Research Awards and Grants (2020)

Each month College of Natural Resources faculty receive awards and grants from various federal, state, and nongovernmental agencies in support of their research. This report recognizes the faculty who received funding between January 2020 and December 2020.

Southeast Center for Agriculture Health and Injury Prevention – PILOTS 

The poultry industry has an economic impact of over $37 billion for the state of North Carolina, creating 146,125 jobs in the state as of 2017. However, ammonia exposure from chicken waste creates a respiratory hazard to those poultry farm workers. Recent efforts by NC State Extension and farm operations partners for sustainable improvements to poultry production have involved adoption of wood pellets to fuel furnaces in hen houses. This dry heat has been shown to improve broiler chicken survival, growth, and quality. Contemporaneously, farm operators and workers have shared anecdotes of reduced odors in hen houses using dry wood pellet heat. We hypothesize that lower humidity in wood pellet-heated hen houses results in less production of ammonium aerosols and hence in lower exposures for poultry farm workers. Initial screening by Carolina Land & Lakes Resource Conservation and Development supports this hypothesis, but more work is needed to demonstrate that the dry heat produced by wood pellet combustion, compared with more humid air found during propane combustion, leads to lower ammonium exposures. We propose to compare ammonia concentrations in sets of hen houses from different poultry farms in Western North Carolina that use wood pellet or propane heat but are otherwise identical. A combination of continuous and integrated ammonia detectors will be used for this pilot study. Anticipated follow-up work includes sampling a greater suite of air pollutants, capturing greater spatial and temporal resolution within the hen houses, and including both personal and area samplers of particulate matter, ammonia, and carbon dioxide in the hen houses.

PI: Richmond-Bryant, Jennifer

Direct Sponsor: University of Kentucky Research Foundation

Amount Awarded: $12,000                           

Ecosystem Model Comparison at Multiple Scales and Sites

Ensuring the long-term sustainability of eastern US forests in the face of climate variability and change will require forest managers to have the best available climate change research at their fingertips to make sound management decisions. Ecosystem process models now allow realistic projections of future forest conditions in response to anticipated climate, natural disturbance, forest management, and their interactions that can inform forest management decisions. However, there is no single scale which is perfectly suited to addressing all climate change and management related questions. Critical patterns which emerge at fine-scales may be over-averaged at larger scales and vice-versa. Our objectives are to, a) compare model outcomes from two modeling frameworks against empirical data and to each other, b) examine climate change, disturbance, and management interactions at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, translate these procedures, and prepare a roadmap for deployment across other forested military installations. 2. Technology Description: We propose a two-stage approach for integrating climate, disturbance, and management projections at multiple scales. First, we will calibrate and compare each of two models, an individual-tree scale model (SORTIE-PPA) and a landscape-scale model (LANDIS-II with Century), against empirical data collected from two pine-dominated sites in the eastern US. Second, we will apply both models against the Ft. Bragg ecosystem in central North Carolina under multiple projections of climate change. We will assess the strengths and weakness of each model and their respective capacity to accurately project a suite of ecosystem processes, including succession, disturbance and nutrient cycling, given current and potential management practices and anticipated climate change. We will work closely with Ft. Bragg to prepare both models for operational use via an iterative process that identifies goals and scenarios, data needs, and desired outputs. Both models will be delivered to Ft. Bragg fully parameterized and prepared for subsequent use, including full documentation and access to the open-source code for each model. 3. Expected Benefits: Successful demonstration and validation of the proposed ecosystem process models will help decision-makers integrate a multitude of management strategies into the context of the military mission and installation-specific natural resources management plans. Forest managers will be able to use either SORTIE-PPA or LANDIS-II to estimate the effects of different management practices on the local installations over varying time horizons and spatial scale resolutions. Upon completion, this technology can be applied immediately at Fort Bragg’s more than 89,000 acres of longleaf pine forests and at other DoD installations with forested habitats.

PI: Scheller, Robert

Direct Sponsor: Portland State University

Amount Awarded: $44,472                

Development of an Optimal Strategic Forest Plan for WRC Lands

As planned this will be a 4 year project costing $428,000. There will be 3 NCSU faculty involved. Two graduate students and one undergraduate studying forest management planning. Both will become highly familiar with the land management model. The final result is a sustainable strategic forest plan that can be used by WRC to get better results. The NC WRC controls 541,000 acres of forest and habitat in North Carolina. The primary focus of management on these lands is wildlife habitat management, conservation and restoration. However, it is recognized that forest management and wildlife habitat management goes hand-in-hand. The final deliverable of this project will be a large scale mathematical program for optimization of the WRC land base.

PI: Roise, Joseph

Direct Sponsor: NC Wildlife Resources Commission

Amount Awarded: $382,056                                                                                                               

I/UCRC Phaser III North Carolina State University Center for Advanced Forestry Systems (CAFS) 

The Center for Advanced Forestry System (CAFS) was established as an NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center on September 1, 2007. CAFS brings together industry and agency scientists and practitioners and university scientists from across the country to take interdisciplinary approaches to solving problems facing our nations planted and natural forests and provide for a future with sustainable, healthy forests that provide an economic foundation to many communities and industries, as well as numerous other environmental services.

PI: Cook, Rachel  

Direct Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)

Amount Awarded: $91,477                                                                                                                

Aquatic Biodegradability of Textile Materials: Impact of Dyes and Finishes 

This proposal is based on continuing research in our laboratory to understand the fate of microfibers released during laundering. Previous research showed that fabrics of polyester, cotton, polyester/cotton blend, and rayon all released microfibers during laundering to a significant extent and that an important portion of the microfibers released has size < 200 μm. Under the action of aerobic microorganisms present in seawater, lake water, and activated sludge from a local wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), cellulose-based spun yarns were disintegrated and highly assimilated in the aquatic medium; on the other hand, polyester did not show significant biodegradation in any of the aqueous environments. In the third year of this project, we showed that the finishes applied to cotton fabrics in the textile processing affect the aquatic biodegradation of the cotton microfibers. In general, the biodegradation rate is in order of: MCC >Softener > No Finish > Water Repellent >Dyed (Blue 19) > Durable Press. In the proposed research we will (1) complete biodegradation studies of cotton with different finishes in aerobic and anaerobic freshwater conditions, (2) perform laboratory clarification experiments and biodegradation experiments under realistic WWTP conditions in order to develop a model to predict the separation/degradation of cotton microfibers during WWTP processes, (3) to do degradation experiments that will demonstrate the biodegradation of cotton microfibers during sequential WWTP followed by freshwater degradation stages, and (4) to do degradation experiments that will demonstrate the biodegradation of cotton microfibers in freshwater or seawater with the replenishment of either the freshwater or seawater several times.

PI: Venditti, Richard 

Direct Sponsor: Cotton, Inc.

Amount Awarded: $69,488               

Participatory Action Research for Implementation of the Biological Planning Foundations of Strategic Habitat Conservation for the National Wildlife Refuge System 

We propose to use Participatory Action Research approaches to cooperate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge Southeast Region Inventory and Monitoring program in order to establish and assess the biological planning foundations for Strategic Habitat Conservation for the Refuge units of the Southeast Region, with an emphasis on developmental approaches and outcomes for Resources of Concern and Management Objectives, as established by NWRS Policy 620 FW1, under the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act.

PI: Cubbage, Frederick

Direct Sponsor: US Geological Survey (USGS)

Amount Awarded: $46,625                 

Increasing Kraft Linerboard with High Kappa Pulping and Lignin Modification 

The demand for corrugated packaging materials has declined by only 8% from the peak, but production has actually increased slightly due to increased export markets. It is expected that in the future there will be increased demand for linerboard. Any concept that can increase the end use properties or the overall yield will have a significant impact on linerboard production cost and use. It is being proposed that the yield can be increased from 55 to 60% by raising the kappa # from 100 to ~ 140. However, this increase causes poor bonding and low board strength due to the lack of available bonding sites. Thus, it is being proposed in this project to substantially modify the surface lignin so that the fiber bonding can be improved without a concomitant significant loss in yield. The yield increase would be very significant, but these modifications do not require a new process to replace the existing kraft pulping process. In this proposal, we are suggesting the use of selective lignin reactions that can be easily retrofitted into a kraft pulping process to achieve high bonding while maintaining high yields. The methods that are being recommended include: • Atmospheric and pressurized oxygen delignification • Oxygen delignification reinforced with transition metals • Hydrogen peroxide with Fenton’s chemistry • Ozone • Soybean peroxidase Finally, we intend to provide a detailed techno-economic analysis of the different options that include both cash flow and capital cost analysis for possible mill implementation.

PI: Jameel, Hasan

Direct Sponsor: Alliance for Pulp and Paper Technology Innovation

Amount Awarded: $30,000                 

An Operational Multisource Land Surface Phenology Product from Landsat and Sentinel 2

Dense time series of moderate spatial resolution imagery from the Sentinel 2A and 2B Multispectral Instrument (MSI) and the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) are presenting the land remote sensing community with exciting new opportunities to monitor, map, and characterize temporal dynamics in land surface properties with unprecedented spatial detail and quality. By combining imagery from all three sensors, users will be able to exploit multi-temporal information in a way that has not been previously possible. At the same time, the large data volumes and high-dimensionality of blended time series from Landsat 8 and Sentinel 2 introduce substantial new challenges for users who wish to exploit these data sets. Land surface phenology (LSP) products, which synthesize both the timing of phenophase transitions and also quantify the nature and magnitude of seasonality in remotely sensed ecosystem conditions, provide a simple and intuitive way to reduce data volumes and redundancy, while at the same time retaining information that is useful to a wide range of applications including ecosystem and agro-ecosystem modeling, monitoring the response of terrestrial ecosystems to climate variability and extreme events, crop-type discrimination, and land cover, land use, and land cover change mapping. Methods to monitor and map phenology from coarse spatial resolution instruments such as MODIS are both mature and operational. However, the spatial resolution of MODIS is inadequate for most of the applications identified above. The goal of this proposal is to address the need for LSP data products at moderate spatial resolution. To this end, we propose to implement an operational Land Surface Phenology product at moderate spatial resolution based on blended time series of Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel 2A and 2B MSI data. To demonstrate the need for this product, describe the strategy we propose, and illustrate the viability of our algorithm, this proposal includes four main elements. First, we summarize the background and justification for our proposed product. Second, we provide a formal definition for our proposed LSP data product, which includes a set of Science Data Sets (SDSs) that identify the timing of phenophase transitions and characterize the nature and magnitude of seasonality in remotely sensed land surface conditions. Third, we describe an algorithm that we developed and tested over the last several years, along with the input data requirements required for our proposed product. Fourth, we provide a detailed strategy for product validation along with validation results from a wide range of land cover types that demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of our algorithm. For initial implementation, we propose to generate our product at continental scale for North America at 30-meter spatial resolution using the Harmonized Landsat-Sentinel (HLS) data set that is being generated by NASA. Finally, as part of this effort we propose to collaborate with Prof. Lars Eklundh at Lund University in Sweden, one of the pioneers of land surface phenology, who is funded in Europe to develop land surface phenology algorithms and data sets based on Sentinel-2.

PI: Gray, Joshua

Direct Sponsor: Boston University

Amount Awarded: $119,778

Ecosystem Response to Traditional and Novel Upland Hardwood Regeneration Treatments

Oaks (Quercus spp.) are a dominant component of the overstory in nearly 50% of the forested land base (~79 million ha) in the eastern United States (Johnson et al., 2002; Smith et al., 2009), but widespread oak regeneration failure throughout their natural range threatens the persistence of oak cover (Dey 2014). As a result, contemporary deciduous oak-hickory (Quercus-Carya) forests are shifting towards domination by red maple (Acer rubrum), yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), sugar maple (A. saccharum), or aspen (Populus spp.) (Abrams 1998, 2005, Nowacki and Abrams 2008, Dey 2014). These mesophytic species are more vulnerable to drought, fire, and insects with greater potential for reduced productivity and carbon storage capacity (Elliott et al. 2015, Roman et al. 2015, Klos et al. 2009). The increasing importance of more mesophytic and fire-sensitive species is linked to reduced water quantity and altered hydrology and nutrient availability through changes in stemflow, throughfall and litter quality (Alexander and Arthur 2010, Caldwell et al. 2016).This widespread conversion from dominance by oak to maple and other mesophytic species was caused by changes to the historical disturbance regime (Lorimer 1989, Runkle 1982, Rentch et al. 2003a, b). Prior to Euro- American settlement, mixed-oak forests were characterized by complex structure and diverse species composition, with high levels of heterogeneity at both the stand- and landscape-scales (Rentch et al. 2003a, b). Widespread resource extraction and other factors associated with Euro-American settlement (e.g., land clearing and subsequent land abandonment, wildfires, grazing, etc.), combined with pervasive clearcutting on public lands in the mid- to late 20th century, homogenized species composition (e.g., conversion of mixed-oak stands to pure yellow-poplar) and reduced structural complexity at all scales (Lorimer 1989, Runkle 1982, Rentch et al. 2003a, b). Mixed oak forests have high economic and ecological value. Declines in the amount of oak forests have significantly negative effects on water quantity and quality, nutrient cycling, and floral and faunal diversity. Sustainable management and restoration of oak ecosystems have become primary goals for many federal and state natural resource agencies and non-governmental conservation organizations (Dey 2014). Private landowners are also seeking novel approaches to manage for both high-quality timber and wildlife. Silvicultural recommendations for oak forests have advanced over the past decades. We propose to evaluate oak regeneration under traditional silvicultural systems and use these results to guide the design of an alternative expanding-gap approach; to initiate baseline sampling imperative in the long-term evaluation of the expanding-gap approach; and use stand- and landscape-scale simulations to test the degree to which a gap-based, silvicultural approach will increase: 1) oak regeneration, 2) structural complexity and species diversity; and 3) carbon sequestration and storage. This project will contribute to fundamental knowledge of the extensive, second-growth hardwood forests of the Southern Appalachians and will apply a new management practice to meet multiple goals of ecosystem function, biodiversity, and commodity production. Biodiversity conservation, carbon storage, and water yield need not be conflicting alternatives to timber production. Results from the proposed research will aid in developing management goals for greater structural, compositional and functional diversity in mature oak forests.

PI: Forrester, Jodi

Direct Sponsor: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $55,686

MMC APS High Frequency Monitoring Data

North Carolina State University would be pleased to confirm our commitment to serve as a sub-awarded to RTI in support of the competition for the Millennium Challenge Corporation cooperative agreement application in response to funding opportunity 95332418N0002, PARTNERSHIPS with MCC Program, for a proposed period of performance anticipated to be for a period of up to 30 months. Our organization will be supporting this team by providing general oversight of the project, ensuring project advancement, and providing supervision of the Research Practitioner and Graduate Student.

PI: Gray, Joshua

Direct Sponsor: RTI International (aka Research Triangle Institute)

Amount Awarded: $15,000

Urban and Community Forestry Economic Impact Analysis

Economic contribution analysis communicates the greater monetary benefits of the urban and community forestry sector in terms of contribution to gross domestic product, jobs, and labor income to policy makers and legislators. This project will involve conducting an economic contribution analysis of the urban and community forest industries in the Southern region (a 13-state region), and in 13 participating states. The specific objectives of the project are to: (1) facilitate discussion and consensus on scope of urban and community forest industries, methodology for analysis, and report template, (2) develop and distribute relevant survey questions in cooperation with the project team, (3) document the methodology and rationale for the selected approach in a written report, (4) analyze IMPLAN and other relevant datasets for the Region, and at the state level, (5) produce reports summarizing the findings for the Region, plus each individual participating state, totaling 14 reports, and (6) present the methodology, a mid-project progress report, and a final presentation of results. To accomplish the objectives, the College of Natural Resources North Carolina State University is teamed up with Ohio State University, Virginia Tech University, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, and Mississippi State University. Our multi-disciplinary team of urban forestry professionals, natural resource social scientists, and forest economists with extensive involvement in IMPLAN modeling and economic contribution analysis is capable of accomplishing this project in a timely and efficient manner.

PI: Parajuli, Rajan

Direct Sponsor: Virginia Department of Forestry

Amount Awarded: $130,663

RAPID: Disaster Recovery Decision Making in Remote Tourism-Dependent Communities

In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian severely impacted remote, tourism-dependent communities in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina. The communities of Ocracoke and Hatteras sustained the most infrastructure damage (e.g., businesses, homes, schools, power, potable water, transportation, and telecommunications). As recovery efforts begin, tourism business owners have to determine whether or not to reinvest, while individuals employed within the tourism industry have to determine whether or not they will remain. These decision processes include utilizing their hurricane experience (both past and present) and a variety of information sources within their local networks to inform perceptions of access to an available workforce or workforce housing, the availability of recovery resources, and the likelihood of future visitors, as well as perceptions of recovery risks. In turn, these perceptions influence recovery intentions and actual recovery decisions. This study specifically explores this decision making process in near-term, post-disaster contexts. The project has three objectives to: (1) identify the information networks accessed by individuals’ within the tourism industry to inform recovery decisions; (2) evaluate the extent to which recovery information activated through those networks is processed; and (3) document decision making pathways that influence risk perceptions and intended recovery decisions.

PI: Knollenberg, Whitney

Direct Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)

Amount Awarded: $49,385

Corrugated Industry Workforce Development via Enhanced Undergraduate Education, With Emphasis on Design, Prototyping, Digital Printing, Sustainability, and Paper Property/ Packaging Property Relationships

Our proposal will address all three ICPF priority areas. We will ensure that students learn and perform structural design, prototyping, and techno-economic analysis to understand how design, material types/additives, and processes (analog vs. digital) affects product performances, economics, and sustainability aspect. We will also encourage students to take elective courses in sales and marketing.

PI: Pal, Lokendra

Direct Sponsor: International Corrugated Packing Foundation

Amount Awarded: $15,960

Model Intercomparison to Inform the Development of Open Source, Grid Scale, Power System Simulation Tools

The first objective of this project is to provide a comprehensive review and taxonomy of existing grid simulation tools to inform recommendations about the characteristics needed in future models to facilitate scientific investigations of interest to the IM3 program and wider research community. In parallel with this review, a second objective is to perform targeted numerical experiments using available grid simulation tools to illustrate capabilities as well as emerging challenges. These experiments will provide initial ‘proof of concept’ illustrations that demonstrate the need for certain model characteristics when investigating critical issues related to the future of the electric power industry and its interactions across sectors.

PI: Kern, Jordan

Direct Sponsor: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Amount Awarded: $73,736

Recycled Textiles to Bio-based Building Blocks: Technology and Business Development toward Pilot Demonstration

We are proposing to develop fundamental research on the effect of physico-chemical deconstruction of recycled textiles to facilitate enzymatic digestibility and optimize the production of bio-based building blocks as feedstock to manufacture value-added chemicals. This project is in the heart of the circular economy promoting the use of waste and recycled materials and thus reduce overall carbon footprint. Preliminary studies carried out by Cotton Inc. and North Carolina State University on the pre-treatment of recycled textiles show important synergy in the interaction of chemical pretreatments and mechanical defibrillation in bleached cotton textiles. In order to apply these preliminary findings to more complex textiles matrixes (i.e., dyed cotton and cotton blends with synthetic materials), it is crucial to understand the underlying mechanism affecting the enzymatic hydrolysis. Additionally, to improve the economics of the conversion process (and further reduce carbon footprint), the recyclability of residual materials (after enzymatic hydrolysis) and its possible use as feedstock in another conversion process will be considered. With the aim to develop a profitable process suitable for pilot demonstration, capital expenditure and operational costs will be monitored by conducting techno-economic assessments at the early state.

PI: Jameel, Hasan

Direct Sponsor: Cotton, Inc.

Amount Awarded: $70,000

A Longitudinal Mixed-method Study of Korean Transnational-split Families’ Sport And Recreation Participation, Acculturation, And Subjective Well-being.

The proposed study will employ a longitudinal mixed-method design to: (Aim 1) Examine the relationship among sport/recreation patterns, transnational family contacts, and subjective well-being of KTSF; (Aim 2) Examine the relationship between sport/recreation patterns of KTSF in the U.S. and their acculturation to the host society; (Aim 3) Explore how KTSF’s sport/recreation patterns evolve during the transnational period.
The study will consist of two phases. The Phase 1 will include a questionnaire survey of 400 adult members of KTSF (husbands and wives) and children age 11-18 (middle school and high school age). In Phase 2, 15 families selected from among those who had participated in the survey will be asked to take part in in-depth, individual interviews.

PI: Lee, Kangjae

Direct Sponsor: University of Seoul

Amount Awarded: $8,616 (continuation amount)

Tracking Collective Evaluation in Environmental Education

Pisces Foundation has invited Charlotte Clark from Duke University and colleagues to submit an addendum to an ongoing effort to study collective evaluation efforts across the field of environmental education. The NC State team has been asked to characterizing the landscape of collective evaluation in EE beyond our case studies. This will include sleuthing out candidate networks, developing a relationship with a leader in that network, and documenting their work using an interview guide collaboratively developed with the Duke team. Work may also include creating a social network analysis of collaboratives engaging in collective evaluation, led by KC Busch. In addition, Kathryn Stevenson will co-chair the Promising Practices Working Group, which will include preparation time and calls/virtual meetings, as well as other tasks as needed.

PI: Stevenson, Kathryn

Direct Sponsor: Duke University

Amount Awarded: $29,626

Breeding Bird Response to Wildfire in the Southern Appalachians Across a Burn-Severity Gradient

Populations of many disturbance-dependent breeding bird species are in decline, in part because availability of open-canopied, young forest has decreased. Earlier research indicated that breeding bird abundance and species richness in the southern Appalachian region increases dramatically after high-severity burns due to an influx of species associated with the increase in open-canopied forest. In western montane forests, bird response to mixed-severity fire is a complex interaction between pre-fire conditions, burn severity, and time since fire, yet less is known about these relationships in eastern US forests. Unprecedented wildfires throughout the southern Appalachians during fall, 2016 provide a unique opportunity to study breeding bird response across a range of fire severities in upland hardwood forest. Our research will test the hypothesis that disturbance-dependent bird species occurrence, and overall breeding bird abundance will increase with burn severity. This research has important, applied implications for breeding bird conservation and forest management.

