Federal Land Management: Use of Stewardship Contracting is Increasing, but Agencies Could Benefit from Better Data and Contracting Strategies

Book excerpt: The Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have stewardship contracting authority, which allows the agencies to trade goods -- such as timber -- for services (e.g., thinning forests or rangelands) that the agencies would otherwise pay for with appropriated dollars, and to enter into stewardship contracts lasting up to 10 years. The authority is set to expire in 2013. This report determines: (1) the extent to which the agencies are using stewardship contracting; and (2) what successes and challenges the agencies have experienced in using it. In doing so, the auditor assessed agency data, reviewed project files, and visited projects in numerous locations. Illus.