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Support Activities for Forestry

NAICS 115310 · Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry · SBA size standard: $11.5 million average annual receipts

Support Activities for Forestry provide timber cruising, forest inventory, reforestation, fire-break construction, brush clearing, logging road maintenance, and wildfire suppression services under contract to landowners, timber companies and government agencies. The specialists turn landowner requests into permitted work plans, inventory data into harvest or treatment schedules, daily crew assignments into equipment and supply orders, and completed fieldwork into billing and compliance reports. Crew certifications, equipment inspections, environmental permits and safety logs remain with the field supervisor.

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What makes this business different

  • Seasonal wildfire and planting windows that shift with weather, snowmelt and fire danger ratings
  • Permits for prescribed burns, herbicide application, road building and wetland crossings that must be secured before crews mobilize
  • Remote job sites with no cell service requiring paper maps, satellite communicators and daily check-in protocols
  • Heavy equipment such as feller-bunchers, skidders, masticators and chippers that require daily pre-use inspections and transport permits
  • Crew certifications including wildland firefighter quals, chainsaw operator cards, first aid and pesticide applicator licenses
  • Detailed daily time, equipment hours, fuel use and chemical application logs for government invoicing
  • Landowner and agency approvals at multiple stages before any ground disturbance
  • Inventory of seedlings, fencing, herbicide, fuel and safety gear that must be staged at remote drop points

Specialist bots

  • a worker reviewing printed topographic maps and request documents spread across a large planning table

    Request Intaker

    Convert incoming landowner or agency requests into scoped project tasks with initial feasibility checks.

    Works in: Ambitious Tasks, Ambitious Docs, Email Buckets · Workflows: Client request intake and scoping

    Automates

    • Parses request details and attaches maps
    • Checks against seasonal and regulatory calendars
    • Drafts scope and estimate documents
    • Creates standardized project task

    Stops for a person

    • The operations manager approves all estimates before sending
    • Field supervisor confirms site access feasibility
  • a worker wearing a hard hat laying out large printed site maps and permit forms on the hood of a pickup truck at a remote forest road pullout

    Permit Coordinator

    Assemble and track all environmental permits, applications and supporting documentation required before field work begins.

    Works in: Ambitious Docs, Ambitious Tasks, Ambitious Sheets · Workflows: Permit and environmental compliance preparation

    Automates

    • Identifies required permits by treatment and location
    • Populates application templates with project data
    • Maintains a master permit calendar with deadlines
    • Organizes maps and survey reports into submission packets

    Stops for a person

    • The field supervisor reviews all technical content before submission
    • People sign and submit official permit applications
    • Agency responses and conditions are interpreted by licensed staff
  • a worker using a diameter tape on a mature conifer while a plot sheet and compass rest on a nearby stump in a dense forest

    Timber Cruise Verifier

    Process plot data from field cruisers to produce stand volume reports and treatment maps.

    Works in: Ambitious Sheets, Ambitious Docs, Process Optimizer · Workflows: Timber cruise and forest inventory

    Automates

    • Calculates per-plot volumes and defects
    • Generates stand-level summaries and statistical checks
    • Produces color-coded treatment priority maps
    • Flags plots needing re-measurement

    Stops for a person

    • The certified cruiser reviews all final volume reports
    • Landowner or forester approves inventory before harvest planning
  • a worker marking colored pins on a large wall map showing active treatment units and crew locations in a regional forestry office

    Treatment Scheduler

    Match crew qualifications, equipment and weather windows to create daily and weekly treatment schedules.

    Works in: Ambitious Sheets, Ambitious Tasks · Workflows: Treatment and crew scheduling

    Automates

    • Aligns crew certifications to required tasks
    • Builds weekly schedules accounting for travel and weather
    • Generates daily job hazard and safety briefing templates
    • Tracks supply staging locations

    Stops for a person

    • The crew foreman approves each day's assignment
    • Operations manager adjusts schedule for changing fire conditions
  • a worker loading chainsaws, fuel cans and hard hats into the bed of a utility truck parked beside a forestry equipment yard at dawn

    Dispatch Coordinator

    Prepare daily crew packets, verify certifications and equipment readiness, and notify landowners of arrival.

    Works in: Ambitious Tasks, Ambitious Docs, Ambitious Sheets · Workflows: Daily crew dispatch and mobilization

    Automates

    • Checks crew qualifications against daily requirements
    • Generates equipment inspection checklists
    • Prepares maps, work orders and satellite communicator assignments
    • Drafts landowner notification messages

    Stops for a person

    • Crew foremen perform and sign all equipment inspections
    • A person makes final go-no-go decision based on weather and fire indices
    • All official notifications are sent by licensed staff
  • a crew member in protective gear writing on a weatherproof clipboard next to a masticator machine in a recently cleared forest stand

    Field Reporter

    Compile daily field logs, application records, photos and progress data into standardized daily reports.