PI: Moorman, Christopher

Direct Sponsor: US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $22,000

EMN-19-F-S-04 Multiscale Color Intelligence

The goal of this project is to characterize in depth the factors leading to most accurate color perception from polymers, rationalize them in an efficient way, and develop means of rapid measurement of the color properties of Eastman polymer samples in production and post-production conditions. The visible color and clarity of polymer materials are a complex combination of chemical dye adsorption and structural coloration from the surface or bulk scattering, and physics of light absorption and reflection. We will seek to introduce a powerful new technique, where the color of polymer sample in pellet or particle state is precisely matched to the one of the bulk polymers by carefully matching the refractive index (RI) of the polymer to immersion liquid medium. In order to develop data sets of unprecedented informative power, the team will characterize a number of polymer samples with multiscale sizes – from sub-millimeter powders and pellets immersed in RI-matched mediums, to full scale polymer products. We will seek to confirm the hypothesis that the optical coloration of bulk polymer products can be deduced by measurements of pellets immersed in RI-matched medium. Protocols and models will be developed for laboratory and production environment evaluation of true colors when polymers are processed and shaped both as pellets and as bulk material. Illumination with both collimated and diffuse light and spectral measurements in different angular planes will allow separating direct reflection from scattering and distinguishing the effects of colorant and structural features. We will learn how to induce and then characterize the time- and temperature-driven changes (typically deterioration) of the color of bulk polymers and polymer materials and will seek to develop both experimental and modelling expertise how to interpret and treat such color changes.

PI: Velev, Orlin

Direct Sponsor: Eastman Chemical Company

Amount Awarded: $189,729

Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy Governance Assessment 

We propose a qualitative research project to address critical questions related to understanding and providing recommendations on the value and future direction of the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS), and examining best practices for collaborative governance. This project will address the following research objectives: (1) How have SEAFWA wildlife managers worked with SECAS in the past, and what aspects were most valuable (2) How would SEAFWA wildlife managers like to work with SECAS in the future, and what aspects will be the most valuable

PI: Peterson, Nils  

Direct Sponsor: NC Wildlife Resources Commission

Amount Awarded: $29,213                                                                                                            

GIS analysis of the benefits of State and Private Forest lands for water supply in the southern United States 

Forests and water are inextricably linked, and people are dependent on forested lands to provide clean, reliable water supplies for drinking and to support local economies. As more than 90% of the forested land in the South is privately owned, water supplies in the region are at risk of degradation from continued conversion of forests to other land uses to support a growing population. Given the variety of threats to surface water, it will be increasingly advantageous for forest managers to highlight the importance of sound forest management practices in the interest of maintaining clean and abundant water supplies to drinking water intakes in the region. The goal of this proposed work is to generate public information materials, databases and map products that will quantify water supply originating from State and Private Forests lands and the populations served in the South.

PI: Nelson, Stacy   

Direct Sponsor: South Carolina Forestry Commission

Amount Awarded: $8,080                                                                                                          

Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Bald Head Woods Reserve

I will describe the contemporary forest structure and composition of the Bald Head Woods Maritime Forest Preserve. This work will quantify the mortality caused by Hurricane Florence and help to predict the future canopy of the forest. It will build on historical vegetation measurements by adding measurement locations in open canopy conditions created by recent hurricane disturbance. Tree, sapling, shrub and groundlayer vegetation will be measured within permanent established plots. Tree stem locations will be mapped in each plot, which will allow follow up surveys to track the growth and mortality of each individual. Canopy openness, soil moisture, and soil chemistry will be measured. Earlier descriptive studies (Taggart and Long, 2015) indicate a very sparse groundlayer flora, limited by low light availability beneath the closed canopy. Establishing additional measurement locations in these newly opened areas will help to describe the regeneration dynamics of this rare forest community. We will compile a species list, design a sampling protocol and provide training for the BHIC staff (if requested). Data will be summarized and submitted to BHIC upon completion.

PI: Forrester, Jodi

Direct Sponsor: Bald Head Island Conservancy

Amount Awarded: $10,000                                                                                                          

AmeriFlux Management Project Core Site – North Carolina Loblolly/Alligator

A cluster of research sites will be maintained according to the Ameriflux Management Program’s Statement of Work. The sites include a mid-rotation loblolly pine plantation (site code US-NC2 in the Ameriflux and FLUXNET databases, operational since November 2004), and companion sites in young, recently disturbed loblolly pine plantations (US-NC3 starting 2013) and a natural bottomland forested wetland (US-AR/NC4 starting 2009). All sites are located on the lower coastal plain in North Carolina, and represent a historically established land use gradient. With current common management practices and areal coverage of commercial plantations in different edaphic and climatic regions in the SE-US, the two loblolly plantations are representative of a broader area. The core research at the individual sites and across the cluster focuses on the following topic areas: (1) the magnitude, regulation and variability of carbon and water cycles, (2) the tradeoffs of different management objectives, including productivity, carbon sequestration, water yield, biodiversity, and environmental services to surrounding communities, (3) responses to environmental pressures, like drought, pest outbreaks, and air pollution episodes, (4) validation, testing and development of plant gas exchange and ecosystem models of gas exchange and resource use, (5) projecting changes in flux partitioning under changing climate and environmental conditions, and (6) facilitating the development and validation of new measurement and modeling technologies.

PI: King, John

Direct Sponsor: Texas A&M University

Amount Awarded: $99,519                                                                                                        

Loblolly Pine Biomass and Economic Analysis

Loblolly pine can provide an excellent source of bioenergy in the Southeast. Optimizing the production of bioenergy can be accomplished through management practices such as stand density, silviculture, and appropriate genetics, however long-term trials are necessary to evaluate interactions among treatments and timing of peak biomass accumulation. Additionally, economical analysis is required to determine which combination of treatments optimizes not just the biological production of biomass but also results in the best return on investment. The “correct” combination of treatments will vary by site depending what resources are limiting, the cost of seedling genetics, and the number of trees planted per acre. We will evaluate the effects of silviculture, genetics (clones, controlled pollinated, and open pollinated families), and stand density on the production of biomass for bioenergy on two typical sites, one on a poorly drained site in the coastal plain and one on a well drained site in the Piedmont. Long-term and continued biomass harvesting of these treatments will help determine the optimal rotation length given different treatment scenarios. Economical analysis of each combination of treatments will provide landowners with information necessary to determine which scenario works best given local costs and market conditions. 

PI: Cook, Rachel

Direct Sponsor: NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Amount Awarded: $30,465                                                                                                          

Sycamore: Sustainable Bioenergy-Improved Soil Health 

To be widely adopted in North Carolina, a bioenergy cropping system must be compatible with existing farm practices, be productive enough to sustain an industry, and enhance environmental quality. We propose here that integrating short-rotation coppice (SRC) American sycamore for bioenergy into conventional agriculture will achieve all three goals. Our data from Butner, NC, suggests that sycamore can sustain high productivity with low inputs (no fertilizer/herbicides), may improve ag soil properties, and has shown no decrease in stool survival or productivity over two coppicing cycles (9 years). We propose here to test the generality of these results by: 1) continuing the original Butner study through a third rotation (up to12 years old), 2) expanding the study to include new ag fields near Butner and Wallace, NC, to contrast with lower coastal plain sites, 3) to work with ENVIVA to test sycamore biomass wood quality for pellet production and energy yield, 4) get input from local farmers on the potential to integrate sycamore biomass farming to produce purpose-grown feedstock for ENVIVA, and 5) quantify benefits to ag soil properties from sycamore SRC. Data will be available for use in new proposals, economic modeling, and life cycle analysis in cooperation with collaborators.

PI: King, John 

Direct Sponsor: NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Amount Awarded: $122,594                                                                                                         

Loblolly Pine Biomass Genetics/Cropping Study (2019-2020)

Loblolly pine is the most abundant commercially grown tree species in North Carolina with over 100,000 acres of pine plantations established each year in the state. In addition to the conventional forest products industry, loblolly pine serves as a promising source for renewable energy in the form of woody biomass. Large genetic differences exist for growth, disease resistance, and stem form. By planting genetically superior trees with desirable traits, it may be possible to substantially increase the amount and quality of biomass produced at a given site. The goal of this project is to evaluate different planting stock (families) in combination with different thinning regimes in order to inform forest landowners how best to maximize their returns when supplying both the bioenergy and sawtimber markets. This project was initiated in 2012, with the planting of a high spacing density (1037 trees/acre) long-term field trial in the NC Piedmont. The trial includes 10 of the best Coastal and 10 of the best Piedmont families with varying degrees of adaptation, growth, and wood characteristics. Different thinning regimes will be explored using eight year measurements, and the predicted financial returns from the thinnings as well as projected sawtimber production will be evaluated. 

PI: Payn, Kitt

Direct Sponsor: NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

Amount Awarded: $74,382                                                                                                          

Lignocellulosics Engineering to Advance Dewatering (LEAD) 

The most salient cost factors for paper manufacture are fibers and drying energy. There are continued efforts in the paper industry to move towards lower grammage sheets (especially in the packaging arena) and higher machine speeds to increase productivity while conserving resources and energy. The proposed project will address the critical need for innovation in the dewatering of the paper web to maximize its solids after wet pressing through changes that result from a better understanding of equilibrium moisture and bound water, thus reducing energy consumption in the drying section while maintaining desired paper attributes.

PI: Venditti, Richard  

Direct Sponsor: Alliance for Pulp & Paper Technology Innovation

Amount Awarded: $150,000                                                                                                          

Forestry of the Future: Improving Student Readiness and Workforce Participation of Underrepresented Minority Populations in Forest Resources 

The US South has 245 million acres of forestland covering 46% of total land use. This region is the largest wood basket in the world where 60% of US timber derives largely from managed softwood plantations and hardwood forests. These forest systems are major economic engines to rural economies. However, nationwide, forest resources has the lowest minority representation within Food, Agricultural, Natural Resources, and Human Sciences and even lower representation in the US South. Diversity enrollment and matriculation have failed due to poor intersections of academic support, peer community support, mentoring, leadership development, and “readiness” work skills. This NNF program builds on a pilot program to pipeline minority undergraduates from HBCUs to successful graduate training in forest resources at NC State University (NCSU). The proposed program recruits HBCU undergraduates and offers pre-admission mentoring and professional development for a Master’s of Forestry at NCSU. Our NNF program will recruit and retain four, high-caliber minority forestry graduate students and prepare them for matriculation and professional success through NNF-specific programmatic, curricular, and industry experiences in forest resources. Key NNF program elements are a minority Mentoring/Leadership Community (MLC), certified forest curriculum, and industry internships in the automation, economics, biotechnology, and science communication of forest resources. The NNF cohort will mentor minority undergraduates, disseminate their experiences, network with professionals, and participate in annual NNF program performance assessment to support pipeline sustainability. This project supports USDA’s goal to develop a diverse and highly-skilled workforce for employment shortages in forest resources.

PI: Leggett, Zakiya

Direct Sponsor: USDA – National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Amount Awarded: $246,000                                                                                                          

Ecology of Black Bears in Urban/Suburban Habitats 

In North Carolina, black bear populations occupy 61% of the state and their range continues to expand. Additionally, the human population in North Carolina has increased and growth continues unabated. Humans and black bears are now living in closer proximity to each other, resulting in increased human-bear interactions and some areas of the state may have reached or exceeded the social carrying capacity. In several of these areas, population management options appear limited, as hunting is often restricted in residential and urban developments. No data exists on whether suburban/urban environments serve as source or sink populations for surrounding areas, if mortality rates differ between hunted and unhunted bear populations in North Carolina, if bears in suburban/urban areas are vulnerable to harvest, or if hunting strategies can manage bear populations and human-bear interactions in and near residential developments.

PI: DePerno, Christopher

Direct Sponsor: NC Wildlife Resources Commission

Amount Awarded: $61,970                        

EMN-15-S-01 Applications of Nanocellulose in Waterborne Coatings Systems 

We will use unmodified and chemically-modified nanocellulose materials to develop rheology, dewatering and film formation routes that will lead to films and coatings with target physical appearance, mechanical integrity and thermo-chemical and wetting properties. For this purpose, we will use precursors from three different nanocelluloses: cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and lignocellulose nanofibrils (LCNF). Results from this study will be used to develop novel coatings and films, as well as novel personal care products.

PI: Khan, Saad

Direct Sponsor: Eastman Chemical Company

Amount Awarded: $15,343                                                                                     

Prescribed Fire and Air Quality to Minimize Smoke Impacts 

Managing fire-adapted species, such as longleaf and shortleaf pine, properly with prescribed fire not only helps restore the ecosystems, but yields associated benefits such as reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire, thereby protecting air quality, and improving wildlife habitat for game, at-risk and endangered species. The Comprehensive Strategy for Prescribed Fire was written to fulfill the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability’s (SERPPAS) Strategic Action Plan goal of developing a comprehensive, regional strategy for increasing prescribed burning in the Southeast. NCSU Extension will continue to effectively implement the Prescribed Fire Strategy through coordination, outreach and education. NCSU Extension will work with the SERPPAS Prescribed Fire Work Group, the Southern Group of State Fire Chiefs, the Environmental Protection Agency, state air quality representatives, the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils or others to minimize local smoke impacts on air quality and public health and safety and maximize coordination between air and fire communities.

PI: Bardon, Robert

Direct Sponsor: NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)

Amount Awarded: $2,500                                                                                                

Ecosystem Response to Traditional and Novel Upland Hardwood Regeneration Treatments

Oaks (Quercus spp.) are a dominant component of the overstory in nearly 50% of the forested land base (~79 million ha) in the eastern United States (Johnson et al., 2002; Smith et al., 2009), but widespread oak regeneration failure throughout their natural range threatens the persistence of oak cover (Dey 2014). As a result, contemporary deciduous oak-hickory (Quercus-Carya) forests are shifting towards domination by red maple (Acer rubrum), yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), sugar maple (A. saccharum), or aspen (Populus spp.) (Abrams 1998, 2005, Nowacki and Abrams 2008, Dey 2014). These mesophytic species are more vulnerable to drought, fire, and insects with greater potential for reduced productivity and carbon storage capacity (Elliott et al. 2015, Roman et al. 2015, Klos et al. 2009). The increasing importance of more mesophytic and fire-sensitive species is linked to reduced water quantity and altered hydrology and nutrient availability through changes in stemflow, throughfall and litter quality (Alexander and Arthur 2010, Caldwell et al. 2016). This widespread conversion from dominance by oak to maple and other mesophytic species was caused by changes to the historical disturbance regime (Lorimer 1989, Runkle 1982, Rentch et al. 2003a, b). Prior to Euro-American settlement, mixed-oak forests were characterized by complex structure and diverse species composition, with high levels of heterogeneity at both the stand- and landscape-scales (Rentch et al. 2003a, b). Widespread resource extraction and other factors associated with Euro-American settlement (e.g., land clearing and subsequent land abandonment, wildfires, grazing, etc.), combined with pervasive clearcutting on public lands in the mid- to late- 20th century, homogenized species composition (e.g., conversion of mixed-oak stands to pure yellow-poplar) and reduced structural complexity at all scales (Lorimer 1989, Runkle 1982, Rentch et al. 2003a, b). Mixed oak forests have high economic and ecological value. Declines in the amount of oak forests have significantly negative effects on water quantity and quality, nutrient cycling, and floral and faunal diversity. Sustainable management and restoration of oak ecosystems have become primary goals for many federal and state natural resource agencies and non-governmental conservation organizations (Dey 2014). Private landowners are also seeking novel approaches to manage for both high-quality timber and wildlife. Silvicultural recommendations for oak forests have advanced over the past decades. We propose to evaluate oak regeneration under traditional silvicultural systems and use these results to guide the design of an alternative expanding-gap approach; to initiate baseline sampling imperative in the long-term evaluation of the expanding-gap approach; and use stand- and landscape-scale simulations to test the degree to which a gap-based, silvicultural approach will increase: 1) oak regeneration, 2) structural complexity and species diversity and 3) carbon sequestration and storage. This project will contribute to fundamental knowledge of the extensive, second-growth hardwood forests of the Southern Appalachians and will apply a new management practice to meet multiple goals of ecosystem function, biodiversity and commodity production. Biodiversity conservation, carbon storage and water yield need not be conflicting alternatives to timber production. Results from the proposed research will aid in developing management goals for greater structural, compositional and functional diversity in mature oak forests.

PI: Forrester, Jodi  

Direct Sponsor: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $33,557                                                                                             

Valorization of Industrial Hemp

We will harvest industrial hemp at selected farming sites and employ a variety of techniques to extract oils and fibers to deliver the most value to the NC farmer. We will work with farmers, provide them with the results of our 3-month studies, and disseminate all results widely through reports, NCSU web sites, memos, and public forums (conferences, publications, seminars). As a result of our 3-month project, the NC farmer will have a better idea of how to maximize the value of their crop.

PI: Lucia, Lucian 

Direct Sponsor: GenoVerde Biosciences, Inc.

Amount Awarded: $5,727                                                                                      

PIRE: Confronting Energy Poverty: Building an Interdisciplinary Evidence Base, Network, and Capacity for Transformative Change

Sub-Saharan Africa is the epicenter of the global challenge of energy poverty, with the absolute number of energy-poor projected to increase through 2030. Energy poverty has implications for climate, environmental sustainability, human health and well-being, with negative impacts realized at individual and collective-scales, and in local, regional and global contexts. The complex socio-environmental challenge of energy poverty requires contributions from the basic, applied and social sciences, and integration of evidence and learning using robust interdisciplinary frameworks. We will partner with and facilitate the networking of academic, practitioner and policy communities in the US and Southern Africa to fill critical gaps in the theoretical and empirical evidence base regarding mitigating energy poverty. International partnership is critical to the identification of important and representative energy poverty innovations to study, to creating a network of institutions using common frameworks, research design, and empirical strategies, and to cultivating long-term interdisciplinary energy poverty research capacity in the Southern Africa region. Our aim is to build an interdisciplinary evidence base and network focused on energy poverty in Southern Africa, building capacity for transformative change. We center our research and capacity building around three themes: technology and incentives; space and place; and population and environment dynamics. We will measure the air quality, land use and human welfare impacts of a representative set of technology and behavioral interventions designed to mitigate energy poverty. Based upon knowledge generated, we test new approaches for using and integrating appropriate technology and incentives to address energy poverty. In the second theme, we will investigate the spatial dimension of energy poverty by analyzing neighborhood effects as determinants of energy poverty, and consider the question of optimal scale of implementation of energy poverty interventions for maximizing environmental benefits and social welfare outcomes. Finally, we will investigate sustainable wood energy systems as a potential strategy for coping with the challenge of population and environment dynamics in the region and analyze the associated environmental and economic synergies and trade-offs. This PIRE is innovative for several reasons. First, we use rigorous quantitative interdisciplinary impact evaluation as the anchor for our research and training program. We seek to study what works, why it works, and over what spatial and temporal scale. Second, the study of energy poverty is highly fragmented across a large number of disciplines with very little cross-fertilization or engagement with interdisciplinary frameworks including complex socio-ecological systems and population and environment dynamics. We use these important theoretical lenses to shed new light on this highly intractable problem and to guide a coherent body of empirical research. Third, despite facing a looming crisis, energy poverty in Southern Africa is dramatically understudied. Research findings from this study will provide new theoretical and empirical knowledge on energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa to academics, practitioners and policymakers. We will build new networks and promote collaborative research and exchange among over 50 scientists, graduate, and undergraduate students across the US and Southern Africa, with the aim of creating a robust interdisciplinary network of scholars. To facilitate this, we will coordinate a series of regional training workshops focused on interdisciplinary energy poverty research. A central component of the PIRE is continuous engagement with policymakers and practitioners.

PI: Grieshop, Andrew

Direct Sponsor: UNC – Chapel Hill

Amount Awarded: $294,686                                                                       

Sowtime: Climate Adaptive Agriculture in the Eastern Gangetic Plains

Agricultural transformations have increased food production five-fold in South Asia, but that progress has not been realized in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EGP), a region spanning India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Meeting future food demand while coping with climate change will require substantial adaptation by EGP farmers. But we know little about the nature or outcomes of agricultural adaptations by EGP farmers, and even less about future possibilities. Our proposed research will answer the question: What is the adaptive potential of smallholder agriculture in the EGP? Our central hypotheses are: 1) Smallholder farmers have already adapted to a changing climate by planting earlier, adopting faster-maturing varieties, and switching crop types. 2) These adaptive practices have mitigated the effect of climate change on crop yields. And, 3) additional transformations will further increase crop yields and resilience, but socioeconomic barriers prevent widespread adoption. We will test these hypotheses by combining innovative remote sensing analyses, statistical and biophysical crop yield modeling, in-region field data collection, and causal analyses of fused household survey and remote sensing datasets. We will quantify contemporary cropping patterns and practices, and the extent and spatiotemporal variation of adaptive strategy adoption with remotely sensed assets and available ground and administrative data from regional partners. The effect of future climate change under various scenarios of agricultural adaptation will be quantified using climate projections and yield models. These analyses are integrated with a household survey and choice experiments that will reveal farmer’s attitudes towards climate change, adaptive agricultural practices and the barriers to further transformation. Our effort will produce annual cadence, finely resolved maps of crop types, including the characterization of multi-cropping rotations, the timing and duration of critical crop growth stages, and changes in these variables over the period 2001-present. No existing products map these variables at the scale of individual smallholder fields, and for the time period and temporal cadence necessary to evaluate the adaptive potential of the EGP. We will create these products using a newly developed approach to data fusion capable of assimilating a wide variety of heterogeneous satellite imagery, including newly available high-resolution commercial assets. We will use phenology algorithms to extract the timing of growth stages, and emerging approaches to classification that use a Bayesian framework to assimilate existing heterogeneous crop type maps and ancillary data. Statistical and biophysical crop yield models will be fit, driven by historical weather and downscaled climate projections, and used to quantify the climate mitigating effects of adaptive practices. Our household surveys and analysis of map products will guide the design of realistic future scenarios of agricultural adaptation. By characterizing and quantifying the adaptive potential of smallholder agriculture in the EGP, our study will support decision-makers, regional food and water security, efforts to alleviate rural poverty, and the adoption of feasible climate-adaptive strategies. Our project will further develop and apply innovative remote sensing methodologies such as data fusion and classification approaches, and will thus be useful to the broader remote sensing science community. Additionally, because the goals of our project are well-aligned with those of several large initiatives like SARIN, CIMMYT, and GEOGLAM, we expect our results to find a broad audience with the means and impetus to ensure they support on-the-ground change, and ultimately, a more sustainable and resilient food future for the EGP.

