Grayback Forestry
Grayback Forestry is a private Oregon-based wildland firefighting and forest restoration contractor serving federal agencies (USFS, BLM, NPS, FWS), state and municipal governments, and private landowners with wildfire suppression, prescribed fire, fuels reduction, and disaster support services across the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, and Southwest.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersWhite City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Grayback Forestry does
Grayback Forestry is a private Oregon-based wildland firefighting and forest restoration contractor founded in 1979, originally as a portable sawmill in Cave Junction. The company provides six integrated service lines: wildfire suppression, prescribed fire, hazardous fuels reduction, restoration and forest management, disaster and camp support services, and Mobile Mix Systems (MMS) / helicopter dip tank rentals. Its operational technology centers on specialized firefighting equipment — rigid steel helicopter dip tanks (5,000–10,500 gallons), USFS-approved gel and foam mixing systems, mobile shower and potable water fleets, and purpose-built base facilities — rather than software platforms.
Grayback operates through direct federal and state government contracting, with President Michael Wheelock stating that approximately 80% of business relies on federal contracts with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Remaining revenue comes from state agencies, municipalities (e.g., City of Jacksonville, City of Grants Pass), utilities, FEMA disaster response, and private landowner services. Pricing is contract-based, with entry-level firefighter compensation starting at $21/hr fully loaded on federal contracts. The company employs roughly 100 full-time staff year-round, scaling to 400+ during peak fire season across five regional bases in Oregon, Montana, and satellite locations.
Distribution is exclusively direct sales — no resellers or distributors — and customer acquisition is anchored on long-tenured primary-provider designations (John Day since 1993, Missoula since 1994) plus earned media through national documentary features on Amazon Prime, Vice, Fox Business, and Coors Banquet. Grayback is a member of the National Wildfire Suppression Association (NWSA) and National Mobile Shower and Catering Association (NMSCA), and uses BambooHR for recruitment. The company maintains no external funding rounds, no patents, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, operating as a bootstrapped services business now in its 46th year.
Grayback Forestry firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Grayback Forestry
- Legal name
- Grayback Forestry, Inc.
- Website
- https://graybackforestry.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Grayback Forestry is a private Oregon-based wildland firefighting and forest restoration contractor serving federal agencies (USFS, BLM, NPS, FWS), state and municipal governments, and private landowners with wildfire suppression, prescribed fire, fuels reduction, and disaster support services across the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, and Southwest.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Grayback Forestry industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wildfire Suppression and Forest Restoration Services
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)
- SIC
- Forestry (800)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wildfire Suppression & Incident Response (AFAMAEAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Forest Fire Management & Fuels Reduction Services (IMAMAAAH), Forest Fuels Management (Thinning, Mastication, Prescribed Burning) (AFAMAEAD)
Keywords
Where Grayback Forestry is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- White City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Grayback Forestry business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Government Contracts: Primary revenue stream from federal and state agency contracts for wildfire suppression, prescribed burning, forest restoration, and hazardous fuels reduction work. Approximately 80% of business relies on federal contracts.
- Private Landowner Services: Services provided to private landowners including prescribed fire operations, fuels management, and equipment rental (Mobile Mix Systems, helicopter dip tanks).
- Emergency Services: Disaster relief and camp support services provided to FEMA, power companies, and private customers during emergencies including hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and search and rescue efforts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Entry-level to mid-level firefighter compensation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Grayback Forestry product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Grayback Forestry is a wildland firefighting and forest management services contractor that suppresses wildfires, conducts prescribed burns, performs hazardous fuels reduction, executes reforestation and thinning, provides disaster and base camp support, and operates Mobile Mix Systems and helicopter dip tank equipment. Approximately 80% of its business comes from federal contracts with agencies such as the Forest Service, BLM, National Parks, Fish and Wildlife Service, and state forestry agencies, with the remainder from private landowners and emergency response customers. The company deploys trained wildland crews from five bases across the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, Southwest, and Inland Empire.
