NI26MSCFRXXXG061

The purpose of this award is to support research that addresses forest health and management and aligns with the mandated priorities for the McIntire-Stennis Program.

For FY26, the award will support projects including:

(A) Natural resource economics research to build economic models for management and decision making addressing labor issues;

(B) Field research on how elk reintroduction in eastern Kentucky has impacted the ecology of forests in the region and the reforestation of reclaimed coal surface mines;

(C) Forest entomology research developing new molecular methods for controlling bark beetles;

(D) Research using long-term environmental datasets from Robinson Forest to better understand how water quality and quantity are influenced by management practices, resource extraction, severe weather events, etc.;

(E) Investigations of silvicultural practices and genetic factors that can contribute to oak growth and sustainability;

(F) Research evaluating how wildlife responds to surface mine reforestation efforts in Central Appalachia;

(G) Using drones and remote sensing tools to evaluate invasive plants in disturbed landscapes; and

(H) Understanding how current forest population demographics impact sustainable productivity and harvesting.

Deliverables from the research programs supported by McIntire-Stennis funding include new data, scientific publications and presentations, and graduate students trained through participation in the project.

Translation of research results will be delivered to stakeholders in part through the creation of decision making tools, recommendations for best management practices, and education programming developed in collaboration with extension.

Expected outcomes from this work include better informed timber management and policy-decision-making, improved conservation of water resources and ecosystem services in Central Appalachia, new control methods for invasive forest pests, and improved management processes in support of the white oak industry.

Beneficiaries will include other forestry and natural resource scientists, timber resource managers, wildlife managers, woodland owners, the forest products industries, communities in Central Appalachia, and the general public.

University Of Kentucky

NOT APPLICABLE

10.202 - Cooperative Forestry Research

Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment (IBCE) [USDA - NIFA]

Lexington, Kentucky 40506 United States

Single Zip Code

USDA-NIFA-10202-MSCFRXXX-26-0001

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 92% from $691,776 to $1,327,680.