PI: Gray, Joshua

Direct Sponsor: National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)

Amount Awarded: $100,000                                                                                              

Utilizing the Sub Regional Timber Supply Model (SRTS) to Address Hardwood Utilization and Management Options

As demands on our forests increase, it is important to have tools available that can help us plan for the sustainable management of the resource. This is especially true with Southern hardwood forests that vary in species and quality and can take decades to grow compared to softwood. The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) develops forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments with the main model being the Sub-Regional Timber Supply (SRTS) model. This model has been widely used in the South and other forested regions to see how various forest conditions affect future forest resources. The core information for this model is USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) and Timber Products Output (TPO) data. Although this model has been widely used and accepted, its analysis is mostly limited to generic hardwood and softwood groups and pulpwood and sawtimber size timber in the South. To address future resource concerns with the diverse hardwood forests species, we need the ability to do more species-specific and quality analyses across the hardwood regions. The goal of this project is to update the STRS model so that species-specific, multi-regional scenarios can be developed to model future forest resources. This will accomplish the following objectives. 1) Working with partners to update the current SRTS model to be able to incorporate individual species and attributes across regions, including a user guide. 2) Utilize the new model to run pilot hardwood scenario(s) and analysis and create a document. 3) Provide hands-on training of the new model. 4) Through SOFAC, provide support to model users and needed updates.

PI: Henderson, Jesse 

Direct Sponsor: Virginia Department of Forestry

Amount Awarded: $60,000                                                                                                         

High-performance Biodegradable Transparent Films: The First Step towards Green Aseptic Food Packaging, CAPPS Core project

Here, we propose a new sustainable packaging solution as a recyclable alternative to plastic substrates that exploits and combines the intrinsic properties of renewable materials for the development of barrier and transparent plastic-like films. We will focus in particular on two types of cheap, abundant and renewable materials: (i) bacterial cellulose, synthesized by bacteria or algae, which can be easily grown and bioengineered, and (ii) alginate, a polymer extracted from brown algae; both of which are GRAS-approved substances. This project will study the effect of weight ratios, salt addition, pH and possible need of green plasticizers (e.g., glycerol) on the properties of the composite films under varying conditions by mimicking refrigerator, ambient, and microwave conditions, with a direct comparison to commercial plastic food films. The potential release of any of the used polymeric materials and plasticizers to solid and liquid food will be investigated. As a first step towards the design of green aseptic packaging substrates, the film stability against different aseptic technologies (e.g., U.V. radiation, hydrogen peroxide and hot air) will be studied. To this end, a third low-cost, renewable GRAS protein, namely (iii) zein, will also be considered in the last part of this project as a possible way to make up for any lack in the performance of the bacterial cellulose/alginate films with respect to water resistance, thermal stability, and heat-sealing properties.

PI: Lavoine, Nathalie

Direct Sponsor: Ohio State University

Amount Awarded: $59,970                                                                                   

Membership in Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC)

The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow the use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land-use change and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

PI: Cubbage, Fred

Direct Sponsor: Southern Group of State Foresters

Amount Awarded: $15,000 

Forest Health Retrospective: A National Evaluation of Insect and Disease Extent and Impact 

The USDA Forest Service, via the Southern Research Station, is providing an additional $95,000 to complete an additional set of objectives for the project “Forest Health Retrospective: A National Evaluation of Insect and Disease and Impact.” To achieve these objectives, the existing 36-month project would need to be extended by an additional 24 months. The new objectives would focus on the development of improved analysis and application of Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data, in combination with other broad-scale datasets, to provide decision-support relating to forest health at a national or multi-state regional scale. This would include indicator information for national reporting efforts relating to forest resource status, forest sustainability and forest health. Specific new deliverables would include: 1) The development and refinement of improved indicators of invasive plant impacts in U.S. forests. This would involve the analyses of FIA data and other data sets to better understand spatial and temporal patterns of the ecosystem impacts of invasive plants and to predict their potential impacts across spatial and temporal scales. Results would be included in U.S. Resource Planning Act (RPA) Assessment reporting and sustainability reporting associated with the Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests (the Montréal Process). 2) The development (in cooperation with USDA Forest Service scientists) of methods to analyze FIA data, geospatial drought data, and other data sets to define explicit relationships between forest mortality and thresholds of drought intensity, extent, and persistence. The objective would be to establish quantitative relationships that can be used for prediction and for retrospective analysis for the RPA Assessment and Montréal Process reports. 3) The development and publication of forest health analyses using newly available FIA data, including from previously unsurveyed or under surveyed locations like Hawaii and Puerto Rico, and from newly available remeasurement data. This work may include assessments, across multiple temporal and spatial scales, of biodiversity change, indicators of forest tree genetic diversity risk, and/or forest disturbance. 4) The integration of multiple broad-scale forest health data sets to better understand the interactions among multiple threats, such as insects and diseases, drought and fire, and their cumulative impacts on forest ecosystems.

PI: Potter, Kevin

Direct Sponsor: US Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $95,000

Membership in Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC)

The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land-use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

PI: Cubbage, Fred

Direct Sponsor: Canfor

Amount Awarded: $22,000                                                                        

Lake Tahoe West Expanded LANDIS Modeling

This program of work describes anticipated accomplishments and deliverables for the initial phase of the third Sierra Nevada Public Lands Management Agency (SNPLMA) Lake Tahoe project for North Carolina State University. This project extends previous LANDIS-II modeling work done in the Lake Tahoe Basin to include new modeling scenarios, make explicit linkages to the science team, improve fire modeling under climate change and tightly integrate hydrology.

PI: Scheller, Robert

Direct Sponsor: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $13,250                                                                    

Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership

The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S. and the world. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S. and the world. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

PI: Cubbage, Fred

Direct Sponsor: Forisk Consulting, Enviva, LP, National Council for Air & Stream Improvement, Inc., Forest2Market, Inc., ArborGen, Inc.

Amounts Awarded: $7,500, $22,000, $11,000, $5,500, $7,500 respectively

PI: Abt, Robert

Direct Sponsor: PotlatchDeltic Corporation, Green Diamond Resource Company

Amount Awarded: $30,000, $22,000 respectively

LANDIS Application to Forest Planning

Successful outreach to forest managers and landowners requires improved visualization of landscape change model outputs. This grant will provide funding to add/improve features for the LandViz visualization tool and other changes necessary for the LANDIS model.

PI: Scheller, Robert

Direct Sponsor: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $19,525

Sensor Integrated Platform for Monitoring Phytophthora

Improvements in field-based pathogen diagnostics are needed since plant disease outbreaks exact a heavy toll on agriculture. Use of new innovations in science and technology, including field-compatible molecular assays such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and volatile-based sensors, may speed identification of plant pathogens in fields and allow growers to respond more rapidly with appropriate fungicide treatments and for regulatory agencies to mitigate new outbreaks. In this project, we will develop in-field volatile organic compound (VOC) sensors and microneedle patch-supported LAMP sensors that can differentiate several important Phytophthora species of regulatory concern including P.infestans, P.ramorum and P.kernoviae. Phytophthora infestans infects potato and tomato, while P.ramorum and P.kernoviae cause disease on nursery plants such as rhododendron, lilac and kalmia and important forestry tree species including oak and beech among others. P.kernoviae has not yet been found in the US. We will develop species-specific LAMP and VOC sensors and deploy these sensors for use with inexpensive cartridges that are read from a smartphone. The sequence data collected from the LAMP sensor platforms and previously published sequence databases will be uploaded to create an open buildable phylogeny of emerging Phytophthoras. Pathogen occurrence data collected will be linked with a near real-time web-based GIS platform and a weather-based susceptible infected (SI) host spatial-temporal POP’s (Pest and Pathogen Spread) model to develop predictive maps of pathogen risk. The system will improve the response time of USDA APHIS PPQ and National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN personnel to respond to emerging threat pathogens and improve economic return of growers as they use the digital diagnostic tools to prevent the spread of important Phytophthora diseases.

PI: Ristaino, Jean

Direct Sponsor: USDA – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

Amount Awarded: $338,322

A New Generation of Flexible Food Packaging from Agro-Based Fibers and Biopolymers

Consumer demands for sustainability and recent changes in government policies and regulations, such as the ban on single-use plastic products, are forcing companies to consider new alternatives to plastic-based packaging. There has been tremendous growth in the development and production of paper and bio-coating technology. This project will focus on the development of alternative fiber-based packaging and barrier coatings to deliver high functionality while maintaining compostability and biodegradability profile.

PI: Pal, Lokendra

Direct Sponsor: Wm Wrigley Jr. Company

Amount Awarded: $120,000

Capacity Building – Phase XI: Increasing the Pool for the Development of a Multicultural Workforce and Connection to Underserved Communities Across the US

This project builds upon and expands the Forest Service’s Partnership Outreach and Capacity Building, and the Multicultural Workforce Strategic Initiative Programs, and is an initiative that represents an opportunity for substantial collaboration between Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI), the 1862 land grant institutions, the Puerto Rico Commonwealth environmental and educational agencies, and the public served by the consortium/partnership.

PI: Nelson, Stacy

Direct Sponsor: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $25,000

NC Sustainable Pellet Production for Poultry

In North Carolina, poultry is the top agricultural industry with an economic impact of more than $37 billion, employing over 146,000 people. Although the main heating fuel for poultry houses is propane, recent pilot studies in the state have shown that wood pellets may be a cheaper heating fuel. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that wood pellet-heated poultry houses also produce better chicken survival, health, and growth.  Our goal is to comprehensively assess the technical and economic feasibility of producing pellets specifically for the poultry industry in Western NC, where a great proportion of broiler and ‘backyard’ poultry farms are located. As the economics of poultry farming is heavily dependent on mortality and overall growth/productivity of chicken, we will examine how wood pellet-based heating affects indoor air quality and health of the broiler chickens in the poultry houses. Our project results will demonstrate if this fuel is cost-effective and sustainable for poultry production to facilitate decision-making about poultry house fuel selection. Additionally, our project will generate information about potential income enhancements associated with pellet-based poultry heating.

PI: Ghezehei, Solomon

Direct Sponsor: N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

Amount Awarded: $53,609

Eradication Analysis & Decision Support (eRADS)

The Eradication Analysis & Decision Support (eRADS) tool evaluates the feasibility of entering into an eradication or containment program following a new pest incursion. Eradication and/or containment of an invasive pest species is one of the most difficult, expensive, and critical decisions that engage state, federal, and private sectors stakeholders. These decisions are complicated by multiple factors that can vary by pest and are difficult to predict. For instance, site-specific characteristics, such as the distribution of hosts and dispersal pathways, make it challenging to define the action area where eradication or containment should occur. Additionally, the timeline for making the decision to enter a program may not be consistent among pests because of their life histories (e.g., number of generations per year) and response to the new environment. The timeline for initiating a program may positively or negatively affect the effectiveness and efficiency of the program. Treatment and control efforts must be deployed in a timely and organized manner for containment or eradication to be successful. Finally, knowledge of pest biology, control methods, and treatment efficacies may range from widely available to unavailable. When there is little information on pest biology or control options, knowledge in these areas must be derived or developed to determine if containment or eradication is feasible.  While it is not feasible to predict the conditions surrounding an incursion a priori, we can address key factors surrounding an incursion once it occurs using the eRADS tool. First, eRADS identifies the area of concern using data on the pest distribution (e.g., from the CAPS (Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey) Program), its associated hosts (e.g. NASS Cropland Data Layer), and what is known about the biology of the pest (e.g. GPDD (Global Pest and Disease Database) and other sources). Next, eRADS quantifies landscape metrics in the action area – specifically the connectivity of suitable hosts to determine how likely the pest could disperse. Then, eRADS leverages what we know about the pest from CAPS data sheets or New Pest Response Guidelines, to evaluate treatment options and determine how quickly they might be deployed. The eRADS tool leverages information from multiple, established data sources to evaluate the technical feasibility of implementing a program and provides a semi-quantitative score ranging from Feasible to Not Feasible. Additionally, the tool provides a summary of key information used in the evaluation. The eRADS tool allows decision makers to evaluate how technically feasible a program might be and determine what modifications are required to make it feasible.

PI: Meentemeyer, Ross Kendall

Direct Sponsor Name: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – USDA

Amount Awarded: $111,649

GAPS (Geospatial Analytics for Problem Solving) for Hi-Tech Teens

The GAPS (Geospatial Applications for Problem Solving) for Hi-Tech Teens program is a collaborative effort between NC State University, Wade Edwards Learning Lab (WELL), and RTI International. The program is designed to introduce high school students to Geospatial science, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and advanced geovisualization technologies through an intensive after-school STEM learning experience. The GAPS for Hi-Tech Teens program will consist of 2 unique 8-week cohorts (20 students) during the academic year, including 2 mandatory contact hours per week, plus a 2-hour open lab where students can work with mentors on project activities, for a potential of 64 contact hours. The program will also include a 1-week summer program focused on college and career preparedness. The four primary goals of the program are to 1) engage students in community-focused decision making using Geospatial science, 2) increase student capacity for creating and using interactive geovisualization technologies, 3) expose students to GIS-STEM related college programs and careers, and 4) support students with tutoring in mathematics and science. Another mission of the program is to reach historically underserved populations in STEM fields, including African Americans, Hispanics, American Indian, and female students. Therefore, we will utilize WELL’s experience and established relationships with several Wake County schools to provide a diverse base of possible participants in the GAPS for Hi-Tech Teens program, with a goal of at least 60% of participants being minority. To achieve goal 1 the curriculum will be designed around an 8-week project activity that focuses on relevant community topics. Students will work in pairs to identify a spatial topic, acquire the necessary data, develop relevant geospatial models (through student-built tangible landscape systems), analyze and visualize their results, and communicate findings to peers and the public. To achieve goal 2 students will design and build their own tangible landscape system coupled with GIS. Students will also learn how to map using GIS software. In addition, each cohort will participate in a technology field trip to NC State’s Geovisualization Lab where they will interact with advanced geospatial technologies, including Virtual Reality, GazeGIS, SimTable sandbox models, 3-D glasses, GigaPan cameras, and GPS units. To achieve goal 3 students will interact and observe geospatial professionals through an expert panel, and college and career field trips during the 1-week summer program. The semester cohorts will also be mentored by our professional collaborators at RTI International and NC State, community partners, as well as the graduate and undergraduate assistants. To achieve goal 4 students will have access to a dedicated mathematics and science tutor at the WELL for 6 hrs/week outside of the regular program activities.

PI: Money, Eric Shane

Direct Sponsor Name: Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Amount Awarded: $175,006

2020 CYCA Evaluation Proposal (Evaluation of Habitat Improvement Projects – Evaluating Trails)

Relevant to the evaluation, improving trail conditions increases the quality of trails, leading to higher accessibility and usage, enhanced visitor experiences, and increased health outcomes. Primary performance measures that will guide the evaluation plan will be taken from the National Performance Measures Instructions (Environmental Stewardship Focus Area) Addendum document published by CNCS, item EN5: Number of miles of trails or waterways (owned/maintained by national, state, county, city or tribal governments) that are improved, and/or created.

PI: Edwards, Michael B.

Direct Sponsor Name: Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA)

Amount Awarded: $4,618

Interactive Analytics for Natural and Cultural Resource Management at Congaree National Park

This agreement will support the National Park Service (NPS) Southeast Exotic Plant Management Team (EPMT) through the following task: NPS Southeast Exotic Plant Management Geodatabase Design to Support Collection and Sharing of Treatment Data. Southeast Exotic Plant Management Team staff identified the critical need for a geospatial database framework to document treatment and monitoring and guide management and decision-making. Changes in technology have enabled the collection and management of data for inventory, treatment and monitoring in a streamlined fashion. This project develops geospatial technologies to improve efficiency, transparency, and coordination for the locations being treated by the Southeast Exotic Plant Management Team. The goal of this task is to provide the Southeast Exotic Plant Management Team with a platform to streamline the collection, storage, and dissemination of geospatial and tabular data documenting the treatment (spraying of chemical pesticides) of exotic plants in the 15 National Park Service Units they service. This task will facilitate communication between EPMT and other partners involved with exotic plant management. Upon completion, the geospatial database will manage, store, and display data needed to make timely and sound management decisions. The final geospatial database framework will be made available to other teams that manage exotic plant monitoring and treatment data to use as a template.

PI: Vukomanovic, Jelena

Direct Sponsor Name: US National Park Service

Amount Awarded: $64,320

Development of a Capacitive Deionization Module via Tailored Clean Carbon Materials and its Optimal Analysis

Measureable target Electric resistance of graphite film: 80 Tensile strength of graphite film: 0.5 MPa Raw materials Two woody biomasses (Korean oak and US Loblolly pine)  Three industry byproducts  Lignin from pulping mill Molasses from sugar mill Distillation bottom from petroleum plant  Graphitization Fe catalysts will be used for catalytic graphitization Variables: Catalyst amount and temperature (800~1500°C) Property test Particle size, carbon content XRD, XPS, FT-IR, Raman  Graphite film  Graphite film will be produced using commercial binder Property test Thickness, density Electric resistance and tensile strength

PI: Park, Sunkyu

Direct Sponsor Name: Siontech co., Ltd.

Amount Awarded: $66,753

The Multiverse of Biomass: From Nature to Innovation & Entrepreneurship

With the inevitable coming of the Green Economy, biomass valorization, use of renewable and bio-based materials and development of high-performance, recyclable, biodegradable and biocompatible products are nowadays challenges and opportunities to welcome a more sustainable society. Yet, to hasten its arrival, we must answer the daunting question of how we transform these challenges to opportunities? By educating new generations of students to the multiplicity of opportunities or multiverse of biomass, from a scientific and engineering perspective to an entrepreneurial vision. The Department of Forest Biomaterials has decades of expertise in conversion and valorization of biomass into new fuels/energies and high-performance biomaterials that offer solutions to greenhouse gas emissions, environmental and aquatic pollution and waste accumulation.We propose to leverage our graduate curriculum by adding an entrepreneurial and business competency to its strong scientific and engineering core. Our envisioned integrated program aims at educating Master and PhD students from NC State University, and others (via an online version) by training them in the principles, practices and methodologies of biomass valorization, conversion, and usage.

PI: Lavoine, Nathalie Marie

Direct Sponsor Name: VentureWell (formerly know as National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance)

Amount Awarded: $27,222

Understanding The Sustainability, Conversion Economics and Performance of Bio-Polyethylene for Nonwovens,  NWI Core Project

The Asia Pacific region is forecasted to experience the major growth in production and demand for wipes (and thus wipe substrate) over the next 10-15 years. Even though production facilities in the region might be designed to meet local demand, it is possible that an overflow of substrate materials will affect the current trade flow and thus the industry in North America (NA). Similar market dynamics have been documented in the textile and pulp and paper industry. Therefore, it is important to analyze not only how the nonwovens supply chain will evolve but also how to minimize impacts for manufacturing facilities in NA as the wipe substrate overflows occur over the next decade. An adaptable supply chain and impact assessment model applicable to different types of nonwoven materials, using wipes substrate market segment as a case study, will enable the industry to design strategic scenarios to embrace market changes and build competitive advantages. To achieve this goal, we have assembled a team with expertise in supply chain, conversion economics, data analytics, and materials science. Milestones include identification of major drivers for growth and megatrends for NA and selected countries in Asia, development of a supply chain network for raw materials, forecasting of new production volumes and cost, and estimate their effect on the trade balance of wipes substrate. Additionally, the model will enable to perform combined data analysis (including psychographics) to recognize trends as well as identify substrates with the highest and lowest risk for competition in NA.

PI: Gonzalez, Ronalds Wilfredo

Direct Sponsor Name: NCSU Nonwovens Institute

Amount Awarded: $99,942

Developing Cross Laminated Timber Panels for Residential and Smaller Commercial Construction Markets

Proposed development of CLT panel systems in the US has focused on large lumber gluing and layup systems, presses and CNC machining centers that require high equipment and facility costs approaching $30 million.  The result of such high investment requirements is that few US CLT operations exist and none are currently in operation in the US South.  This project will develop an alternative strategy able to produce 80% of the output of a large size CLT panel plant at 2% of the investment cost. It is possible to quickly develop a forest products industry niche for CLT panels using existing equipment resources once used by the casegoods furniture industry by using a small size batch process format.  These presses are capable of manufacturing 4×8 panels for residental homes, pressing multiple CLT panels per batch press cycle. These Residential CLT panels (RCLT) can be used for walls, floors, and roof decking for use by general contractors with the support of knowledgeable architects and organizations like the APA.   The National Forest System has excess low quality materials that need to be removed to improve forest health, reduce fire danger and assist the local economy.  These lower grade materials are plentiful and are suitable for residential CLTs.  Material for RCLTs could include Southern yellow pine and the mixed hardwood species that can also be processed into veneers for hardwood plywood.  An objective of this project is to evaluate suitable species for lumber and plywood RCLT for use in building residential homes. This project will demonstrate a manufacturing system by making samples of RCLTs in several existing furniture cold presses, pressing a stack of several RCLTs in batches.  The project includes the development of joinery types to connect the panels for assembly.  The goal is to successfully manufacture RCLT panels that pass the APA PRG 320 Standard using the two lumber grades approved by the APA (#2 yellow pine for faces and #3 for the core and cross bands) and hardwood veneers using this low capital approach.

