Call for Northern Forest Research Proposals Includes Water Topics

By Julianna White
July 03, 2023

The Northeastern States Research Cooperative (NSRC) is pleased to announce a 2023 Request for Proposals. The research competition aims to put science to work across the Northern Forest in support of a vibrant and thriving economy and culture, rooted in forest health. 

The NSRC team expects to award nearly $5.5 million in funding for research projects that can begin in spring, summer, or fall 2024. Research projects may range from small seed grants to three-year projects, and budgets may range from $75,000 to $500,000. NSRC expects to fund between 15 and 25 projects in response to this RFP.

Letters of intent are due August 28, 2023, and full proposals are due September 26, 2023.

Priority issues related to water are:

  • Land use, sustainable forestry, and forest fragmentation, including water quality impacts from forest management strategies, changes in land use, sustainable forestry, and forest fragmentation.
  • Recreation and tourism, including the “carrying capacity” of lands and waters.
  • Environmental justice, equity, and inclusion, including matters of equity, consideration about who pays for and who benefits from ecosystem services, including air and water quality.

“This research competition has great potential to benefit the Northern Forest, its waters, and its communities, by building knowledge and research capacity in the region. We are grateful for the support from Congress and the United States Department of Agriculture for the funding that makes this program possible.” said Anne Jefferson, Professor and NSRC and Lake Champlain Sea Grant Director at the University of Vermont. “We invite researchers across disciplines and sectors to consider applying and to contact us if they have questions.”

Informed by NSRC’s external advisory committee, proposals should address the state of the forest, measuring and quantifying impacts, developing tools for response, and/or rural community and economic development. Proposals are welcome from scientists at all career stages, resource managers, policy-makers, and others pursuing research relevant to forest lands in the northern tier of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Participation by USDA Forest Service (USFS) personnel in projects is encouraged. NSRC encourages proposals that are led by and/or are relevant to Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities in the region and that have regional applicability. Additionally, a separate RFP for the NSRC Indigenous Forest Knowledge Fund will be open within the next year. 

 

Contact:

Julianna.m.white [at] uvm.edu (Julianna White, Vermont Manager)

anne.jefferson [at] uvm.edu (Anne Jefferson, Vermont Director)