    Works in: Ambitious Tasks, Ambitious Docs, Ambitious Sheets · Workflows: Field execution and daily reporting

    Automates

    • Aggregates hours, acres treated and equipment data
    • Formats chemical application and weather logs
    • Organizes timestamped site photos
    • Flags incomplete or out-of-compliance entries

    Stops for a person

    • Crew foremen review and correct all daily reports before submission
    • The safety officer reviews every incident or near-miss entry
  • a worker at a field trailer desk organizing stacks of daily time sheets, fuel logs and printed treatment maps into project folders

    Billing and Compliance Administrator

    Assemble project logs into invoices, progress reports and contract closeout documentation for agency and landowner approval.

    Works in: Ambitious Sheets, Ambitious Docs, Ambitious Tasks · Workflows: Billing, reporting and compliance closeout

    Automates

    • Calculates billable units from daily logs
    • Generates progress and as-built maps
    • Organizes all required compliance attachments
    • Tracks contract balances and renewal dates

    Stops for a person

    • The project manager approves every invoice before sending
    • Field supervisor confirms accuracy of all treatment records
    • People perform final agency acceptance inspections

Workflows

Client request intake and scoping

Starts when: A landowner, timber company or agency sends a request for cruising, treatment or suppression support

  1. Capture location, acreage, desired treatment type, timeline and access constraints
  2. Check against current fire danger, seasonal windows and existing permits
  3. Draft a scope of work and cost estimate for review
  4. Create a project task with maps and landowner contacts
  5. Schedule initial site visit or aerial review

Watch for: Remote sites may require landowner escort for first visit; Fire danger ratings can close windows with less than 24 hours notice

Permit and environmental compliance preparation

Starts when: After scoping is approved or on seasonal renewal dates

  1. Identify required federal, state and local permits for the treatment type
  2. Assemble boundary maps, species lists, cultural resource buffers and wetland delineations
  3. Draft permit applications and supporting documents
  4. Track submission dates, agency review periods and expiration dates
  5. Maintain a master calendar of all active permits

Watch for: Some permits require 30-90 day lead times and public comment periods; Cultural and endangered species surveys must often be performed by qualified specialists

Timber cruise and forest inventory

Starts when: Before harvest planning or reforestation projects

  1. Load plot grid and sample protocols into field tablets
  2. Record tree species, DBH, height, defect and volume estimates per plot
  3. Upload plot data and calculate stand-level summaries
  4. Flag areas needing special treatment or protection
  5. Produce volume reports and maps for landowner approval

Watch for: Plots are often located off-trail in steep or dense terrain; Data must be accurate enough for contract cruising payment

Treatment and crew scheduling

Starts when: After permits are secured and weather window opens

  1. Match crew certifications and equipment to treatment type and terrain
  2. Build daily and weekly crew assignments with travel times
  3. Stage seedlings, fuel, herbicide and safety supplies at drop points
  4. Draft daily safety briefings and job hazard analyses
  5. Adjust schedule for changing fire danger and precipitation forecasts

Watch for: Crew size and equipment must match slope and soil limitations; Daily crew check-in locations change with operational area

Daily crew dispatch and mobilization

Starts when: Each morning before crews leave the yard

  1. Verify all crew members have current certifications and PPE
  2. Complete pre-use equipment inspection checklists
  3. Issue satellite communicators, maps and daily work orders
  4. Confirm transport permits and fuel loads for heavy equipment
  5. Send landowner notification of crew arrival windows

Watch for: Wildland fire crews follow strict mobilization time standards; Equipment transporters require oversized load permits on public roads

Field execution and daily reporting

Starts when: Crews arrive on site

  1. Record start and stop times, equipment hours and crew hours
  2. Log herbicide or pesticide application rates, weather conditions and buffer compliance
  3. Photograph completed work and any unexpected conditions
  4. Report daily acres treated or volume cruised
  5. Upload safety incidents or near-misses immediately

Watch for: Many sites have no cellular coverage requiring end-of-day data sync; Chemical application logs must be accurate for state audit

Billing, reporting and compliance closeout

Starts when: After each project segment or on monthly cadence

  1. Compile daily logs into summarized progress reports
  2. Calculate billable acres, hours or volume and draft invoices
  3. Assemble as-built maps and compliance documentation
  4. Track remaining contract value and change orders
  5. Flag expiring certifications and equipment inspections for renewal

Watch for: Government contracts often require specific daily diaries and photo logs; Final acceptance may require agency inspection before payment

Bot templates for this industry

Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Size Standards, Table of Small Business Size Standards Matched to North American Industry Classification System Codes, version March 2023 (effective 2023-03-17, NAICS 2022). Size standards are shown for reference only.