PI: Mitchell, Philip H.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $249,758

The Potential for Tall Wood Building to Sequester Carbon, Support Forest Communities and Create New Options for Forest Management

The project consists of a rigorous side-by-side comparison of CLT, steel, and concrete buildings considering the individual buildings and the integrated manufacturing and forestry system. It will involve a comprehensive, integrated study of the potential for CLT wood building to serve as a driver for: 1) Near-term carbon sequestration, and for providing other environmental benefits relative to alternative construction materials; 2) New opportunities for creating affordable housing for families and under-served communities; 3)     Local and regional economic development associated with both the production of mass timber products, and new building construction;  4) New options for managing forests, that may allow forest land owners to economically thin overcrowded forest stands and remove standing dead and dying trees; and  5) Project results will be incorporated into a multi-attribute decision support tool to allow for the analysis of trade-offs, and used to focus the public discussion on the benefits and costs of the wide-scale deployment of CLT building systems.

PI: Kelley, Stephen S

Direct Sponsor Name: US Endowment for Forestry & Communities, Inc.

Amount Awarded: $300,013

Next Generation Logistics Systems for Delivering Optimal Biomass Feedstocks to Biorefining Industries in the Southeastern United States

This project will develop new sensor technology to directly assess feedstock quality characteristics, including chemical composition that will be coupled with process data in an advanced statistical process control framework, enabling production of consistently high-quality feedstock at reduced cost. With information on feedstock properties available at various points along the supply chain, more accurate cost analysis will be conducted along with life-cycle analysis of the feedstock production systems.

PI: Kelley, Stephen S

Direct Sponsor Name: University of Tennessee

Amount Awarded: 561000

Tribal Resilience Project in partnership with the NC Commission on Indian  Affairs

Jocelyn Painter, Research Assistant (between March 2020 and September 2020). The graduate research assistant will complete a literature review and analysis of tribal engagement methods utilized in climate resilience and adaptation processes and Attachment 2 DEQ Task Order 8200 consider resilience planning processes utilized with communities in Virginia in North Carolina. The graduate research assistant will develop research questions, research other funding opportunities to continue Phases III-V, and draft grant proposals to continue the project. The graduate research assistant will participate in project partner calls and steering committee meetings. The graduate research assistant will participate in events including the NC Unity Conference and others as described in the project proposal and recommended by the steering committee.

PI: Emanuel, Ryan E

Direct Sponsor Name: NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)

Amount Awarded: $13,873

Collaborative Research: Quantifying the Amount and Functional Significance of Long-term Stored-water in Trees

Accurate modeling of water storage and fluxes in both natural and human-altered ecosystems is critical to managing global water resources under current-day and projected future climate and human stresses. This project aims to improve model estimates of water storage and fluxes in trees and forests by increasing our predictive understanding of ecophysiological processes influencing water storage by individual trees and entire ecosystems, and likely changes in these with anthropogenic climate change. Doing so will allow us to address some of the unresolved differences between models and large-scale observations of watershed storage (e.g., satellite). We propose an innovative stable isotope tracer experiment coupled with tree ecophysiological measurements at the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed (Idaho, USA).  Broader Impact objectives include broadening participation of tribal college faculty and students in research collaborations at Reynolds Creek and at participating research institutions.

PI: Emanuel, Ryan E

Direct Sponsor Name: National Science Foundation (NSF)

Amount Awarded: $343,244

A Multi-Scale Decision Support Tool to Quantify Forest Benefits on Water Quantity and Quality in the Southern United States

Forests and water are inextricably linked, and people are dependent on forested lands to provide clean, reliable water supplies for drinking and to support local economies. As more than 90% of the forested land in the South is privately owned, water supplies in the region are at risk of degradation from continued fragmentation and conversion of forests to other land uses to support a growing population. Given the variety of threats to surface water, it will be increasingly important for forest managers to highlight the value of forests for maintaining clean and abundant supplies of drinking water in the region. A key component of maintaining this green forest infrastructure is ensuring that healthy forests are maintained on the landscape and managed using science-based sustainable forest management practices. Our objectives are to: 1) Develop a multi-scale modeling approach that is capable of quantifying forest water quantity and quality indicators, 2) Develop and provide and economic valuation of forest water related ecosystem services, and 3) Develop a public-facing web application that links water resource values to forests and forest management options.

PI: Martin, Katherine Lee

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $299,769

Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program: Partnership through the University of Florida (previous title: The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation National Educational Partnership for Conservation)

Although gender diversity in the natural resources profession has increased dramatically in the past twenty-five years, the field continues to lack adequate racial and ethnic diversity. We believe that diversification of the conservation workforce is essential for the long-term success of conservation science in our country. Diversification will bring important ideas and perspectives to natural resources decision-making that are currently absent. Moreover, in an increasingly diverse society, disciplines that attract a narrow ethnic and racial slice of the population are unlikely to be adequately valued by society. Given our changing demographics and the environmental challenges we face, it is important to foster expertise in conservation science and exposure to the conservation ethic across the breadth of society. A key bottleneck in efforts to diversify the conservation science workforce is recruitment and graduation of undergraduates. To address this issue, we propose to establish a national partnership to increase enrollment and graduation of students from under-represented groups in conservation science programs and to provide those students with the necessary training, research and workforce experiences, social and academic support, and mentorship to transition to successful leadership positions in the field. A secondary objective will be to document and disseminate our diversity recruitment model and success with the ultimate goal of expanding diversity recruitment efforts at undergraduate institutions across the US. Program objective: To develop long-term, sustainable educational programming to increase enrollment and retention of students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in conservation science undergraduate degree programs, and to create a pathway for employment in key positions in the conservation profession.

PI: Leggett, Zakiya Holmes

Direct Sponsor Name: Multiplier

Amount Awarded: $310,544

NC Sustainable Pellet Production for Poultry

In North Carolina, poultry is the top agricultural industry with an economic impact of more than $37 billion, employing over 146,000 people. Although, the main heating fuel for poultry houses is propane, recent pilot studies in the state have shown that wood pellets may be a cheaper heating fuel. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that wood pellet-heated poultry houses also produce better chicken survival, health, and growth.  Our goal is to comprehensively assess the technical and economic feasibility of producing pellets specifically for the poultry industry in the Western NC, where a great proportion of broiler and backyard poultry farms are located. As the economics of poultry farming is heavily dependent on mortality and overall growth/productivity of chicken, we will examine how wood pellet-based heating affects indoor air quality and health of the broiler chickens in the poultry houses. Our project results will demonstrate if this fuel is cost-effective and sustainable for poultry production to facilitate decision-making about poultry house fuel selection. Additionally, our project will generate information about potential income enhancements associated with pellet-based poultry heating.

PI: Ghezehei, Solomon Beyene

Direct Sponsor Name: NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

Amount Awarded: $53,609

Talking About Gene Drive: An Exploration of Language to Enable Understanding and Deliberation of Africa, Europe, North America and Australasia

Decisions involving the potential future use and governance of gene drive technology will require meaningful, empowered and culturally relevant dialogue among and between stakeholders and communities. However, gene drive is a complex science and stakeholders are already using language to advance their respective interests. Emerging empirical work suggests that the narratives, stories, metaphors and analogies used to talk about gene drive may be more important than technical vocabulary. We employ social representations theory to understand how people make sense of and communicate about gene drive through narratives, stories, metaphors and analogies.Through a comparative case study research design we map and understand the language and terminology used to explain gene drive across four case studies: Uganda, Australia, USA and UK. We use media analysis, interviews and focus groups to evaluate the utility of the different narratives, stories, metaphors and analogies and explore cultural differences in order to develop an independent and shared understanding of how to talk about gene drive.

PI: Delborne, Jason Aaron

Direct Sponsor Name: University of Exeter

Amount Awarded: $16,892

The Southern Fire Exchange: Putting Fire Science on the Ground

Throughout the last two years, the Southern Fire Exchange (SFE) has continued to build on the strong foundation of activities that we began implementing in 2010 to unite fire science and natural resource management in the Southeastern US. By focusing on interactive learning opportunities, such as field tours and workshops, we also made strides toward helping fire managers incorporate science into their decision making and management activities. SFE activities have been evaluated using several tools, including participant questionnaires after SFE events; discussion and feedback with Advisory Board (AB) members, the Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) Fire Chiefs, and other key leaders; the national online survey; and webmetric data from the SFE website. The following summary brings together evaluation results from FY2013 to January 2020 to provide an overview of our activities, progress toward meeting outcomes, and challenges and lessons learned along the way.

PI: Roise, Joseph P.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $83,533

Pilot Study – Using Fine Scale GPS Technology to Research Sympatric Canid Population Dynamics

In conjunction with prior research, data collected in this study will contribute to knowledge on sympatric canid population dynamics on the AP. Estimating population size will allow managers to monitor population trends of sympatric canids and to examine the long and short-term impacts of different management strategies on their populations. While it is unknown whether sample size will allow for population estimation, obtaining relative abundance estimates for coyotes would provide wildlife managers with baseline data for monitoring changes in population abundance over time when paired with annual mortality estimates. Information on changes in abundance, reproductive dynamics, and habitat use could impact management strategies to influence long-term conservation outcomes. Results of this pilot study will allow managers to determine if future work will be necessary, what amount of effort will be required to achieve each objective, and if population estimates will be an attainable goal. Furthermore, data gathered on survival rates by age class, breeding success, litter size, mortality rates by age class, and relative abundance of sympatric canids during this project could contribute toward a two-species population viability analysis (PVA) model in development by USFWS staff, expanding upon the PVA previously performed for red wolf populations (Faust et al. 2016).

PI: Pacifici, Jamian

Direct Sponsor Name: NC Wildlife Resources Commission

Amount Awarded: $28,550

AS-REML Short-Course Using PepsiCo-Provided Data

PepsiCo wishes to have a short-course on AS-REML taught to a few employees (5-7).

PI: Isik, Fikret

Direct Sponsor Name: Pepsico, Inc.

Amount Awarded: $12,160

Managing Tangible Landscape

Invasive pests are a serious threat to the nations forest and agricultural systems. Planning and optimizing management of these pests at large-scales often requires input from a variety of stakeholders, many of which often disagree with the suggestions of experts due to different evidentiary bases and experiences. Forecasts to support planning and response rely on model predictions of future spread and risk. Tangible landscape brings this modeling process to life and makes it easier to understand for all stakeholders.  Tangible Landscape is a novel modeling platform that allows users to guide complex geospatial models via physical interaction. Users can designate treatment zones on a physical representation of a landscape, which are then incorporated into the pest and pathogen spread forecast. Results are projected back onto the landscape, allowing users to quickly and intuitively visualize how proposed management scenarios are likely to affect spread across the landscape.  Tangible landscape brings this modeling process to life by making evident the processes, assumptions and the relationship between forecast system outputs and three-dimensional reproductions of actual agricultural or pest management settings.  Tangible landscapes make it easier to understand complex dynamics between production and management scenarios for all stakeholders. Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) is an agency within APHIS that safeguards agriculture and natural resources from the risks associated with the entry, establishment, or spread of plant pests and noxious weeds to ensure an abundant, high-quality, and varied food supply.  Each year PPQ manages a large number of invasive species and faces challenges to determine the most viable, high-impact decisions given limited resources and complex biological settings.  The Tangible Landscape technology assists making such decisions by allowing stakeholders, decision makers, and land managers to interact physically with simulation models to facilitate visualization and understanding of the situation.  It allows both subject matter experts and non-technical users to analyze multiple control scenarios in an instantaneous manner and enables users and policy makers to explore alternative decisions based on the available resources and user-driven assumptions regarding management interventions. The goal of this project is to further enhance our integration of the PoPS forecast within Tangible Landscape and develop new features for Tangible Landscape based on the feedback we have received from both APHIS field operations and science and technology personnel and to quantify the accuracy of management scenarios using multiple case studies that have real-world applications and actual production settings. Developing a tool that is useful for farmers and for regulatory agencies like PPQ would require validating the models and technologies used in the Tangible Landscape.  We plan to accomplish this using well-known exotic pests and diseases that are part of current programs and real-world challenges.

PI: Meentemeyer, Ross Kendall

Direct Sponsor Name: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – USDA

Amount Awarded: $110,080

Title: Long-Distance Dispersal and Disease Outbreaks: Effects of Initial Prevalence, Basic Reproduction Number, and Control Tactics

PI: Meentemeyer, Ross Kendall

Direct Sponsor Name: Oregon State University

Amount Awarded: $639,132

Abstract: Overview: Empirical data and modeling studies will be used to: 1) Determine effects of initial disease prevalence, spatial pattern of initial disease prevalence, and basic infection number on disease spread; 2) Compare the efficacy of reactive ring culling, reactive ring vaccination or chemotherapeutic applications, timing and extent of reactive ring treatments, and broad-scale population protection for disease control; and 3) Determine the influence of initial disease prevalence and basic infection number on the efficacy of these control tactics against pathogens exhibiting long-distance dispersal.  Modeling studies of wheat stripe rust, foot-and-mouth disease, sudden oak death, and arboviruses will be conducted.  Extensive comparative modeling will be conducted through factorial combinations of models and input data among the different diseases. Generalized theory and models will be developed to predict rules-of-thumb for the control of diseases caused by pathogens with long-distance dispersal.  Data from natural experiments with sudden oak death and foot-and-mouth disease, and manipulative experiments with wheat stripe rust, will be used for model validation/verification.    The project will determine the importance of initial disease prevalence, the spatial pattern of initial disease prevalence, and the basic reproduction number on the spread of diseases caused by pathogens with fat-tailed dispersal kernels, and the interaction of these biological variables with control practices such as reactive culling, reactive vaccination or chemotherapeutic applications, and broad-scale protective strategies. The work is fundamental to our understanding of disease spread, and is crucial to predicting the spread of epidemic invasions and designing disease control strategies.  The work is potentially transformative as it will provide a rare opportunity to test such hypotheses in natural and manipulative field experiments, and because the applicability of a broad diversity of plant, animal, and human pathogens with fat-tailed dispersal kernels will be rigorously evaluated via the interdisciplinary modeling efforts.  Conclusions should apply over a very wide range of spatial scale due to the nature of dispersal kernels of pathogens that have the potential for long-distance dispersal.

Title: Planning Nature-Based Flood Mitigation Strategies Through Participatory Videos

PI: Cutts, Bethany Brooke

Direct Sponsor Name: NCSU Sea Grant Program

Amount Awarded: $10,000

Abstract: The rising cost of floods, in both property damage and human lives, combined with the limitations of traditional flood control infrastructure (e.g., levees, berms, and dams) has led to increased calls for nature-based flood mitigation strategies (Liao 2012, 2014; Opperman et al. 2009, 2017). While flood nature-based solutions (NBS), such as wetland conservation and restoration, offer strong social and ecological benefits, many communities continue to rely on traditional flood control infrastructure that disrupt the hydro-ecology of riverine ecosystems (Montz and Tobin 2008; Opperman et al. 2009). This gap between NBS knowledge and practice stems in part from a failure to adequately embed scientific knowledge within the cultural lifeways of impacted communities (see Gaillard and Mercer 2013).  We propose a participatory framework to enhance public involvement in designing nature-based flood mitigation strategies in Robeson County, North Carolina. The coastal plains of North Carolina contain a diverse array of wetland ecosystems, including pocosins (from Algonquian meaning swamp-on-a-hill and Carolina bays (Richardson and Gibbons 1993; Sharitz and Gibbons 1982). Between 1780 and 1992, North Carolina lost 53 percent of its wetlands, first primarily to agricultural drainage and more recently to urbanization (O’Driscoll 2012). In the Lumber River basin, the watershed that encompasses most of Robeson County, wetlands make up nearly 25 percent of land use, but development and agricultural ditching has degraded water quality and wildlife habitat (NCDENR 2004). Changes in state and federal policy also threaten remaining wetlands (Richardson et al. 2011; Wittenberg 2017). We hypothesize that greater public participation within NBS planning can better integrate wetland restoration and conservation within disaster recovery and mitigation processes.   Our prior research in Robeson County, including 76 interviews with survivors, community leaders, and officials, reveals that residents relate to and value the local environment, particularly the Lumbee river and swamps, in diverse and complex ways. Although it was not the motivation for the initial research, these findings suggested a critical need to understand how diverse cultural identities and ways of knowing shape perceptions of NBS. Many study participants recognized the socioecological benefits that derive from the ecosystem, yet focused primarily on maintaining and improving existing flood infrastructure when discussing mitigation strategies. Local officials that we interviewed likewise made relatively few mentions of NBS projects for flood mitigation. On the contrary, some leaders have publicly expressed skepticism that large-scale wetland restoration offers a realistic long-term flooding solution (Kaplan 2018). Although most resiliency plans for the county include nature-based options (Coastal Resilience Center 2018; NC Emergency Management and NC Department of Transportation 2018; ReBuild NC 2017), overall these strategies have not been prioritized within recovery and mitigation efforts. By bringing together diverse community voices, this research will identify place-specific barriers to NBS design and implementation  and facilitate conversations about how to better integrate NBS into resiliency planning.

Title: Forecasting Fire Risk through Analysis of Past and Future Variability in Hydrologic Regimes & Integrate into South Florida Fire Danger Index

PI: Vukomanovic, Jelena

Direct Sponsor Name: US National Park Service

Amount Awarded: $74,800

Abstract: Longer-term projections coupled with shorter-term regional forecasting of water level depths influence fire management actions taken by Big Cypress National Preserve (BICY) and Everglades National Park (EVER) fire management programs. Analyzing the relationship of known historical fire occurrence, fuel loading and water depth fluctuation models, we will expand on previous analyses supporting the current condition fire risk modeling. These new analyses will incorporate human causes such as road construction and dike removal projects into water level forecast models and provide fire managers with decision support tools in the form of maps, charts and online resources. These tools will contribute to the safety of public and private property and the resources (natural and cultural) that both BICY and EVER customarily protect.  Fire program managers at BICY and EVER desire geospatial inputs of fire potential factors (fuels, weather, topography and risk) to fire behavior models that reflect local fire danger.  A synthesis of existing geospatial data and fire danger models will guide efforts when creating new geospatial and tabular datasets whose modeled indices integrate with a Florida Statewide Fire Danger Rating System and associated maps.

Title: RAPID: Disaster Recovery Decision Making in Remote Tourism-Dependent Communities

PI: Knollenberg, Whitney Grace

Direct Sponsor Name: National Science Foundation (NSF)

Amount Awarded: $58,934

Abstract: In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian severely impacted remote, tourism-dependent communities in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina. The communities of Ocracoke and Hatteras sustained the most infrastructure damage (e.g., businesses, homes, schools, power, potable water, transportation, and telecommunications). As recovery efforts begin, tourism business owners have to determine whether or not to reinvest, while individuals employed within the tourism industry have to determine whether or not they will remain. These decision processes include utilizing their hurricane experience (both past and present) and a variety of information sources within their local networks to inform perceptions of access to an available workforce or workforce housing, the availability of recovery resources, and the likelihood of future visitors, as well as perceptions of recovery risks. In turn, these perceptions influence recovery intentions and actual recovery decisions. This study specifically explores this decision making process in near-term, post-disaster contexts. The project has three objectives to: (1) identify the information networks accessed by individuals within the tourism industry to inform recovery decisions; (2) evaluate the extent to which recovery information activated through those networks is processed; and (3) document decision making pathways that influence risk perceptions and intended recovery decisions.

Title: Planning for Advocacy Efforts: Best Practices from Tourism Industry Associations

PI: Knollenberg, Whitney Grace

Direct Sponsor Name: ASAE Foundation

Amount Awarded: $7,437

Abstract: Associations play a crucial role in the success of the tourism industry. One of the most valuable benefits they offer those they represent is advocating for the interests of the industry with policymakers at the local, state, and federal level. Many challenges are faced by association leaders charged with advocating for the tourism industry. They must represent the interests of many different stakeholders within the industry and may have to address a wide range of policy issues that can impact the industry, including those related to social issues that impact visitors’ image of a tourism destination, funding for tourism marketing and management efforts, or taxation levels. Many policy changes have the potential to develop into crises for the tourism industry. Like in any crisis, it is vital for tourism stakeholders to take action to mitigate risks and the potential impacts of policy changes. In the context of policy-induced crises, advocacy is one way to take action to reduce risks and the impacts of crises. Recently, there have been an increasing number of policy-related crises impacting the tourism industry. Therefore, organizing advocacy efforts to represent the tourism industry’s interests among policymakers is becoming an increasingly important role for associations and their leaders. However, very little is known about what associations are doing to plan for advocacy efforts on behalf of the tourism industry. In this way, tourism industry associations may not be maximizing the tools and benefits they offer to their members. This proposed research study seeks to identify best practices in advocacy planning among tourism industry associations in order to help all associations deliver services to their members.

Title: CESU GIS Database Development for the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (OVNHT)

PI: Smith, Charlynne T.

Direct Sponsor Name: US National Park Service

Amount Awarded: $51,369

Abstract: Phase 7: CESU GIS Database Development for the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (OVNHT) involves expanding geospatial data relative to the OVNHT Trail and Corridor through collaboration with trail partners and resource conservation agencies. This phase will review the entire OVNHT corridor for accuracy of protected trail segments and identify managing entities. The resulting inventory will inform trail managers of level of protection and provide a more accurate number of protected miles in an updated spatial database.

Title: Impact of Youth Corps Partnerships on Partner Capacity

PI: Edwards, Michael B.

Direct Sponsor Name: Montana Conservation Corps

Amount Awarded: $205,621

Abstract: Working in a partnership model, conservation corps provide land management agencies with resources that support youth development and community engagement [Engagement], a dependable workforce that balances high quality work with reduced agency costs [Efficiencies], and ensure the enhanced ability of public land agencies to sustainably provide for conservation and visitor recreation [Enhancement]. Relevant to the evaluation, the primary long-term impact associated with these program activities ensures resource institutions, managers, and industries have the long-term capacity to sustainably manage natural resource assets.   Conservation corps work with public land agency partners at multiple levels. However, most of this work occurs on federal and state lands. Two important partners for conservation corps are the USFS at the federal level and respective State Parks at the state level. This evaluation will focus on the ability of participating corps to enhance the capacity of these two organizations.  The overall aim of the current evaluation is to examine the outcomes of corps program on partners. The primary outcome-related goal is to determine, through a matched, quasi-experimental design, whether there is evidence that host partners demonstrate higher levels of engagement, efficiency, and environmental stewardship than similar, non-hosting affiliates. The primary research questions of this evaluation are:  Using partner interviews and surveys, this evaluation will address the following research questions: Does hosting a conservation corps program increase public land agency partners’ capacity to:Engage youth and communities? Manage organizational resources more efficiently? More effectively manage public lands for conservation and visitor recreation?