Product overview
Grayback Forestry offers a comprehensive suite of wildland firefighting and forest management services. The company operates as a single unified service offering across six interconnected service lines: Wildfire Suppression (core crew-based firefighting), Prescribed Fire (controlled burning), Hazardous Fuels Reduction (vegetation treatments), Restoration & Forest Management (reforestation and thinning), Disaster & Camp Support Services (mobile facilities), and Mobile Mix Systems Gel Plants and Helicopter Dip Tanks (aerial firefighting support equipment). These services work together to provide end-to-end fire protection and forest health management for government agencies and private landowners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wildfire Suppression Wildland firefighting service that deploys trained crews to contain and extinguish wildfires, construct fire lines, and protect resources, forests, rangelands, and the wildland-urban interface using specialized techniques, equipment, and training distinct from structural firefighting. Customers include federal and state land management agencies and, when needed, private entities.
- Prescribed Fire Controlled burning service that uses environmentally sound fire practices to restore forests to a fire-resilient state, reducing hazardous fuels and protecting human communities from extreme wildfires. Available to government agencies and private landowners.
- Hazardous Fuels Reduction Fuels management service that reduces catastrophic wildland fire risk and restores forest and rangeland ecosystems through treatments such as thinning, prescribed burning, hand piling, and underburning to modify or remove wildland fuels.
- Restoration and Forest Management Reforestation and mechanical thinning service covering tree planting, precommercial thinning, animal damage control, roadside brushing, chipping, cone collection, mastication, broadcast burning, and commercial thinning, delivered by trained crews to government and private customers.
- Disaster and Camp Support Services Emergency support service providing mobile shower units, ADA showers, potable water trucks, greywater trucks, hand wash sinks, noxious weed wash units, large tents, and generators along with management personnel for incident base camps during wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and search and rescue efforts.
- Mobile Mix Systems Gel Plants and Helicopter Dip Tanks Aerial and ground firefighting support service offering Mobile Mix Systems (MMS) for delivering USFS-approved gel liquids, powder water enhancer gel, and class A foam, plus rigid steel helicopter dip tanks sized from 5,000 to 10,500 gallons for use with Type 1, 2, and 3 helicopters. Offered to Incident Command teams and private landowners.
Quantifiable outcome
- Primary fuels and wildfire suppression contractor since 1993 in John Day region and since 1994 in Missoula region
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Grayback Forestry
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Grayback Forestry technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Grayback Forestry partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- National Wildfire Suppression Association (NWSA)coreGrayback Forestry is affiliated with NWSA. All Grayback Instructors are certified by NWSA. Company provides training sessions at each location that meet NWSA requirements. NWSA membership and certification form the foundation of company's training standards.
- National Mobile Shower and Catering Association (NMSCA)coreCompany maintains membership in NMSCA for disaster and camp support services including mobile shower facilities, water services, and equipment standards.
- Lomakatsi Restoration ProjectminorCollaborative restoration partner mentioned in 2019 federal shutdown coverage. Both companies provide similar services including prescribed burns and forest thinning and work together on federal land projects.
- National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC)coreReferenced as primary resource for fire season information, national situation reports, and fire weather forecasts. Grayback uses NIFC's FireFit program for firefighter fitness training standards.
- Firewise USAminorReferenced as resource for wildfire preparedness education. Grayback supports Firewise principles through community engagement and homeowner education.
- Oregon State Fire MarshalcoreGrayback Forestry collaborated with the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant program to perform fuels reduction work in Jacksonville's Forest Park. This represents contracted work under a state-administered grant program.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves13 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Grayback Forestry competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- WSP Global: Global engineering and professional services firm with a federal services and environmental practices that include wildfire mitigation, ecological restoration, and fuels management. Overlaps Grayback's service portfolio as part of a much broader federal infrastructure offering, and represents the type of large incumbent increasingly competing for integrated wildfire contracts.
- Stantec: International engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with a U.S. federal services practice that includes fuels management, watershed restoration, and wildfire resilience. Comparable as a broad incumbent leveraging a multi-disciplinary portfolio to compete for the same federal wildfire and forest restoration contract pool as Grayback.
- AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with federal, environmental, and resilience practices that include wildfire risk mitigation, post-fire restoration, and forest management. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for federal wildfire and forest management contracts across multiple geographies and agency programs.
Direct peers
- Wright Tree Service: Large U.S. utility vegetation management contractor serving investor-owned and cooperative utilities, with a service portfolio that overlaps Grayback's fuels reduction and disaster support offerings. Comparable in operating a mobile, seasonal workforce delivering specialized outdoor field services to institutional customers.
- Davey Tree Expert Company: Major U.S. tree care, utility line clearance, and environmental services firm with national operations and government/utility client base. Directly comparable to Grayback in the utility vegetation management, fuels reduction, and emergency response services offered to federal, state, and utility customers.
- Mason, Bruce & Girard: Pacific Northwest-based forestry and natural resources consulting firm offering forest management planning, fuels reduction, and restoration services. Comparable to Grayback as a regional forestry services provider working with the U.S. Forest Service, BLM, and private timberland owners in similar geographies.
- Osmose Utilities Services: Major provider of utility infrastructure services including vegetation management, inspection, and treatment for electric and gas utilities. Comparable to Grayback in deploying field crews delivering specialized outdoor services with a seasonal workforce to institutional utility and government customers.
- Asplundh Tree Expert Company: One of the largest private utility vegetation management and tree-care contractors in North America, with deep municipal and utility-customer relationships. Comparable to Grayback in operating as a specialized field-services contractor with seasonal workforce scaling and heavy reliance on government/quasi-government customers.
- Lomakatsi Restoration Project: Ashland, Oregon-based ecological restoration organization providing prescribed burning, forest thinning, and fuels reduction on federal lands. Explicitly named in the company data as a collaborative restoration partner, and operates a directly comparable service portfolio in the same Pacific Northwest geography.
- Resource Environmental Solutions (RES): National ecological restoration company delivering stream and wetland mitigation, forest restoration, and prescribed fire services to federal agencies and private clients. Directly comparable to Grayback's restoration, fuels reduction, and prescribed fire service lines, with similar federal-customer orientation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Grayback Forestry social profiles
Digital presenceGrayback Forestry financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Grayback Forestry leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Grayback Forestry funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Grayback Forestry M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Grayback Forestry
What does Grayback Forestry do?
Grayback Forestry is a wildland firefighting and forest management services contractor that suppresses wildfires, conducts prescribed burns, performs hazardous fuels reduction, executes reforestation and thinning, provides disaster and base camp support, and operates Mobile Mix Systems and helicopter dip tank equipment. Approximately 80% of its business comes from federal contracts with agencies such as the Forest Service, BLM, National Parks, Fish and Wildlife Service, and state forestry agencies, with the remainder from private landowners and emergency response customers. The company deploys trained wildland crews from five bases across the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, Southwest, and Inland Empire.
Is Grayback Forestry a public or private company?
Grayback Forestry is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Grayback Forestry founded?
Grayback Forestry was founded in 1979. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Grayback Forestry based?
Grayback Forestry is headquartered in White City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Grayback Forestry make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Contracts are the primary driver. The others are private Landowner Services and emergency Services.
Who are Grayback Forestry's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are WSP Global, Stantec and AECOM. Direct peers are Wright Tree Service, Davey Tree Expert Company, Mason, Bruce & Girard, Osmose Utilities Services, Asplundh Tree Expert Company, Lomakatsi Restoration Project and Resource Environmental Solutions (RES).
Does Grayback Forestry have an API?
No public API is recorded for Grayback Forestry.
What industry is Grayback Forestry in?
Grayback Forestry's product category is Wildfire Suppression and Forest Restoration Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAMAEAE, Wildfire Suppression & Incident Response, with a secondary code of IMAMAAAH, Forest Fire Management & Fuels Reduction Services. Its NAICS code is 115310 and its SIC code is 800.