Burlington, VT; Durham, NH; Orono, ME; Syracuse, NY — Northeastern States Research Cooperative (NSRC) Directors are pleased to announce 11 grants totaling nearly $2.2 million of federal funding and close to $1 million of matching funding for research that will focus on areas of concern identified by forest stakeholders in the Northern Forest region: Community and Economic Resilience, Decision Support and Management Tools, Forest Health and Resilience, and Human Dimensions for Effective Public Engagement.Research goals for the program, as stipulated in the 2020 NSRC Congressional Authorization, are to sponsor research to sustain the health of northern forest ecosystems and communities, develop new forest products, and to improve forest biodiversity management. The NSRC’s research priorities are guided by an External Advisory Committee (EAC) representing the communities, businesses, industries, and agencies in the Northern Forest region.The new projects include research into the economics of forest health protection, overstory and understory factors influencing tree growth, broad-scale and species-specific conservation approaches, sustainable packaging materials from forest-derived biopolymers, selective cutting and forest biodiversity, tree species and forest reforestation, and management practices to reduce soil disturbances.“Research conducted by organizations like the Northeastern States Research Cooperative is essential to maintaining the health of northern forest ecosystems and communities. Through their dedicated work, we have been able to gain a better understanding of forest management, recreation, and environmental impacts throughout Vermont and the Northeastern region,” said Vermont Senator Peter Welch. “I’m pleased that NSRC will continue their vital work and boost rural economies across the Green Mountain State and the region.”The 2024 RFP elicited a strong response from regional researchers. NSRC received 50 project proposals requesting more than $11 million in funding. All proposals were evaluated by two technical reviewers with specific expertise in relevant science and public outreach. Based on the technical reviews, the NSRC Executive Committee advanced the 26 highest ranked proposals for review by the external full proposal review panel, made up of forest professionals in the region. The panel evaluated and discussed each submission before putting forward the final slate of proposals for funding. Based on the proposals themselves, the external expert reviews, considerations as described in the RFP, and the final panel’s review and funding recommendations, the Executive Committee then committed the final set of proposals for funding.The majority of the projects include collaboration with US Forest Service Northern Research Station scientists, as well as researchers across the region. Project leaders come from nine colleges and universities, one federal agency, and one nonprofit organization, based in all four Northern Forest States.“These research projects are possible because of the strong collaboration between the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station and the Northeastern States Research Cooperative. The projects represent the needs of forest owners, managers, and producers of forest products across the region,” said Cindi West, director of the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station. “Together, the Forest Service and partners continue to advance actionable science with user-friendly products that support forest health,” West continued. “Investments like these grants make America’s wood products and energy economies more competitive, promote global exchange of knowledge, and aid land managers, communities, and industries that rely upon our forests’ health and productivity now and into the future.”NSRC also manages the Indigenous Forest Knowledge Fund (IFKF), to advance Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of Indigenous communities alongside other applied forest research. The program supports the education and training of Indigenous youth in forest-related TEK, new applied forest research that advances Tribal priorities, as well as the synthesis and translation of forest research to advance outreach and economic programs for Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities. An RFP for the 2025 IFKF competition, with $2.1 million in funding available, was released in early May.Problem-driven, engaged research, directed by forest stakeholders is the priority of the NSRC. Partnerships between researchers and practitioners are strongly encouraged, as are projects that aim to inform and align with the timeframes of management and policy decisions. The projects funded in this round cover a broad range of concerns related to Biodiversity and Connectivity, Environmental Change and Awareness, Invasive Species and Forest Pests, Land Use and Sustainable Forest Management, Recreation, Tourism, and Land Use Impacts, and Wood Products Innovation and Market Development. Learn about other NSRC research projects, priorities, and opportunities in the 2023/2024 Annual Report and on our new website.The following research projects will begin in 2025:Investigating the Decoupling of Overstory and Understory Trees and Drivers of Forest Regeneration Dynamics in the Northern Forest. PI Eddie Bevilacqua, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Restoration and Climate Adaptation Potential of Red Spruce in Northern Forests. PI Peter Clark, University of Vermont.
Integrating Ecology and Economy: A Spatial Optimization Framework for Spruce Budworm (SBW) Management. PI Adam Daigneault, University of Maine.
Quantifying Forest Carbon Pools and Fluxes Following Partial Harvest in Northern Conifer Forests. PI Shawn Fraver, University of Maine.
Understanding the Landscape for Species of Greatest Conservation Need by Uniting Coarse- and Fine-filter Strategies for Conservation. PI Brian Kron, Vermont Center for Ecostudies.
Eco-Friendly Packaging Innovations – Developing Biocomposites from Nanocellulose, Polyhydroxybutyrate, and Lignin Obtained From Forest Biomass. PI Deepak Kumar, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Power in the Patchwork? Enhancing Biodiversity and Resilience by Using Summertime Patch Cutting to Create Uneven-Aged Northern Forests. PI Stacy McNulty, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Trialing Best Management Practices for Preserving or Extending Frozen Ground Conditions during Winter Harvesting Operations. PI Steven Roberge, University of New Hampshire.
Just How Hard Is It Raining? PI Jamie Shanley, U.S. Geological Survey.
Forest Management At The Frontline: Silviculture and Belowground Ecology Drive Responses to an Imminent Invasion of Adelges Tsugae. PI Kurt Smemo, Skidmore College.
Next-Generation Wood Products Carbon Estimator: A Tool for Comprehensive Stakeholder Collaboration and Decision-Making. PI Xinyuan Wei, University of Maine.
About the Northeastern States Research Cooperative
NSRC (https://nsrcforest.org) is a competitive grant program for Northern Forest research, authorized by Federal legislation (Public Law 105-185), with allocations to the program directed by the USDA Forest Service. Since its inception, the NSRC has funded more than 345 projects, engaging 50 different institutions, agencies, and organizations across the northeast. Federal funding comes from Congressional appropriations through a partnership with the research and development arm of the USDA Forest Service. The private sector, states, and other organizations offered matching funding to support the research on the Northern Forest and its 26 million acres in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont.NSRC is jointly directed through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s Northern Research Station and a designated institution in each of the four Northern Forest States (Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont, the University of New Hampshire in cooperation with the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation in New Hampshire, the Center for Research on Sustainable Forests at the University of Maine, and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry). These institutions are all equal opportunity providers.
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New Hampshire
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Vermont
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