Title: A New Generation of Flexible Food Packaging from Agro-Based Fibers and Biopolymers

PI: Pal, Lokendra

Direct Sponsor Name: Wm Wrigley Jr. Company

Amount Awarded: $175,000

Abstract: Consumer demands for sustainability and recent changes in government policies and regulations, such as the ban on single-use plastic products, are forcing companies to consider new alternatives to plastic-based packaging. There has been tremendous growth in the development and production of paper and bio-coating technology. This project will focus on the development of alternative fiber-based packaging and barrier coatings to deliver high functionality while maintaining compostability and biodegradability profile.

Title: Aquatic Biodegradability of Non-woven disposable structures – NWI Core Project

PI: Venditti, Richard A.

Direct Sponsor Name: NCSU Nonwovens Institute

Amount Awarded: $102,605

Abstract: It is hypothesized that the biodegradability of synthetic, natural and emerging bio-based polymer product  are not fully understood in aerobic or anaerobic conditions in surface waters and may accumulate in the environment. The recalcitrance of some of these natural materials may be due to the chemical or compositional modifications to impart desired product properties. For instance, many naturally based nonwoven materials have additives incorporated to develop water, oil, or UV  resistance.  The overall goal of this study is to determine the factors that determine the aquatic biodegradability in surface waters (fresh and sea water) of non-woven products used in disposable applications.  These factors will include the fiber structure, chemistry and assembly in the non-woven structure. The objectives of the study are the following: (1) To benchmark common disposable non-woven products with regard to their aquatic biodegradation in fresh and sea waters. (2) To benchmark natural fibers, semi-natural biobased fibers, and synthetic fibers used in non-wovens for their aquatic biodegradation in fresh or sea waters. (3) To understand how chemical, physical, and polymeric characteristics of non-woven fibers affect the aquatic biodegradation. (4) To determine how chemical and physical treatments of the fibers affect the aquatic biodegradation.  (5) To model and predict the fate of such fibers in the environment, including the lifetime, fate and adsorption of toxic organic chemicals. The results of the study will allow non-woven manufacturers, researchers, suppliers, and consumers to better understand how the choice of materials will affect expected aquatic degradation, allowing all stakeholders to make more informed and better material choice decisions

Title: Feedstock Reactivity Analysis (previous title: Feedstock Reactivity: NCSU-INL Collaboration)

PI: Park, Sunkyu

Direct Sponsor Name: Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC

Amount Awarded: $115,000

Abstract: Pine tree sampling and its extractive analysis.

Title: NC FY20 EAB Phenology

PI: Nichols, Elizabeth Guthrie

Direct Sponsor Name: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – USDA

Amount Awarded: $52,319

Abstract: Ash (Fraxinus) tree species in North America face a significant threat from the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis, EAB), an exotic beetle native to Asia that was first detected in 2002 infesting urban forests surrounding Detroit, MI.  Since its accidental introduction, this invasive pest has spread to 35 states, the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Manitoba, and killed hundreds of millions of ash trees.  The first detections of EAB in North Carolina occurred in 2013 in Granville, Person, Vance, and Warren counties, and it has since spread to a number of additional counties throughout the mountains, Piedmont, and upper coastal plain where it threatens to extirpate all four ash species native to the state.  Of particular concern is the loss of green ash (F. pennsylvanica) which is planted widely as a shade tree in urban and suburban areas and is an important timber species in the state.  It is valued for both wood products and biomass production and is considered a premier species for dual wastewater treatment and bioenergy production systems. Classical biological control, the importation and release of natural enemies from a pest’s native range, is one of the primary management strategies currently utilized to combat the EAB infestation in North America.  Three parasitoid species from Asia are currently released, one that targets EAB eggs and two that target EAB larvae. The larval parasitoids target specific EAB larval stages, so the proper timing of releases to coincide with appropriate larval stages is critical.  Current EAB phenology is based on field studies conducted in Michigan and other nearby Midwestern states; these data are currently being utilized to time parasitoid releases throughout the infested range. However, EAB larval parasitoids have failed to establish south of the 40th parallel which suggests a phenological mismatch between the timing of parasitoid release and the presence of appropriate EAB life stages in the southern United States. This mismatch is supported the NC Forest Service and NCDA&CS field data that indicates EAB overwinters as larvae in central North Carolina while most studies in the north report EAB overwintering as prepupae. Data are lacking for the year-round phenological progression of EAB life stages in central North Carolina in order to understand the best time to release parasitoids and maximize their chance of establishment.

Title: Quantifying Forest Contributions to Landscape Connectivity Under Global Change (Tina Mozelewski)

PI: Scheller, Robert

Direct Sponsor Name: Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI)

Amount Awarded: $28,000

Abstract: The goal of this project is to forecast the trajectory of forests in the Piedmont and Sandhills ecoregions of North Carolina under high and low climate and land use change and to quantify how these forests, especially restored longleaf pine and managed production forests, contribute to landscape connectivity. This research is crucial to understanding forest contributions to connectivity under global change and to prioritize and incentivize forest restoration and sustainable forest management to promote biodiversity.

Title: Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Bald Head Woods Reserve

PI: Forrester, Jodi A.

Direct Sponsor Name: Bald Head Island Conservancy

Amount Awarded: $10,000

Abstract: I will describe the contemporary forest structure and composition of the Bald Head Woods Maritime Forest Preserve. This work will quantify the mortality caused by Hurricane Florence and help to predict the future canopy of the forest. It will build on historical vegetation measurements by adding measurement locations in open canopy conditions created by recent hurricane disturbance. Tree, sapling, shrub and groundlayer vegetation will be measured within permanent established plots. Tree stem locations will be mapped in each plot, which will allow follow up surveys to track the growth and mortality of each individual. Canopy openness, soil moisture, and soil chemistry will be measured. Earlier descriptive studies (Taggart and Long, 2015) indicate a very sparse groundlayer flora, limited by low light availability beneath the closed canopy. Establishing additional measurement locations in these newly opened areas will help to describe the regeneration dynamics of this rare forest community.  We will compile a species list, design a sampling protocol and provide training for the BHIC staff (if requested). Data will be summarized and submitted to BHIC upon completion.

Title: The Southern Fire Exchange: Putting Fire Science on the Ground

PI: Roise, Joseph P.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $83,533

Abstract: Throughout the last two years, the Southern Fire Exchange (SFE) has continued to build on the strong foundation of activities that we began implementing in 2010 to unite fire science and natural resource management in the Southeastern US. By focusing on interactive learning opportunities, such as field tours and workshops, we also made strides toward helping fire managers incorporate science into their decision making and management activities. SFE activities have been evaluated using several tools, including participant questionnaires after SFE events; discussion and feedback with Advisory Board (AB) members, the Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) Fire Chiefs, and other key leaders; the national online survey; and webmetric data from the SFE website. The following summary brings together evaluation results from FY2013 to January 2020 to provide an overview of our activities, progress toward meeting outcomes, and challenges and lessons learned along the way.

Title: Innovations in the Theory and Application of Models for Human and Natural Caused Disturbances in Forests

PI: Sills, Erin O.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $257,711

Abstract: Existing expertise in disturbances in forests has improved our understanding, modeling, and forecasting of the future conditions and use of both US and global forests.  These disturbances vary by region across the US, and by ecoregion globally, and include wildfire, harvesting, land use change, insect and disease outbreaks, and others.  We focus on the first two of these disturbances because of the synergies known to exist between harvesting and wildfire in both the U.S. and Brazil. This will require cooperation of investigators from NCSU (Dr. Erin Sills and a postdoctoral scholar) and USFS Research and Development (Jeffrey Prestemon).   This research will focus on (1) the impact of harvesting and wildfires on forest conditions, and the relationships between markets for timber and responses to forest disturbances, and (2) how climate and policy influence the expenditures made to prepare for and respond to forest disturbances, focusing on wildfire.

Title: Watershed Response To Land Use And Climate Change In Central North Carolina

PI: Martin, Katherine Lee

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $44,980

Abstract: This agreement establishes a collaborative research effort with NC State University, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. The objectives described below will provide policy relevant scientific research on the current and changing conditions of waters resources in in the North Carolina Piedmont, a region of rapid human population growth and development.

Title: Challenges And Opportunities For Agroforestry Systems To Participate In State Preferential Property Tax Programs For Agriculture And Forestry

PI: Parajuli, Rajan

Direct Sponsor Name: University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Amount Awarded: $15,291

Abstract: All 50 states offer preferential property tax programs that lower the taxes paid on enrolled agricultural and/or forest lands (Kilgore et al., 2017). Agroforestry is a land use that combines elements of both agriculture and forestry; however, eligibility criteria and other rules and regulations may prevent enrollment of agroforestry lands in one or more of the agriculture and forestry tax programs in a state. For example, minimum trees per acre requirements for forestry tax programs might prohibit certain agroforestry uses. Maximum tree cover requirements or minimum annual income requirements for agriculture tax programs could limit participation by other agroforestry practitioners. Such prohibitions, whether intended or unintended, would present a major financial burden on current or potential future agroforestry adopters, as forestry programs can reduce taxes by $8 per acre on average across the U.S., and much higher in many states (Kilgore et al., 2017). On the other hand, some states may have separate eligibility criteria for agroforestry, which provide opportunities for easier access than the traditional forestry and agriculture criteria. This project will identify and catalog these potential challenges and opportunities for agroforestry systems to participate in preferential agriculture and forestry property tax programs

Title: FB 1A.0523.01: Automated Host Mapping Tool and Interface for Spread Modeling and Field Operations Planning

PI: Meentemeyer, Ross Kendall

Direct Sponsor Name: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – USDA

Amount Awarded: $108,053

Abstract: Invasive pests and pathogens are a serious threat to the nation’s agroecosystems and forested landscapes. Our team has developed the Pest and Pathogen Spread (PoPS) forecast that makes it easy for a user with no coding experience to run a complex model of pest and pathogen spread quickly and easily, and explore management scenarios to see how different approaches affect the spread of the pest or pathogen. A critical input into the PoPS forecast is a map of host distribution. Currently, creating accurate host maps is time consuming and readily available maps of host species distribution are meant for other purposes and don’t report accuracy metrics. This increases the uncertainty in model outputs. Additionally, these datasets are rarely updated and users want to update PoPS forecasts as new data becomes available and if the underlying host population changes due to clear cut or fire these changes should be captured in the next update of the host map but current host distribution methods don’t account for this. A web-based automated host-mapping tool with easy to use interface that creates host maps at broad spatiotemporal scales, and feeds directly into the PoPS forecast can improve forecast accuracy, reduce uncertainty, and decrease the time needed to get the forecast up and running accurately. This requires using remote sensing data portals and cloud-based computing (e.g., Google Earth Engine (GEE)) in the online environment leading to an automated tool that creates and updates host maps on changes to the landscape due to natural (e.g., fire, pest outbreak, etc.) and human (e.g., logging, urbanization) disturbances.   The web-based, automated host-mapping tool will give users the ability to create host distribution maps via an easy to use interface. Host mapping parameters include remote sensing data, spatiotemporal resolution, study extent, machine-learning algorithms, uncertainty and accuracy assessment, and utilization of external data sources, such as FIA (Forest Inventory and Analysis), USGS web-mapping services, iNaturalist, and NASS Cropland Data Layer data to improve host maps. Users can customize these parameters as per their needs to improve the performance of the PoPS forecast that further the decision-making process of eradication and/or containment of an invasive pest. The entire process has three components: (1) user friendly interface, (2) probability-based multiclass to binary host maps, and (3) a direct link to PoPS and SAFARIS. A user will select the host(s) of interest, spatial resolution and extent, and upload an ancillary data and then run the tool. The user will then receive a host distribution map and all associate accuracy metrics and uncertainties.    Overall, the purpose of this project is to create an intuitive user interface and web-based, automated host-map tool accessed via the PoPS dashboard. Then, interlink the mapping interface with the PoPS forecast to simulate pest and pathogen spread scenarios using multiple case studies that have real-world applications and actual production settings. All data will be easily accessed through the PoPS dashboard, SAFARIS, and all code will be fully open source for use by the USDA.

Title: Research to Promote the Conservation and Long-term Sustainability of Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) at the Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary, North Carolina

PI: Jetton, Robert M

Direct Sponsor Name: Cary, NC

Amount Awarded: $25,000

Abstract: Located in the heart of Cary, North Carolina, Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve is an important ecological, cultural, and recreational resource for the local community. In addition to providing trails and education programs that allow people of all ages to become more familiar with the natural word that surrounds their daily lives, the unique geology of this Piedmont site creates a home for plant species more typical of the mountains of western North Carolina such as galax, and provides refuge for numerous species of reptiles, amphibians, mammals, arachnids, and insects against the ongoing urbanization of Cary. At the center of this unique ecosystem is eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), a tree species known as the redwood of the east that is a canopy dominant species in the forests of the Southern Appalachian, mid-Atlantic, northeastern, and upper mid-western regions of the United States. At Hemlock Bluffs it is a relic of past glacial periods when many northern and mountain tree species survived below glacial margins in the Piedmont and coastal regions of the southeast. As the glaciers retreated many of these tree species migrated to areas now considered to be their natural environments, but the cool, moist environment of the north-facing bluffs along Swift Creek provides a niche where this small population of eastern hemlock is able to survive more than 200 miles distant from its typical habitat. The hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) is an exotic insect from Japan that has caused widespread decline and mortality of eastern hemlock throughout its native range in the eastern United States and threatens the extinction of this keystone forest tree species. Although initial predictions suggested that the isolation of Hemlock Bluffs from the core of the hemlock range would make introduction of this destructive insect unlikely, the adelgid was detected at the preserve in 2010. Since that time, the Town of Cary has worked closely with Bartlett Tree Experts and research and forest health management professionals from North Carolina State University, the North Carolina Forest Service, and the USDA Forest Service to develop a management strategy to limit the impact of the hemlock woolly adelgid at Hemlock Bluffs. So far, the combination of careful adelgid population monitoring and 2 use of chemical insecticides to control the insect when found has worked well. However, much of what we know about the long-term management of this pest comes from research and development activities developed for forests within the core of the eastern hemlock range. Given the unique nature of this Piedmont location and the growing influence of surrounding urbanization, research aimed at developing a better understanding of the genetic and ecosystem processes at this site will allow for the development of management and conservation strategies tailored specifically for Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve. This proposal documents three research projects that the Camcore program at North Carolina State University, in collaboration with our university, state, and federal cooperators, feel will aid in improving the long-term sustainability of Cary’s eastern hemlock resources.

Title: Target-tree Release to Improve the Sustainability of Eastern Hemlock in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

PI: Jetton, Robert M

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $225,237

Abstract: This project will develop and validate a silvicultural tool that improves the health and sustainability of eastern hemlock, an ecologically keystone species in the southern Appalachians threatened by the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA).  Individual or small clusters of ‘target’ trees (i.e., suppressed or intermediate eastern hemlocks with moderate to good crown health) will be released by removing or girdling other stems competing for sunlight directly above and adjacent to the target trees.  Increased sunlight is expected to improve hemlock crown health via improved carbon balance, enhanced foliage production, and reduced HWA settlement rates relative to unreleased trees.  Treatments will be replicated at a number southern Appalachian sites and will evaluate release by girdling vs. felling and variations on the size of the resulting canopy gap. Operationally, the tool is expected to prolong hemlock health and survival and increase the efficacy of existing HWA management tools (e.g. biological and chemical control) when integrated with them.

Title: Capacity Building – Phase XI: Increasing the Pool for the Development of a  Multicultural Workforce and Connection to Underserved Communities Across the  US

PI: Nelson, Stacy A.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $50,000

Abstract: This project builds upon and expands the Forest Service’s Partnership Outreach and Capacity Building, and the Multicultural Workforce Strategic Initiative Programs, and is an initiative that represents an opportunity for substantial collaboration between Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI), the 1862 land grant institutions, the Puerto Rico Commonwealth environmental and educational agencies, and the public served by the consortium/partnership.

Title: Plant Pest Pathway Characterization with Pandemic Approach

PI: Meentemeyer, Ross Kendall

Direct Sponsor Name: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – USDA

Amount Awarded: $230,817

Abstract: Non-native pests cause economic and ecological damage to managed and natural U.S. forests and agricultural landscapes.  Many insects and diseases are currently under regulatory control in an effort to prevent and manage outbreaks.  It is difficult to control and minimize the damage once a non-native pest is established.  In order to prevent new pest introductions to the United States, new approaches to evaluate pathways are needed. The conventional pathway analyses consist with determining how a particular pest can be introduced to the United States from the pest occurring countries.  We only focus on the pathways from the countries that the pest is currently occurring. Recent globalization has changed the patterns of trades, air traveler trends, and technology improvement.  US trade has expanded nearly 200-fold since 1950.  Number of air travelers are increasing approximately 30 million each year since 1994.  Inbound travelers into the United States has being increased at 2.7 million annual rate since 2003. Therefore, plant pests occurring only in Asia may not be introduced to Asian countries any more.  The emergence of a trade-centered economy in China has impacted the global trading landscape.  Not surprisingly, complex new trade dynamics have also driven the worldwide spread of invasive Asian species.

Title: Tangible Landscape Framework

PI: Meentemeyer, Ross Kendall

Direct Sponsor Name: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – USDA

Amount Awarded: $300,000

Abstract: The PoPS forecasting and control system will harness data and insight as it becomes available from field operations to quickly integrate changing conditions allowing PPQ to quantify the efficacy and uncertainty of containment and eradication strategies in near real-time. Our team and PPQ will work closely together in a participatory modeling framework to quickly integrate new modeling and user-interface capabilities into the system based on changing policy, regulatory, and environmental conditions and provide PPQ with an open source tool to collaboratively explore scenarios with other stakeholders

Title: Training Teachers to Empower Students through Water Quality Action (Lauren Gibson)

PI: Stevenson, Kathryn

Direct Sponsor Name: North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)

Amount Awarded: $9,000

Abstract: This project will train 20 high school environmental science teachers from across North Carolina to implement a water quality curriculum that teaches students about issues surrounding water quality and empowers them to engage the community in action to address those issues. In the short term, the project seeks to increase teacher capacity for incorporating student-led, project-based environmental education in the classroom. In the long term, the project works toward increased youth empowerment with regard to the environment. This curriculum pushes students to engage with water quality as scientists, carrying out water quality citizen science projects. At the end of this curriculum, students are also expected to work in partnership with their teacher to design and carry out an outreach project to engage their community on issues of water quality. Central to this project is the concept of the youth-adult partnership, a power sharing between students and their teacher that allows for both youth voice in decision-making and adult mentorship. These partnerships are shown to increase students’ feelings of empowerment, connection to community, and engagement with the curriculum material.1,2 They have also been shown to improve adults’ views on the power of young people, giving them a stronger commitment to incorporating youth voice into their future initiatives.3,4 By carrying out this water quality curriculum and its associated outreach project, then, both students and teachers will work to be able to contribute to youth empowerment efforts moving forward. This project is the first step of a multi-year project to measure the impact that environmentally-literate young people can have on their broader community’s environmental literacy, particularly when they design and lead community-based, community-engaged environmental projects. We hope to find that this curriculum can spur community-level literacy on water quality as well as community support for environmental action.

Title: Translating and Disseminating Findings from RWJF’s Physical Activity Research

PI: Hipp, James A.

Direct Sponsor Name: Baylor University

Amount Awarded: $36,000

Abstract: Drs. Hipp and Floyd, graduate students Alberico and Huang, and their community partners will contribute to the following dissemination activities of PARC3 and PARC.

Title: Assessing the Transferability of a Historic Resources Decision Support Model for Optimized Budget Allocation and Adaptation Planning

PI: Seekamp, Erin Lynn

Direct Sponsor Name: US National Park Service

Amount Awarded: $377,894

Abstract: This research project is a collaborative study with the National Park Service to communicate and expand decision guidance for budget optimization and adaptation planning. The study will expand a decision support framework for cultural resource adaptation  to archaeological sites and test the framework for making prioritization decisions at a minimum of one National Park Service site with vulnerable cultural resources.

Title: CAREER: Biochar Systems for Sustainable Applications in the Food-Energy-Water Nexus

PI: Yao, Yuan

Direct Sponsor Name: National Science Foundation (NSF)

Amount Awarded: $161

Abstract: Biochar is a carbon-rich byproduct of thermochemical biomass conversions, and is closely linked to the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus through its potential applications in wastewater treatment, agriculture management, and bioenergy, as well as indirect benefit in mitigating climate change. Although biochar has a potential to transform existing FEW nexus into more efficient and sustainable systems, it has not been widely implemented due to the lack of understandings in technical performance, economic feasibility, environmental impacts, and social implications of different combinations of biomass species, conversion technologies, and biochar applications. Such understanding is very hard to be obtained using traditional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) or Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) approaches due to intensive needs of process data and methodological limitations in integrating temporal, spatial, and socioeconomic dimensions.   This project aims to address the knowledge gaps and methodological challenges by (1) using machine learning approaches to simulate and predict technical performance and life cycle inventory (LCI) of various combinations of biomass species, conversion technologies, process design, operational conditions, and applications of biochar; (2) building an integrated framework that seamlessly incorporate predictive LCA, TEA, Geographic Information System (GIS), and dynamic modeling to evaluate the environmental, economic, and social implications of biochar systems; (3) demonstrating the framework through real-world case studies in different geographic, temporal, and socioeconomic context.

Title: Southern Fire Exchange Refunding Proposal: Putting Fire Science on the Ground

PI: Roise, Joseph P.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $76,755

Abstract: Throughout the last two years, the Southern Fire Exchange (SFE) has continued to build on the strong foundation of activities that we began implementing in 2010 to unite fire science and natural resource management in the Southeastern US. By focusing on interactive learning opportunities, such as field tours and workshops, we also made strides toward helping fire managers incorporate science into their decision making and management activities. SFE activities have been evaluated using several tools, including participant questionnaires after SFE events; discussion and feedback with Advisory Board (AB) members, the Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) Fire Chiefs, and other key leaders; the national online survey; and webmetric data from the SFE website. The following summary brings together evaluation results from FY2013 to January 2020 to provide an overview of our activities, progress toward meeting outcomes, and challenges and lessons learned along the way.

