’s sustainable forest management goals, ensuring that procurements deliver both ecological outcomes and operational efficiency. His portfolio primarily consists of service-based contracts under the Stewardship Contracting authority, emphasizing long-term partnerships and measurable resource outcomes over traditional commodity purchases. Montgomery maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of experienced contractors including Brink Brothers Inc., Peak Engineering LLC, AZ Hammer Down, LLC, Gabino D. Grano, and Gladhart LLC. These vendors are regularly engaged for their technical proficiency in logging operations, forest road construction, and ecological restoration services. His contracting approach favors firms with demonstrated field expertise in forest management, often selecting contractors based on past performance, safety records, and capacity to execute multi-year, landscape-level projects. These relationships reflect a preference for proven, reliable partners capable of delivering integrated ecological outcomes across diverse terrain. Montgomery’s procurement strategy does not utilize socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects the branch’s operational focus on securing specialized capabilities rather than prioritizing socioeconomic categories. While small businesses are not formally targeted, several of his key contractors are small or mid-sized firms with niche expertise in forestry support services, indicating an organic alignment with small business participation through technical merit rather than mandated preferences. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 113310 (Logging) and 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), reflecting deep specialization in forest management services. He routinely procures mechanical thinning, fuel reduction, road maintenance, and debris removal services—all critical to reducing wildfire vulnerability and enhancing forest resilience. His expertise centers on performance-based contracting in ecologically sensitive environments, requiring precise compliance with environmental regulations and adaptive management practices.