Title: CNH2-l: The Coupled, Co-Evolving Roles of Drought and Electricity Systems in Humans’ Exposure to Air Pollution

PI: Kern, Jordan

Direct Sponsor Name: UNC – UNC Chapel Hill

Amount Awarded: $112,322

Abstract: This project will develop an improved understanding of the coupled dynamics among the natural processes that underpin drought and poor air quality, the human systems that manage water resources and electricity supply, and localized human exposure to fine particulate matter and ozone pollution, all under the influence of two anthropogenic drivers: technology adoption and climate change.

Title: Research and Development in Geographic Information Systems for the National Park Service, Interior Region One

PI: Meentemeyer, Ross Kendall

Direct Sponsor Name: US National Park Service

Amount Awarded: $106,920

Abstract: The scope of work under this agreement will consist of three major functions: 1) GIS research, development and technical support for parks and programs of the Northeast Region of the NPS, 2) assistance with strategic and tactical planning for GIS implementation and 3) operational testing and deployment help with Enterprise GIS initiatives and designs.  The Center for Geospatial Analytics at North Carolina State University has worked with the Northeast Region of the NPS for over 20 years in the development of GIS for park management. This activity has led to major advances in the planning and application of GIS technology in the NPS and has placed the Northeast Region among the leaders within the NPS in this regard.

Title: FLOODWISE – Connecting Water Quality and Flood Reduction for Farms and Communities in Eastern North Carolina

PI: Cubbage, Frederick W.

Direct Sponsor Name: NC Department of Justice (NCDOJ)

Amount Awarded: $200,000

Abstract: North Carolina has developed an innovative and successful environmental enhancement program over the last two decades based on measures to improve water quality throughout the state.  In addition to continued water quality issues, the state is increasingly beset with vast problems of flooding and excess water quantities during major storm events.  This project will focus on assessing means to use the existing practices and projects that have been employed by the North Carolina Environmental Enhancement Grant Program (EEG) and other state and federal conservation agencies and grants organizations can be used to provide co-benefits of water quantity and flood reduction or amelioration.  Lead Partners for this project include NC State University’s College of Natural Resources (CNR) and College of Design (CoD), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and the NC Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation (S&W). The Project Partners will assess green infrastructure and natural resource mitigation solutions to determine if they can provide valuable co-benefits of flood reduction and disaster resilience, and cooperate with government and nongovernment organizations, agricultural producers, and community stakeholders to design and implement FloodWise programs. FloodWise will help develop programs for farms and agricultural communities in Eastern North Carolina (ENC), including Farm Demonstrations of best management practices for water quality and flood mitigation.

Title: Forest Health Monitoring, Analysis, and Assessment

PI: Conkling, Barbara L.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $293,512

Abstract: The Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) Program is a long term, national monitoring and research effort focusing on forest ecosystems. This interagency program is designed to assist resource managers and policy makers in managing forest resources in the United States, allocating funds for research and development, and evaluating the effectiveness of environmental policies. FHM national reporting efforts include an annual technical report that presents analysis and synthesis of technical information at national and multi-state levels as well as other publications that provide information about national forest health conditions and management priorities. Through the work in this agreement, the principal investigators and other research personnel will provide the Forest Health Monitoring Research Team of the USFS Southern Research Station’s Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center (EFETAC) with data analyses, natural resource assessments, and technical writing skills in support of the national Forest Health Monitoring Program’s annual forest health status and trends report, and other research, analysis, and reporting tasks. The principal investigators and other personnel will also provide support to the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program in documentation development and updates for field procedures and the FIA public database.

Title: Tahoe Central-Sierra Initiative Restoration Assessment – Forest Restoration Simulation Modeling Project

PI: Scheller, Robert

Direct Sponsor Name: The Nature Conservancy

Amount Awarded: $99,729

Abstract: This program of work is focused on completing the simulation models for each alternative scenario developed with the broader TCSI science and management team. This project will apply the LANDIS-II forest simulation modeling platform and build upon ongoing efforts to utilize landscape-scale modeling to investigate restoration strategies within the forests of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Title: LSU Superfund Research Center – Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals

PI: Bryant, Jennifer Richmond

Direct Sponsor Name: Louisiana State University

Amount Awarded: $149,500

Abstract: This study addresses questions related to human exposure to environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs), a recently discovered class of pollutant species found at Superfund sites and formed during certain thermal treatment processes. It is unclear how long EPFRs persist when compared with other components of particulate matter (PM), and this research will provide information about the extent and duration of exposures nearby thermal treatment processes. This research will also provide information about exposure to EPFRs in homes and how concentrations of EPFRs correlate with noise and other co-stressors.

Title: INFEWS/T2: The Sustainability-Productivity Tradeoff: Water Supply Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Opportunities in California’s Coupled Agricultural and Energy Sectors

PI: Kern, Jordan

Direct Sponsor Name: UNC – UNC Chapel Hill

Amount Awarded: $97,834

Abstract: The electrical grid in California is changing quickly, driven primarily by aggressive state supported targets that aim to produce 50% of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030, with this percentage likely to increase even more by 2050. This will entail substantial changes to the state’s current generating portfolio, which relies predominately on a combination of natural gas and hydropower. Today, when drought impacts California, the state experiences a significant decrease in hydropower production. Utilities are forced to replace this lost hydropower with more expensive generation from natural gas plants, which increases the wholesale price of electricity. In this project, Dr. Kern will model the operations of California’s power system, including its interactions with important import markets in the Pacific Northwest and Southwest, under a wide range of future scenarios, while tracking system behavior and wholesale and retail price dynamics. The operations of California’s grid will be simulated using a multi-area Unit Commitment/Economic Dispatch (UC/ED) model that captures power flows among the major California utilities and neighboring systems. This class of model is used by electric power utilities and researchers alike, to schedule generation in networks of power plants and study the behavior of power systems under different market, policy and environmental conditions.

Title: An Assessment of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Criteria and Indicators: Enhancing Information for Criterion 7; Legal, Institutional, and Economic Indicators

PI: Cubbage, Frederick W.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $67,000

Abstract: This research will continue to perform U.S. assessments of the Montreal Process for Sustainable Forest Management Criteria and Indicators (SFM C&I) for Criterion 7, the development of the legal, institutional, and economic framework for forest conservation and sustainable management. This supplement will focus on: ‘Examining Partnerships and Participation in Collaborative Forest Management Approaches in the United States.’ We will review the administrative and forest-specific policies and laws that prescribe or promote participatory and/or collaborative measures on forest management across public and private lands, including recent additions, shifts, or changes in policy, law, and related programs. Research and compare the range of collaborations and partnerships on forest management across public, private, and civil society sectors. Specific aspects examined and compared across approaches will include levels of financial, technical, and human resources; public participation; political commitment; and public support.  How decision-making processes and authority vary across different partnerships and other collaborative arrangements also will be examined and reported.

Title: Nc Sentinel Landscape Resource Programming

PI: Bardon, Robert E.

Direct Sponsor Name: Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit – Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast

Amount Awarded: $354,000

Abstract: This proposal allows for the North Carolina Sentinel Landscape Program Partnership (SLPP)  to continue its effort to ensure that readiness, training viability, cost-effective policies, and the US Marine Corps mission are facilitated through sustained use of working lands and natural resources.  The SLPP have been working for more than six years, providing for the programmatic institutionalization and enhancement of compatible natural resource use in support of military readiness and at the same time enhancing the maintenance and improvement of natural resources, including agriculture and forestry lands (i.e., working lands). The SLPP continues to collaborate on a forward-looking, proactive program to sustain the landscape needed for a healthy economy, a healthy environment, a healthy military, and healthy communities in eastern North Carolina and beyond. The SLPP works in the public interest to advance national defense, conservation and working lands in North Carolina simultaneously to ensure that development or use of land, water, and/or air resources remains compatible with military missions. With around 90% of the land in North Carolina privately owned, the SLPP realizes that they cannot succeed unless it offers options and incentives that link the interests of the rural, private landowner with the national defense mission and conservation goals.  The Partnership understands that landowners need and deserve to have additional economic opportunities for the good they do to advance society’s long-term well-being by supporting national defense and conservation.

Title: Mapping Future Flood Probability Following Climate Change

PI: Sanchez, Georgina Maria

Direct Sponsor Name: NCSU Sea Grant Program

Amount Awarded: $10,000

Abstract: In the past four years, the coast of North Carolina experienced two 500-year flood events resulting in over 70 fatalities and billions of dollars in property damage. The area’s highly valued environmental amenities of beautiful coastlines and open water features have concentrated population in areas vulnerable to anticipated sea level rise and increased flood frequencies in the future. Recent modeling studies have shown Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regulatory flood maps to be outdated and underestimate risk. Flood maps inform flood risk management decisions in North Carolina and across the U.S.; underestimation of risk will result in residents, prospective homeowners, and developers being misguided to continue development in areas that are likely to experience extreme flooding. In this study, we will couple climate change projections of hydrologic conditions with the Height Above Nearest Drainage (HAND) model to simulate how the probability of annual flooding is likely to change in the future. We will evaluate how different scenarios of climate warming, associated with low and high greenhouse gas emissions, are likely to affect the spatial distribution of future flood probabilities. Our study area is shaped by four 10-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) catchments near Wilmington, North Carolina, a low lying moderately urbanized area, highly vulnerable to flooding due its location adjacent to the Cape Fear River and along the coast. Our goal is to establish the basis for a replicable and scalable methodology to develop flood projections under future climate scenarios at larger geographic scales (e.g., 2-digit or 4-digit Hydrologic Unit Code). The resulting maps of probability of future flooding can assist local land-use planners to visualize and anticipate flood hotspots. Furthermore, we anticipate that our scenario-based approach will better inform risk management and development decisions across the study area.

Title: 2020 CYCA Evaluation Proposal (Evaluation of Habitat Improvement Projects – Evaluating Trails)

PI: Edwards, Michael B.

Direct Sponsor Name: Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA)

Amount Awarded: $4,618

Abstract: Relevant to the evaluation, improving trail conditions increases the quality of trails, leading to higher accessibility and usage, enhanced visitor experiences, and increased health outcomes. Primary performance measures that will guide the evaluation plan will be taken from the National Performance Measures Instructions (Environmental Stewardship Focus Area) Addendum document published by CNCS, item EN5: Number of miles of trails or waterways (owned/maintained by national, state, county, city or tribal governments) that are improved, and/or created.

Title: Engaging Diverse Communities in Urban Greening Efforts: Lessons Learned and Pathways to Success

PI: Larson, Lincoln Ray

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $199,371

Abstract: Despite many benefits of urban greening, tree-planting programs in diverse communities nationwide often face strong local resistance, especially on private lands. This resistance impacts the success of initiatives such as Green Heart, an urban greening effort in Louisville, KY, designed to create healthier neighborhoods by encouraging tree planting to mitigate air pollution. Working with leaders of Green Heart, our project will investigate various factors (social and/or environmental) that influence the success of greening interventions and identify environmentally just practices to promote healthy urban communities across the US. Using Louisville as a case study, with lessons learned from other cities, we aim to: (1) Synthesize current state of knowledge regarding public support for urban greening across diverse communities; (2) Identify factors associated with tree-planting program success; (3) Examine public perceptions of relationships between urban trees, health, and neighborhood change; and (4) Define and share best practices to promote a national community of practice focused on equitable and inclusive urban greening. Our efforts will culminate in a “best practice” guide and toolkit, shared with a growing national community of practice promoting social equity in urban forestry. Ultimately, the project will identify strategies to promote urban greening with communities, not just within communities.

Title: Xylo-oligomers and Surfactants as High-value Co-products from Integrated Biorefinery

PI: Park, Sunkyu

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) – National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Amount Awarded: $100,000

Abstract: Although several biorefinery for converting biomass to sugar intermediate have been commercial, there still remains a strong need to further lower production costs.  One of the best approaches is to develop high-value co-products, which ensure a more secure financial position with regards to multiple risks from biomass supply, technical operating uncertainties, and demand and price fluctuations in final products.  In this research, two high-value co-products (xylo-oligomers and surfactants) are proposed to produce from biomass pretreatment hydrolyzate, which is C5-rich stream.  Based on the preliminary results, biomass surfactant (short chain lignin-carbohydrate complex) and xylo-oligomers can be successfully separated using a special resin.  With purification, xylo-oligomers can be used for probiotics with $2,000/kg value.  The surfactant has unique structure (hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties in one molecule), which can replace petro-base surfactant with $1,000/kg value.  The amount and structure of the proposed products are highly dependent to the sources of biomass.  This transformational concept to utilize C5 carbon has a high potential impact, but has never been addressed. The proposed biorefinery will contribute sustainable production of bio-based materials (surfactant and oligomers) to be integrated into agro-ecosystem landscapes and to enhance a higher profitable biorefinery. The production of xylo-oligomers can be used in animal food, while the production of surfactant can be used in a replacement of petro-base product.

Title: Interdisciplinary Doctoral Education Program in Animal Production from Renewable Forest Resources

PI: Park, Sunkyu

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) – National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Amount Awarded: $238,500

Abstract: The objective of this proposal is to develop an education program for a new generation of researchers who understand the entire spectrum of biomass oligosaccharide production, animal production, and its analysis through a life cycle approach. Faculty members from two departments are proposing to create joint doctoral education program to address this Targeted Expertise Shortage Area (Animal Production) with Relevant Disciplines of (A) Animal Science, (B) Biotechnology, and (C) Renewable Natural Resources.Five focus areas are (1) Biomass oligosaccharide production; (2) Purification of xylose oligosaccharide; (3) Manufacturing and processing of animal feed; (4) Animal feeding and management; and (5) Life cycle Analysis. This program incorporates cross-disciplinary teamwork/advising, coursework in multiple disciplines, Preparing Future Leaders program, internship at a commercial farm, and exposure to biotechnology experts in industry.

Title: Training and Development of Small to Medium Sized Forest Product Manufacturers

PI: Mitchell, Philip H.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $100,000

Abstract: This project will host the National Firewood Business Workshop (NFBW) at three regional locations as a two-day event that offers the split firewood industry educational and networking opportunities.  A focus area of the NFBW is to promote the use of forest materials whose removal improves forest health and reduces fire danger on both public and private lands. The workshops will assist with promoting fire resilient landscapes and promoting a safe wildfire response by providing potential markets and options for removal of hazardous trees (fuel) through a thriving firewood industry. This event has been supported by the WERC in the past, with two events held in WV, one each in NY, MD and NC.  The NFBW is the only national educational and networking event for the split firewood industry and has been well supported by the firewood and forest products industry. The workshop is a two-day event that offers classroom discussions of the business aspects of the firewood industry in addition to outdoor demonstrations of firewood processing, kiln drying and packaging equipment.  This project funds the NFBW for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021. In 2020 this project funds a workshop at the WERC for small firewood and sawmill businesses that focuses on assisting existing and potential owners of small firewood and sawmill businesses information on equipment, business management and marketing. The workshop also attracts public and nonprofit supporters of the forest products industry, such as state and USFS employees, state forest associations, consulting foresters, economic development and cooperative extension employees.  The goal is to support successful small businesses involving firewood and sawmill operations.  This workshop will take place at the WERC in Princeton, WV.

Title: Predicting SRWC Productivity And Economic Feasibility

PI: Nichols, Elizabeth Guthrie

Direct Sponsor Name: NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

Amount Awarded: $250,562

Abstract: Woody feedstocks are expected to play a major role in the future sustainable renewable energy production. Economically viable short rotation woody crop (SRWC) production is particularly significant in North Carolina due to prominent wood pellet exports to Europe and evolving bioenergy markets. Extrapolating field-scale studies to state-scale assessment of feedstock productivity for North Carolina is a necessary tool to facilitate stakeholder decision making for SRWC procurement and for recommending best management practices to landowners. Our on-going studies have demonstrated that Populus can be grown productively throughout North Carolina, yet individual landowners will need to assess the merit of growing SRWCs on their own land based on their specific site conditions. Potential industrial users of wood feedstocks also need regional assessments of regional-scale potential for sustainable provision of adequate feedstocks before investing in new facilities. We will refine and validate an existing forest productivity model (3-PG model) for SRWCs including poplar, sweetgum, green ash, sycamore, and loblolly pine depending on their productivity performances at our sites. We will also perform plantation-level and regional-scale economic analyses based on the productivity predictions. Data from existing plantations in the coastal plain, piedmont, and mountain regions of North Carolina will be used for model validation.

Title: CAREER: Trajectories of Ecosystem Recovery in Coastal Wetlands under a Changing Climate: Connecting the Dots with Student Research, Citizen Science and Classroom Data

PI: Ardon Sayao, Marcelo

Direct Sponsor Name: National Science Foundation (NSF)

Amount Awarded: $569,807

Abstract: Coastal wetlands provide important ecosystem services, such as flood protection, habitat for wildlife, and water quality improvement. Despite the recognition of their valuable services, local land use and global climate change are driving the loss of coastal wetlands. This project will examine the capacity of North Carolina coastal wetlands to continue to provide ecosystem services under a changing climate. The project will use remote sensing, tree ring analyses, field surveys and experiments, and new statistical methods to examine the response of both forested wetlands and marshes to droughts, storms, and increasing salinity. Past research has tended to focus on either forested wetlands or marshes, rarely has the response of both wetland types been studied together.   This project will adapt recently developed methods to identify “early warning signals” that could help forecast the loss of coastal wetlands. It will advance theoretical understanding of the structure and function of wetlands, while answering management relevant questions to help prevent wetland loss. The project will engage middle school teachers, undergraduate and graduate students, and citizen scientists in long-term ecological research by creating new curricula, field based exercises, a graduate course, and a citizen science mobile device application. The project will support three graduate students, five undergraduate students, and five middle school teachers over five years. The project will also advance the career of a young investigator that is a member of an underrepresented group.

Title: Sowtime: Climate Adaptive Agriculture in the Eastern Gangetic Plains

PI: Gray, Joshua Michael

Direct Sponsor Name: National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)

Amount Awarded: $177,369

Abstract: Agricultural transformations have increased food production five-fold in South Asia, but that progress has not been realized in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EGP), a region spanning India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Meeting future food demand while coping with climate change will require substantial adaptation by EGP farmers.  But we know little about the nature or outcomes of agricultural adaptations by EGP farmers, and even less about future possibilities. Our proposed research will answer the question: What is the adaptive potential of smallholder agriculture in the EGP? Our central hypotheses are: 1) Smallholder farmers have already adapted to a changing climate by planting earlier, adopting faster maturing varieties, and switching crop types. 2) These adaptive practices have mitigated the effect of climate change on crop yields. And, 3) additional transformations will further increase crop yields and resilience but socioeconomic barriers prevent widespread adoption. We will test these hypotheses by combining innovative remote sensing analyses, statistical and biophysical crop yield modeling, in-region field data collection, and causal analyses of fused household survey and remote sensing datasets. We will quantify contemporary cropping patterns and practices, and the extent and spatiotemporal variation of adaptive strategy adoption with remotely sensed assets and available ground and administrative data from regional partners. The effect of future climate change under various scenarios of agricultural adaptation will be quantified using climate projections and yield models. These analyses are integrated with a household survey and choice experiments that will reveal farmer’s attitudes towards climate change, adaptive agricultural practices, and the barriers to further transformation.  Our effort will produce annual cadence, finely resolved maps of crop types, including the characterization of multicropping rotations, the timing and duration of critical crop growth stages, and changes in these variables over the period 2001-present. No existing products map these variables at the scale of individual smallholder fields, and for the time period and temporal cadence necessary to evaluate the adaptive potential of the EGP. We will create these products using a newly developed approach to data fusion capable of assimilating a wide variety of heterogeneous satellite imagery, including newly available high resolution commercial assets. We will use phenology algorithms to extract the timing of growth stages, and emerging approaches to classification that use a Bayesian framework to assimilate existing heterogeneous crop type maps and ancillary data. Statistical and biophysical crop yield models will be fit, driven by historical weather and downscaled climate  projections, and used to quantify the climate mitigating effects of adaptive practices. Our household surveys and analysis of map products will guide the design of realistic future scenarios of agricultural adaptation.   By characterizing and quantifying the adaptive potential of smallholder agriculture in the EGP, our study will support decision makers, regional food and water security, efforts to alleviate rural poverty, and the adoption of feasible climate adaptive strategies. Our project will further develop and apply innovative remote sensing methodologies such as data fusion and classification approaches, and will thus be useful to the broader remote sensing science community. Additionally, because the goals of our project are well-aligned with those of several large initiatives like SARIN, CIMMYT, and GEOGLAM, we expect our results to find a broad audience with the means and impetus to ensure they support on-the-ground change, and ultimately, a more sustainable and resilient food future for the EGP.

Title: Predicting Wildland Fire Behavior and Water Supply in Fire-affected Landscapes

PI: Martin, Katherine Lee

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $195,000

Abstract: Wildland fires produce a range of impacts that can either be beneficial (e.g. controlled burns that favor forest quality), or destructive (damage, loss of life). In both cases, better predictions of fire suppression efficiency are critically needed in view of increased cost of wildland fire suppression, concerns for firefighter safety, and the potential of wildland fire as a land management tool. Simultaneously, there is a lack of knowledge on how fire-affected landscapes influence water supplies used for drinking, agricultural and industry. These topics represent a major research challenge in wildfire science and hydrology, respectively, and are essential in safeguarding environmental sustainability. This work involves two complementary research themes: first, to improve the conceptual understanding of the effects of prescribed burning and forest restoration of longleaf pine ecosystems on hydrologic pathways and the fate of excess water, and gain quantitative knowledge of the impacts of prescribed burning and longleaf pine ecosystem restoration on water supply in the southeastern United States. Second, to (a) gain empirical knowledge of historical wildland fire perimeters, fire suppression operations, topographic features, rivers, weather data, fuel types and properties, and land cover; (b) develop machine learning models to predict where firelines are likely to be successful and where they are likely to be constructed. These models are scalable, meaning they can also accept incomplete data. Based on the discrepancy between these two, derive insights on implicit biases, assumptions and situational factors; and, (3) to provide practical guidelines to support fire planning and fire management and operations.

Title: Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Bald Head Woods Reserve

PI: Forrester, Jodi A.

Direct Sponsor Name: Bald Head Island Conservancy

Amount Awarded: $14,661

Abstract: I will describe the contemporary forest structure and composition of the Bald Head Woods Maritime Forest Preserve. This work will quantify the mortality caused by Hurricane Florence and help to predict the future canopy of the forest. It will build on historical vegetation measurements by adding measurement locations in open canopy conditions created by recent hurricane disturbance. Tree, sapling, shrub and groundlayer vegetation will be measured within permanent established plots. Tree stem locations will be mapped in each plot, which will allow follow up surveys to track the growth and mortality of each individual. Canopy openness, soil moisture, and soil chemistry will be measured. Earlier descriptive studies (Taggart and Long, 2015) indicate a very sparse groundlayer flora, limited by low light availability beneath the closed canopy. Establishing additional measurement locations in these newly opened areas will help to describe the regeneration dynamics of this rare forest community.  We will compile a species list, design a sampling protocol and provide training for the BHIC staff (if requested). Data will be summarized and submitted to BHIC upon completion.

Title: Utilizing the Sub Regional Timber Supply Model (SRTS) to Address Hardwood Utilization and Management Options

PI: Abt, Robert C.

Direct Sponsor Name: Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF)

Amount Awarded: $60,000

Abstract: As demands on our forests increase it is important to have tools available that can help us plan for the sustainable management of the resource. This is especially true with Southern hardwood forests that vary in species and quality, and can take decades to grow compared to softwood. The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) develops forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments with the main model being the Sub- Regional Timber Supply (SRTS) model. This model has been widely used in the South and other forested regions to see how various forest conditions affect future forest resources. The core information for this model is USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) and Timber Products Output (TPO) data. Although this model has been widely used and accepted it’s analysis is mostly limited to generic hardwood and softwood groups and pulpwood and sawtimber size timber in the South. To address future resource concerns with the diverse hardwood forests species we need the ability to do more species specific and quality analyses across the hardwood regions. The goal of this project is to update the STRS model so that species specific, multi-regional scenarios can be developed to model future forest resources. This will be accomplished the following objectives. 1) Working with partners update the current SRTS model to be able to incorporate individual species and attributes across regions, including user guide. 2) Utilize new model to run pilot hardwood scenario(s) and analysis, and create document. 3) Provide hands-on training of new model 4) Through SOFAC provide support to model users and needed updates

Title: Towards Near Real-time  Monitoring of Forest Disturbance and Myanmar Using Multi-source Imagery (Ian McGregor)

PI: Gray, Joshua Michael

Direct Sponsor Name: National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)

Amount Awarded: $45,000

Abstract: As one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss, deforestation is a major issue in Myanmar and has been increasing since the democratization of the country in the 1990s. Though regulations against deforestation are in place, enforcement is often unreliable due to the latency and coarseness of available forest loss data. However, recent advances in remote sensing have made the ability of near real-time (NRT) monitoring possible at smaller scales. Although NRT monitoring methods have become much better in recent years, for the most part they remain methods that create daily deforestation (or “change”) alerts. To our knowledge, the best methods are consistently accurate to deforested areas of 6 ha in size. This is helpful for identifying larger instances of clear-cutting, for example, but small-scale methods are necessary for smaller forested areas that primarily endure selective logging.  I therefore propose to utilize these developments, combined with advanced Bayesian statistical methods and cloud-based high-power computing (e.g. Google Earth Engine), to create a continuously ground-validated, reduced-latency deforestation monitoring system for local forest managers. Given how quickly deforestation can occur at small scales before being noticed with current methods, and the rapidity with which satellite data is available, this research represents a logical step forward by building off existing work such as change detection analyses and Bayesian statistics. Also to our knowledge, this will be the first study to combine satellite data with Bayesian statistical analysis for the purpose of moving toward NRT monitoring. Successful implementation will majorly improve conservation efforts in Myanmar and subsequently forests around the world.

Title: Quantifying Forest Contributions to Landscape Connectivity Under Global Change (Tina Mozelewski)

PI: Scheller, Robert

Direct Sponsor Name: Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI)

Amount Awarded: $28,000

Abstract: The goal of this project is to forecast the trajectory of forests in the Piedmont and Sandhills ecoregions of North Carolina under high and low climate and land use change and to quantify how these forests, especially restored longleaf pine and managed production forests, contribute to landscape connectivity. This research is crucial to understanding forest contributions to connectivity under global change and to prioritize and incentivize forest restoration and sustainable forest management to promote biodiversity.

Title: Integrated Multisector, Multiscale Modeling (IM3) Science Focus Area, Phase 2

PI: Kern, Jordan

Direct Sponsor Name: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Amount Awarded: $28,050

Abstract: The overarching goal of the proposed research tasks for the NCSU team in Phase 2 of IM3 is to help develop new, open source operational models of the U.S. bulk electric power system, one for each of the three regional interconnections: the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC); the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT); and the Eastern Interconnection (EIC). These models will then be used by NCSU and other members of the IM3 team to address the impacts of weather and water dynamics in the simulation of grid operations in Experiment Groups B and D as described in the IM3 Phase 2 proposal

Title: LSU Superfund Research Center – Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals

PI: Bryant, Jennifer Richmond

Direct Sponsor Name: Louisiana State University

Amount Awarded: $30,678

Abstract: Data indicate a disproportionate COVID-19 impact on Black residents of Louisiana. As of April 26, 2020, the United States (U.S.) has more confirmed coronavirus cases per capita than any other country, and Louisiana has the third highest rates of COVID-19 cases and the second highest deaths per capita in the country. Of 1,644 reported Louisiana deaths to date, 56% are of Black race. Louisiana’s industrial corridor (IC), an area along the Mississippi River densely populated with petrochemical factories, is home to 44% of Black residents and 30% of residents living below the poverty line in the state. The IC is responsible for 64% of statewide TRI emissions for 2018. The IC includes the parishes of West and East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, Jefferson, Orleans, and Plaquemines. Together, these parishes comprise 67% of Louisiana’s COVID-19 cases and 68% of Louisiana’s COVID-19 deaths. Our hypothesis is that elevated COVID-19 death rates among Black IC residents is associated with long-term exposure to HAPs emissions and distrust in the information about the disease received from government and media sources. Our study of racial disparities in COVID-19 mortality risk will use a mixed methods approach integrating epidemiologic and ethnographic analysis to determine impacts of HAPs exposure on COVID-19 outcomes: 1) We will examine the associations between COVID-19 case and death rates with industrial emissions of HAPs by race and concentrated disadvantage; 2) We will explore the experiences of IC residents to understand how long-standing HAPs exposures and concentrated disadvantage may undermine public trust to influence COVID-19 outcomes. Insights from this study will be synthesized into policy recommendations designed to understand special health risks stemming from long-term HAPs exposure and promote trust in information distributed by credible sources among IC residents during subsequent waves of COVID-19. All findings will be communicated to the public, with special attention to residents of the IC, and we will share our protocols with state health and environmental officials to improve health assessments for IC residents.

Title: Capacity Building Phase XI: Increasing the Pool for the Development of a Multicultural Workforce and Connection to Underserved Communities Across the US

PI: Nelson, Stacy A.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $50,000

Abstract: This project builds upon and expands the Forest Services Partnership Outreach and Capacity Building, and the Multicultural Workforce Strategic Initiative Programs, and is an initiative that represents an opportunity for substantial collaboration between Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI), the 1862 land grant institutions, the Puerto Rico Commonwealth environmental and educational agencies, and the public served by the consortium/partnership.

Title: Plant Pest Pathway Characterization with Pandemic Approach

PI: Meentemeyer, Ross Kendall

Direct Sponsor Name: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – USDA

Amount Awarded: $230,817

Abstract: Non-native pests cause economic and ecological damage to managed and natural U.S. forests and agricultural landscapes. Many insects and diseases are currently under regulatory control in an effort to prevent and manage outbreaks. It is difficult to control and minimize the damage once a non-native pest is established. In order to prevent new pest introductions to the United States, new approaches to evaluate pathways are needed. The conventional pathway analyses consist with determining how a particular pest can be introduced to the United States from the pest occurring countries. We only focus on the pathways from the countries that the pest is currently occurring. Recent globalization has changed the patterns of trades, air traveler trends, and technology improvement. US trade has expanded nearly 200-fold since 1950. Number of air travelers are increasing approximately 30 million each year since 1994. Inbound travelers into the United States has being increased at 2.7 million annual rate since 2003. Therefore, plant pests occurring only in Asia may not be introduced to Asian countries any more. The emergence of a trade-centered economy in China has impacted the global trading landscape. Not surprisingly, complex new trade dynamics have also driven the worldwide spread of invasive Asian species.

Title: Tangible Landscape Framework

PI: Meentemeyer, Ross Kendall

Direct Sponsor Name: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – USDA

Amount Awarded: $300,000

Abstract: The PoPS forecasting and control system will harness data and insight as it becomes available from field operations to quickly integrate changing conditions allowing PPQ to quantify the efficacy and uncertainty of containment and eradication strategies in near real-time. Our team and PPQ will work closely together in a participatory modeling framework to quickly integrate new modeling and user-interface capabilities into the system based on changing policy, regulatory, and environmental conditions and provide PPQ with an open source tool to collaboratively explore scenarios with other stakeholders.

Title: Training Teachers to Empower Students through Water Quality Action (Lauren Gibson)

PI: Stevenson, Kathryn

Direct Sponsor Name: North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)

Amount Awarded: $9,000

Abstract: This project will train 20 high school environmental science teachers from across North Carolina to implement a water quality curriculum that teaches students about issues surrounding water quality and empowers them to engage the community in action to address those issues. In the short term, the project seeks to increase teacher capacity for incorporating student-led, project-based environmental education in the classroom. In the long term, the project works toward increased youth empowerment with regard to the environment. This curriculum pushes students to engage with water quality as scientists, carrying out water quality citizen science projects. At the end of this curriculum, students are also expected to work in partnership with their teacher to design and carry out an outreach project to engage their community on issues of water quality. Central to this project is the concept of the youth-adult partnership, a power sharing between students and their teacher that allows for both youth voice in decision-making and adult mentorship. These partnerships are shown to increase students feelings of empowerment, connection to community, and engagement with the curriculum material. They have also been shown to improve adults views on the power of young people, giving them a stronger commitment to incorporating youth voice into their future initiatives. By carrying out this water quality curriculum and its associated outreach project, then, both students and teachers will work to be able to contribute to youth empowerment efforts moving forward. This project is the first step of a multi-year project to measure the impact that environmentally-literate young people can have on their broader community’s environmental literacy, particularly when they design and lead community-based, community-engaged environmental projects. We hope to find that this curriculum can spur community-level literacy on water quality as well as community support for environmental action.

Title: Translating and Disseminating Findings from RWJF’s Physical Activity Research

PI: Hipp, James A.

Direct Sponsor Name: Baylor University

Amount Awarded: $36,000

Abstract: Drs. Hipp and Floyd, graduate students Alberico and Huang, and their community partners will contribute to the following dissemination activities of PARC3 and PARC.

Title: Assessing the Transferability of a Historic Resources Decision Support Model for Optimized Budget Allocation and Adaptation Planning

PI: Seekamp, Erin Lynn

Direct Sponsor Name: US National Park Service

Amount Awarded: $377,894

Abstract: This research project is a collaborative study with the National Park Service to communicate and expand decision guidance for budget optimization and adaptation planning. The study will expand a decision support framework for cultural resource adaptation to archaeological sites and test the framework for making prioritization decisions at a minimum of one National Park Service site with vulnerable cultural resources.

Title: CAREER: Biochar Systems for Sustainable Applications in the Food-Energy-Water Nexus

PI: Yao, Yuan

Direct Sponsor Name: National Science Foundation (NSF)

Amount Awarded: $161

Abstract: Biochar is a carbon-rich byproduct of thermochemical biomass conversions, and is closely linked to the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus through its potential applications in wastewater treatment, agriculture management, and bioenergy, as well as indirect benefit in mitigating climate change. Although biochar has a potential to transform existing FEW nexus into more efficient and sustainable systems, it has not been widely implemented due to the lack of understandings in technical performance, economic feasibility, environmental impacts, and social implications of different combinations of biomass species, conversion technologies, and biochar applications. Such understanding is very hard to be obtained using traditional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) or Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) approaches due to intensive needs of process data and methodological limitations in integrating temporal, spatial, and socioeconomic dimensions. This project aims to address the knowledge gaps and methodological challenges by (1) using machine learning approaches to simulate and predict technical performance and life cycle inventory (LCI) of various combinations of biomass species, conversion technologies, process design, operational conditions, and applications of biochar; (2) building an integrated framework that seamlessly incorporate predictive LCA, TEA, Geographic Information System (GIS), and dynamic modeling to evaluate the environmental, economic, and social implications of biochar systems; (3) demonstrating the framework through real-world case studies in different geographic, temporal, and socioeconomic context.

Title: Southern Fire Exchange Refunding Proposal: Putting Fire Science on the Ground

PI: Roise, Joseph P.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $76,755

Abstract: Throughout the last two years, the Southern Fire Exchange (SFE) has continued to build on the strong foundation of activities that we began implementing in 2010 to unite fire science and natural resource management in the Southeastern US. By focusing on interactive learning opportunities, such as field tours and workshops, we also made strides toward helping fire managers incorporate science into their decision making and management activities. SFE activities have been evaluated using several tools, including participant questionnaires after SFE events; discussion and feedback with Advisory Board (AB) members, the Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) Fire Chiefs, and other key leaders; the national online survey; and webmetric data from the SFE website. The following summary brings together evaluation results from FY2013 to January 2020 to provide an overview of our activities, progress toward meeting outcomes, and challenges and lessons learned along the way.

Title: CNH2-l: The Coupled, Co-Evolving Roles of Drought and Electricity Systems in Humans’ Exposure to Air Pollution

PI: Kern, Jordan

Direct Sponsor Name: UNC – UNC Chapel Hill

Amount Awarded: $112,322

Abstract: This project will develop an improved understanding of the coupled dynamics among the natural processes that underpin drought and poor air quality, the human systems that manage water resources and electricity supply, and localized human exposure to fine particulate matter and ozone pollution, all under the influence of two anthropogenic drivers: technology adoption and climate change.

Title: Research and Development in Geographic Information Systems for the National Park Service, Interior Region One

PI: Meentemeyer, Ross Kendall

Direct Sponsor Name: US National Park Service

Amount Awarded: $106,920

Abstract: The scope of work under this agreement will consist of three major functions: 1) GIS research, development and technical support for parks and programs of the Northeast Region of the NPS, 2) assistance with strategic and tactical planning for GIS implementation and 3) operational testing and deployment help with Enterprise GIS initiatives and designs. The Center for Geospatial Analytics at North Carolina State University has worked with the Northeast Region of the NPS for over 20 years in the development of GIS for park management. This activity has led to major advances in the planning and application of GIS technology in the NPS and has placed the Northeast Region among the leaders within the NPS in this regard.

Title: FLOODWISE – Connecting Water Quality and Flood Reduction for Farms and Communities in Eastern North Carolina

PI: Cubbage, Frederick W.

Direct Sponsor Name: NC Department of Justice (NCDOJ)

Amount Awarded: $200,000

Abstract: North Carolina has developed an innovative and successful environmental enhancement program over the last two decades based on measures to improve water quality throughout the state. In addition to continued water quality issues, the state is increasingly beset with vast problems of flooding and excess water quantities during major storm events. This project will focus on assessing means to use the existing practices and projects that have been employed by the North Carolina Environmental Enhancement Grant Program (EEG) and other state and federal conservation agencies and grants organizations can be used to provide co-benefits of water quantity and flood reduction or amelioration. Lead Partners for this project include NC State University’s College of Natural Resources (CNR) and College of Design (CoD), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and the NC Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation (S&W). The Project Partners will assess green infrastructure and natural resource mitigation solutions to determine if they can provide valuable co-benefits of flood reduction and disaster resilience, and cooperate with government and nongovernment organizations, agricultural producers, and community stakeholders to design and implement FloodWise programs. FloodWise will help develop programs for farms and agricultural communities in Eastern North Carolina (ENC), including Farm Demonstrations of best management practices for water quality and flood mitigation.

Title: Forest Health Monitoring, Analysis, and Assessment

PI: Conkling, Barbara L.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $293,512

Abstract: The Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) Program is a long term, national monitoring and research effort focusing on forest ecosystems. This interagency program is designed to assist resource managers and policy makers in managing forest resources in the United States, allocating funds for research and development, and evaluating the effectiveness of environmental policies. FHM national reporting efforts include an annual technical report that presents analysis and synthesis of technical information at national and multi-state levels as well as other publications that provide information about national forest health conditions and management priorities. Through the work in this agreement, the principal investigators and other research personnel will provide the Forest Health Monitoring Research Team of the USFS Southern Research Station’s Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center (EFETAC) with data analyses, natural resource assessments, and technical writing skills in support of the national Forest Health Monitoring Program’s annual forest health status and trends report, and other research, analysis, and reporting tasks. The principal investigators and other personnel will also provide support to the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program in documentation development and updates for field procedures and the FIA public database.

Title: Tahoe Central-Sierra Initiative Restoration Assessment – Forest Restoration Simulation Modeling Project

PI: Scheller, Robert

Direct Sponsor Name: The Nature Conservancy

Amount Awarded: $99,729

Abstract: This program of work is focused on completing the simulation models for each alternative scenario developed with the broader TCSI science and management team. This project will apply the LANDIS-II forest simulation modeling platform and build upon ongoing efforts to utilize landscape-scale modeling to investigate restoration strategies within the forests of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Title: LSU Superfund Research Center – Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals

PI: Bryant, Jennifer Richmond

Direct Sponsor Name: Louisiana State University

Amount Awarded: $149,500

Abstract: This study addresses questions related to human exposure to environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs), a recently discovered class of pollutant species found at Superfund sites and formed during certain thermal treatment processes. It is unclear how long EPFRs persist when compared with other components of particulate matter (PM), and this research will provide information about the extent and duration of exposures nearby thermal treatment processes. This research will also provide information about exposure to EPFRs in homes and how concentrations of EPFRs correlate with noise and other co-stressors.

Title: INFEWS/T2: The Sustainability-Productivity Tradeoff: Water Supply Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Opportunities in California’s Coupled Agricultural and Energy Sectors

PI: Kern, Jordan

Direct Sponsor Name: UNC – UNC Chapel Hill

Amount Awarded: $97,834

Abstract: The electrical grid in California is changing quickly, driven primarily by aggressive state supported targets that aim to produce 50% of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030, with this percentage likely to increase even more by 2050. This will entail substantial changes to the state’s current generating portfolio, which relies predominately on a combination of natural gas and hydropower. Today, when drought impacts California, the state experiences a significant decrease in hydropower production. Utilities are forced to replace this lost hydropower with more expensive generation from natural gas plants, which increases the wholesale price of electricity. In this project, Dr. Kern will model the operations of California’s power system, including its interactions with important import markets in the Pacific Northwest and Southwest, under a wide range of future scenarios, while tracking system behavior and wholesale and retail price dynamics. The operations of California’s grid will be simulated using a multi-area Unit Commitment/Economic Dispatch (UC/ED) model that captures power flows among the major California utilities and neighboring systems. This class of model is used by electric power utilities and researchers alike, to schedule generation in networks of power plants and study the behavior of power systems under different market, policy and environmental conditions.

Title: An Assessment of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Criteria and Indicators: Enhancing Information for Criterion 7; Legal, Institutional, and Economic Indicators

PI: Cubbage, Frederick W.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $67,000

Abstract: This research will continue to perform U.S. assessments of the Montreal Process for Sustainable Forest Management Criteria and Indicators (SFM C&I) for Criterion 7, the development of the legal, institutional, and economic framework for forest conservation and sustainable management. This supplement will focus on: ‘Examining Partnerships and Participation in Collaborative Forest Management Approaches in the United States.’ We will review the administrative and forest-specific policies and laws that prescribe or promote participatory and/or collaborative measures on forest management across public and private lands, including recent additions, shifts, or changes in policy, law, and related programs. Research and compare the range of collaborations and partnerships on forest management across public, private, and civil society sectors. Specific aspects examined and compared across approaches will include levels of financial, technical, and human resources; public participation; political commitment; and public support. How decision-making processes and authority vary across different partnerships and other collaborative arrangements also will be examined and reported.

Title: NC Sentinel Landscape Resource Programming

PI: Bardon, Robert E.

Direct Sponsor Name: Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit – Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast

Amount Awarded: $354,000

Abstract: This proposal allows for the North Carolina Sentinel Landscape Program Partnership (SLPP) to continue its effort to ensure that readiness, training viability, cost-effective policies, and the US Marine Corps mission are facilitated through sustained use of working lands and natural resources. The SLPP have been working for more than six years, providing for the programmatic institutionalization and enhancement of compatible natural resource use in support of military readiness and at the same time enhancing the maintenance and improvement of natural resources, including agriculture and forestry lands (i.e., working lands). The SLPP continues to collaborate on a forward-looking, proactive program to sustain the landscape needed for a healthy economy, a healthy environment, a healthy military, and healthy communities in eastern North Carolina and beyond. The SLPP works in the public interest to advance national defense, conservation and working lands in North Carolina simultaneously to ensure that development or use of land, water, and/or air resources remains compatible with military missions. With around 90% of the land in North Carolina privately owned, the SLPP realizes that they cannot succeed unless it offers options and incentives that link the interests of the rural, private landowner with the national defense mission and conservation goals. The Partnership understands that landowners need and deserve to have additional economic opportunities for the good they do to advance society’s long-term well-being by supporting national defense and conservation.

Title: Alternative Management Options for Destruction of ALB Infested Trees in SC

PI: Oten, Kelly Lynn Felderhoff

Direct Sponsor Name: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – USDA

Amount Awarded: $71,343

Abstract: The purpose of this project is to determine a more efficient way to manage ALB in forested stands. In May 2020, ALB was detected in South Carolina for the first time. The previous southern-most detection was in southwestern Ohio. Previous ALB infestations in the northeastern and midwestern U.S. occurred where ease of accessibility or weather allowed the option of cutting, removing, and chipping ALB host trees. However, the South Carolina detection occurred in both urban and rural river and palustrine forested wetlands that are challenging to access with traditional tree removal equipment. In more northern infestations, wet areas froze during the winter, and equipment could access infested trees during this time. The current infestation in South Carolina occurs in areas that remain wet and inaccessible to tree-removal machines without incurring significant damage to the native ecosystem.

Title: Genome Editing for Superior Christmas Trees

PI: Wang, Jack

Direct Sponsor Name: NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

Amount Awarded: $145,728

Abstract: This project will be a collaboration between the Forest Biotechnology Group and the Christmas Tree Genetics Program in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University. Our goal is to develop novel CRISPR-based genome editing technology that would accelerate the genetic improvement of Fraser fir. The proposed technology would enable the rapid production of new variants of Christmas trees edited for traits of ecological and economic values such as disease tolerance and post-harvest quality. Fraser fir is one of North Carolina’s most important specialty crops. Developing novel genomic tools and genome editing technology for Fraser fir will have a transformative impact on the North Carolina Christmas tree industry. This project builds on our recently established somatic embryogenic system and cell transfection method for Fraser fir (funded by SCBGP in 2018), which lay the foundation for optimizing efficient and robust CRISPR-Cas9 delivery and regeneration of enhanced Fraser fir from genome-edited somatic embryos. We propose three major objectives in this proposal: (1) Optimize the delivery of CRISPR-SpCas9 in Fraser fir somatic embryogenic protoplasts: we will test several experimental parameters to maximize transfection efficiency; (2) Regenerate and maturate CRISPR-SpCas9 edited protoplasts into Fraser fir plantlets: we will optimize an integrated protocol for regeneration and maturation of CRISPR-edited protoplasts originated from Fraser fir SE; (3) Validation of target gene editing in regenerated Fraser fir plantlets: we will genotype CRISPR-driven editing events in the regenerated fir plantlets. Subsequent to the funding period, the transgene-free CRISPR-based SE system will be used to edit superior clonal seedlings for Christmas tree field trials in the North Carolina Mountains.

Title: Development of Near Real-Time Land Surface Phenology Product by Fusing Geostationary Satellite and VIIRS Observations in Support of Agriculture and Land Management

PI: Gray, Joshua Michael

Direct Sponsor Name: South Dakota State University

Amount Awarded: $8,098

Abstract: This proposal responds to ROSES 2019 A.33 (Earth Science Research from Operational Geostationary Satellite Systems), focusing on the development of high-spatial-and-temporal environmental data products from geostationary satellite observations. Specifically, we propose to develop and implement an operational near real-time land surface phenology (NRT-LSP) product in support of agriculture and forest management. The NRT-LSP product has the capability of providing near real-time monitoring and short-term prediction of vegetation phenology development. In this proposal, near real-time monitoring is referred to as the detection of phenological events occurring before the date of latest available satellite observation, and short-term prediction as the estimation of phenological events within next 10 days (10 days ahead) during a vegetation growing season. This product will be implemented at 500 m pixels, biweekly, and with a latency less than one week. LSP reflects an interaction between plant’s life-cycle events and environmental variables and is one of the simplest and most effective indicators of environmental change. Documenting LSP change supports efforts to reconstruct the historical environmental data record and to make predictions about biological responses to future environmental scenarios. To date, various LSP products have been produced annually and with latency greater than a year using polar-orbiting satellite datasets including AVHRR, MODIS, and VIIRS during the past several decades. Because of frequent cloud contaminations, it is infeasible to utilize these same techniques to detect LPS in near real time, or to forecast near-term phenological development at regional or global scales. Existing LSP data have been invaluable for retrospective analyses, but there would be great social, cultural, and economic value in a reduced latency LSP product. Such an NRT-LSP product would be particularly important in assisting farmers and agricultural agencies for predicting the optimum timing of cultivation practices, monitoring crop growth, and estimating crop yield; foresters for detecting disturbances related to forest pests, disease outbreaks, and species invasion; weather modelers for estimating surface energy balance in the numerical weather prediction models; and tourists for seeing spring wildflowers and fall foliage colors. Indeed, there is an urgent and substantial need to produce a near real-time LSP product. The high frequency of diurnal observations from geostationary satellites (GOES-16/17, Himawari-8/9, GEO-KOMPSAT-2A, and the upcoming EUMETSAT Meteosat Third Generation) maximizes the number of cloud-free views for creating a daily cloud-free trajectory of vegetation greenness. This offers a unique opportunity to generate an NRT-LSP product for quantifying the timing of key phenological transitions and vegetation growth conditions. This proposal describes a project that will operationally produce an NRT-LSP product at 500 m spatial resolution, with a biweekly update over the ABI full disk (North American and South America). The specific goals of this project are: 

• Establish climatological greenness trajectories from historical MODIS satellite data 
• Calculate daily angularly-corrected vegetation greenness from diurnal ABI observations 
• Generate synthetic time series of daily vegetation greenness by fusing ABI and VIIRS data to improve spatiotemporal resolution 
• Simulate potential trajectories of LSP development from available ABI-VIIRS synthetic time series and MODIS climatological vegetation greenness trajectories 
• Produce phenometrics (phenological timing and greenness magnitude) during a vegetation growing season in near real time and 10 days ahead  
• Validate the proposed phenometrics using in-situ and Phenocam observations 
• Evaluate the the NRT-LSP for monitoring crop and forest growth and invasive species

Title: NC FY20 EAB Phenology

PI: Oten, Kelly Lynn Felderhoff

Direct Sponsor Name: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – USDA

Amount Awarded: $52,319

Abstract: Ash (Fraxinus) tree species in North America face a significant threat from the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis, EAB), an exotic beetle native to Asia that was first detected in 2002 infesting urban forests surrounding Detroit, MI. Since its accidental introduction, this invasive pest has spread to 35 states, the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Manitoba, and killed hundreds of millions of ash trees. The first detections of EAB in North Carolina occurred in 2013 in Granville, Person, Vance, and Warren counties, and it has since spread to a number of additional counties throughout the mountains, Piedmont, and upper coastal plain where it threatens to extirpate all four ash species native to the state. Of particular concern is the loss of green ash (F. pennsylvanica) which is planted widely as a shade tree in urban and suburban areas and is an important timber species in the state. It is valued for both wood products and biomass production and is considered a premier species for dual wastewater treatment and bioenergy production systems. Classical biological control, the importation and release of natural enemies from a pest’s native range, is one of the primary management strategies currently utilized to combat the EAB infestation in North America. Three parasitoid species from Asia are currently released, one that targets EAB eggs and two that target EAB larvae. The larval parasitoids target specific EAB larval stages, so the proper timing of releases to coincide with appropriate larval stages is critical. Current EAB phenology is based on field studies conducted in Michigan and other nearby Midwestern states; these data are currently being utilized to time parasitoid releases throughout the infested range. However, EAB larval parasitoids have failed to establish south of the 40th parallel which suggests a phenological mismatch between the timing of parasitoid release and the presence of appropriate EAB life stages in the southern United States. This mismatch is supported the NC Forest Service and NCDA&CS field data that indicates EAB overwinters as larvae in central North Carolina while most studies in the north report EAB overwintering as prepupae. Data are lacking for the year-round phenological progression of EAB life stages in central North Carolina in order to understand the best time to release parasitoids and maximize their chance of establishment.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership, Large forestland owner/manager level

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: PotlatchDeltic Corporation

Amount Awarded: $30,000

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: New-Indy Containerboard, LLC.

Amount Awarded: $24,000

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Evaluation of the Lowcountry Sustainable Forestry African American Land Retention Program

PI: Rivers, Louie

Direct Sponsor Name: Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation

Amount Awarded: $34,000

Abstract: To conduct an evaluation of the Lowcountry Sustainable Forestry African American Land Retention Program, partially funded by the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), to document the effectiveness of the program and the network that has been created to deliver services.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership, Large forest products firm Level

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Green Diamond Resource Company

Amount Awarded: $46,000

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: CRISPR-Based Genome Editing in Christmas Trees

PI: Wang, Jack

Direct Sponsor Name: NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

Amount Awarded: $129,558

Abstract: The project aims to develop CRISPR-based genome editing using somatic embryogenesis (SE) to enable the strategic engineering of superior clonal Fraser fir Christmas trees. Fraser fir is one of North Carolina’s most important specialty crops. Developing novel genomic tools and genome editing technologies for Fraser fir will have a transformative impact on the North Carolina Christmas tree industry. We propose four major objectives to develop the CRISPR-based SE system: (1) Streamline SE platform: we will improve the final steps of the Fraser fir SE process to establish a complete platform from cryostorage to whole tree regeneration; (2) Identify superior SE clonal lines: we will produce 30 independent Fraser fir clonal lines and select the top three lines for genome editing; (3) Assemble CRISPR-ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes: we will assemble and test the mutagenic function of up to ten CRISPR-RNP complexes in vitro for Fraser fir genome editing; (4) In vivo validation of CRISPR-based genome editing: We will deliver the CRISPR-RNP complexes into Fraser fir protoplasts and embryogenic cell masses for transgene-free genome editing. Subsequent to the funding period, the CRISPR-based SE system will be used for engineering superior clonal seedlings for field trials in the North Carolina Mountains.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership, Large Forest products firm level

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Canfor

Amount Awarded: $46,000

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Weyerhaeuser NR Company (subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser)

Amount Awarded: $48,000

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: WestRock CP, LLC

Amount Awarded: $48,000

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Membership in Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC)

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Forest Investment Associates (FIA)

Amount Awarded: $48,000

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Municipal Wastewater Application to Forests: Participatory Science to Understand Human Exposure and Risks to Contaminants of Concern.

PI: Nichols, Elizabeth Guthrie

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) – National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Amount Awarded: $484,990

Abstract: Proposed work will engage eastern North Carolina governance and stakeholders to understand community perceptions and values of human health exposure and risks to alternative uses of primary-treated municipal wastewater for agricultural purposes. Collaboration with local governance will establish a participatory leadership group (PLG) to develop with NC State and US EPA researchers an evaluation of contaminants of concern for a 6,000 acre municipal wastewater land application site system (LAS). Researchers and the PLG will also establish a community involvement group (CIG) to better understand community values and perceptions of wastewater re-use in order to better translate and communicate science to stakeholders and the public. Characterization will include wastewater, surface waters, groundwaters, and soil water analyses for potential contaminants of concern and hydrological assessment of wastewater residence time in targeted catchments and sub-watersheds within and surrounding the LAS. Activities will include water quality data integration from stakeholders in the PLG and workshops with the CIG on community perceptions and values.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership, Forestry Consulting Firm level

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Forisk Consulting

Amount Awarded: $19,500

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Membership in Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC), Forestry Association level.

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Southern Group of State Foresters

Amount Awarded: $31,000

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Membership in Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC)

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Forest Economic Advisors (FEA)

Amount Awarded: $18,000

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership, Large forest products firm level

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Enviva, LP

Amount Awarded: $82,000

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership, Forestry consulting firm level

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Forest2Market, Inc.

Amount Awarded: $23,500

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Membership in Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC), Forestry association level

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: National Council for Air & Stream Improvement, Inc.

Amount Awarded: $47,000

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Membership in Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC), Forestry Consulting Firm level

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: ArborGen, Inc.

Amount Awarded: $31,500

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: SOFAC Administrative Account

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC)

Amount Awarded: $136,512

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Energy, Biomass and Carbon Project, SOFAC Core research project

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC)

Amount Awarded: $1,070,327

Abstract: The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U.S., and the World. SOFAC will integrate currently available forest resource data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and economic theory to model timber supply and demand in the South by local area. SOFAC economic models will allow use of exogenous or endogenous inputs about supply, demand, land use change, and landowner behavior in the analysis of timber and forest land markets and management. SOFAC modelers and members will be able to use the SOFAC suite of models and research to simultaneously project timber inventory, supply, and prices for a variety of regions and a variety of timber products across the South, the U.S., and the World. SOFAC will foster discussion among modelers and members about the appropriate inputs and assumptions in forest projection models and employ these in building timber supply models and timber supply scenarios that represent likely conditions. SOFAC will continue cooperative university-industry-public agency cooperation in southern and national forest sector economic modeling. SOFAC will enhance graduate instruction in forest economics and modeling in the South.

Title: Wood Production Costs And International Models, SOFAC Core Research Project

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC)

Amount Awarded: $349,575

Abstract: Develop estimates of U.S. and international wood production costs and identify means to link southern modeling efforts to national and international models.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: American Forest Management

Amount Awarded: $30,000

Abstract: Whereas, the parties of this Agreement intend to join together in a cooperative effort to support a SOUTHERN FOREST RESOURCE ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM (hereinafter called ‘CONSORTIUM’) at the University that will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U. S. and the world; foster interactions between industry and university researchers; and facilitate further research cooperation between the parties. SOFAC will build timber supply models based on prior efforts by the modelers at NC State University and cooperators at the USDA Forest Service, Research Triangle Institute, and University of Georgia. SOFAC will enhance existing multiple products timber supply modeling that has been developed by NC State modelers in the Multiple Product Subregional Timber Supply (MP SRTS) model. SOFAC will integrate and update endogenous land use change and reforestation decision components in the ongoing MP SRTS framework. SOFAC will develop new statistical methods and programs to use the annual FIA SAFIS data, which will form the basis for timber inventory status and projections in the United States. SOFAC will maintain data on comparative investment returns to plantation and natural forests in the Americas, and integrate these results into estimates of impacts on trade and forest plantations throughout the Americas. SOFAC will meet annually with industrial and public members and with scientific cooperators to discuss model enhancements and appropriate assumptions for use in modeling each year. SOFAC will discuss current issues and applications for the economic models each year, and the members will select appropriate applications each year. SOFAC will report in the research program each year, and publish periodic public reports stemming from its analyses and modeling. SOFAC will provide funds for graduate research assistantships and train graduate students in forest economics, who can then work for private firms or public agencies in timber supply and forest economics analyses.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Georgia-Pacific WFS LLS formerly Georgia-Pacific Containerboard, LLC

Amount Awarded: $120,000

Abstract: Whereas, the parties of this Agreement intend to join together in a cooperative effort to support a SOUTHERN FOREST RESOURCE ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM (hereinafter called ‘CONSORTIUM’) at the University that will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U. S. and the world; foster interactions between industry and university researchers; and facilitate further research cooperation between the parties. SOFAC will build timber supply models based on prior efforts by the modelers at NC State University and cooperators at the USDA Forest Service, Research Triangle Institute, and University of Georgia. SOFAC will enhance existing multiple products timber supply modeling that has been developed by NC State modelers in the Multiple Product Subregional Timber Supply (MP SRTS) model. SOFAC will integrate and update endogenous land use change and reforestation decision components in the ongoing MP SRTS framework. SOFAC will develop new statistical methods and programs to use the annual FIA SAFIS data, which will form the basis for timber inventory status and projections in the United States. SOFAC will maintain data on comparative investment returns to plantation and natural forests in the Americas, and integrate these results into estimates of impacts on trade and forest plantations throughout the Americas. SOFAC will meet annually with industrial and public members and with scientific cooperators to discuss model enhancements and appropriate assumptions for use in modeling each year. SOFAC will discuss current issues and applications for the economic models each year, and the members will select appropriate applications each year. SOFAC will report in the research program each year, and publish periodic public reports stemming from its analyses and modeling. SOFAC will provide funds for graduate research assistantships and train graduate students in forest economics, who can then work for private firms or public agencies in timber supply and forest economics analyses.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: American Forest & Paper Association

Amount Awarded: $60,000

Abstract: Whereas, the parties of this Agreement intend to join together in a cooperative effort to support a SOUTHERN FOREST RESOURCE ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM (hereinafter called ‘CONSORTIUM’) at the University that will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U. S. and the world; foster interactions between industry and university researchers; and facilitate further research cooperation between the parties. SOFAC will build timber supply models based on prior efforts by the modelers at NC State University and cooperators at the USDA Forest Service, Research Triangle Institute, and University of Georgia. SOFAC will enhance existing multiple products timber supply modeling that has been developed by NC State modelers in the Multiple Product Subregional Timber Supply (MP SRTS) model. SOFAC will integrate and update endogenous land use change and reforestation decision components in the ongoing MP SRTS framework. SOFAC will develop new statistical methods and programs to use the annual FIA SAFIS data, which will form the basis for timber inventory status and projections in the United States. SOFAC will maintain data on comparative investment returns to plantation and natural forests in the Americas, and integrate these results into estimates of impacts on trade and forest plantations throughout the Americas. SOFAC will meet annually with industrial and public members and with scientific cooperators to discuss model enhancements and appropriate assumptions for use in modeling each year. SOFAC will discuss current issues and applications for the economic models each year, and the members will select appropriate applications each year. SOFAC will report in the research program each year, and publish periodic public reports stemming from its analyses and modeling. SOFAC will provide funds for graduate research assistantships and train graduate students in forest economics, who can then work for private firms or public agencies in timber supply and forest economics analyses.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: International Paper Co.

Amount Awarded: $120,000

Abstract: Whereas, the parties of this Agreement intend to join together in a cooperative effort to support a SOUTHERN FOREST RESOURCE ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM (hereinafter called ‘CONSORTIUM’) at the University that will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U. S. and the world; foster interactions between industry and university researchers; and facilitate further research cooperation between the parties. SOFAC will build timber supply models based on prior efforts by the modelers at NC State University and cooperators at the USDA Forest Service, Research Triangle Institute, and University of Georgia. SOFAC will enhance existing multiple products timber supply modeling that has been developed by NC State modelers in the Multiple Product Subregional Timber Supply (MP SRTS) model. SOFAC will integrate and update endogenous land use change and reforestation decision components in the ongoing MP SRTS framework. SOFAC will develop new statistical methods and programs to use the annual FIA SAFIS data, which will form the basis for timber inventory status and projections in the United States. SOFAC will maintain data on comparative investment returns to plantation and natural forests in the Americas, and integrate these results into estimates of impacts on trade and forest plantations throughout the Americas. SOFAC will meet annually with industrial and public members and with scientific cooperators to discuss model enhancements and appropriate assumptions for use in modeling each year. SOFAC will discuss current issues and applications for the economic models each year, and the members will select appropriate applications each year. SOFAC will report in the research program each year, and publish periodic public reports stemming from its analyses and modeling. SOFAC will provide funds for graduate research assistantships and train graduate students in forest economics, who can then work for private firms or public agencies in timber supply and forest economics analyses.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Rayonier Operating Company, LLC formerly Rayonier

Amount Awarded: $120,000

Abstract: Whereas, the parties of this Agreement intend to join together in a cooperative effort to support a SOUTHERN FOREST RESOURCE ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM (hereinafter called ‘CONSORTIUM’) at the University that will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U. S. and the world; foster interactions between industry and university researchers; and facilitate further research cooperation between the parties. SOFAC will build timber supply models based on prior efforts by the modelers at NC State University and cooperators at the USDA Forest Service, Research Triangle Institute, and University of Georgia. SOFAC will enhance existing multiple products timber supply modeling that has been developed by NC State modelers in the Multiple Product Subregional Timber Supply (MP SRTS) model. SOFAC will integrate and update endogenous land use change and reforestation decision components in the ongoing MP SRTS framework. SOFAC will develop new statistical methods and programs to use the annual FIA SAFIS data, which will form the basis for timber inventory status and projections in the United States. SOFAC will maintain data on comparative investment returns to plantation and natural forests in the Americas, and integrate these results into estimates of impacts on trade and forest plantations throughout the Americas. SOFAC will meet annually with industrial and public members and with scientific cooperators to discuss model enhancements and appropriate assumptions for use in modeling each year. SOFAC will discuss current issues and applications for the economic models each year, and the members will select appropriate applications each year. SOFAC will report in the research program each year, and publish periodic public reports stemming from its analyses and modeling. SOFAC will provide funds for graduate research assistantships and train graduate students in forest economics, who can then work for private firms or public agencies in timber supply and forest economics analyses.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Hancock Timber Resource Group

Amount Awarded: $120,000

Abstract: Whereas, the parties of this Agreement intend to join together in a cooperative effort to support a SOUTHERN FOREST RESOURCE ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM (hereinafter called ‘CONSORTIUM’) at the University that will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U. S. and the world; foster interactions between industry and university researchers; and facilitate further research cooperation between the parties. SOFAC will build timber supply models based on prior efforts by the modelers at NC State University and cooperators at the USDA Forest Service, Research Triangle Institute, and University of Georgia. SOFAC will enhance existing multiple products timber supply modeling that has been developed by NC State modelers in the Multiple Product Subregional Timber Supply (MP SRTS) model. SOFAC will integrate and update endogenous land use change and reforestation decision components in the ongoing MP SRTS framework. SOFAC will develop new statistical methods and programs to use the annual FIA SAFIS data, which will form the basis for timber inventory status and projections in the United States. SOFAC will maintain data on comparative investment returns to plantation and natural forests in the Americas, and integrate these results into estimates of impacts on trade and forest plantations throughout the Americas. SOFAC will meet annually with industrial and public members and with scientific cooperators to discuss model enhancements and appropriate assumptions for use in modeling each year. SOFAC will discuss current issues and applications for the economic models each year, and the members will select appropriate applications each year. SOFAC will report in the research program each year, and publish periodic public reports stemming from its analyses and modeling. SOFAC will provide funds for graduate research assistantships and train graduate students in forest economics, who can then work for private firms or public agencies in timber supply and forest economics analyses.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Larson & McGowin, Inc.

Amount Awarded: $30,000

Abstract: Whereas, the parties of this Agreement intend to join together in a cooperative effort to support a SOUTHERN FOREST RESOURCE ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM (hereinafter called ‘CONSORTIUM’) at the University that will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U. S. and the world; foster interactions between industry and university researchers; and facilitate further research cooperation between the parties. SOFAC will build timber supply models based on prior efforts by the modelers at NC State University and cooperators at the USDA Forest Service, Research Triangle Institute, and University of Georgia. SOFAC will enhance existing multiple products timber supply modeling that has been developed by NC State modelers in the Multiple Product Subregional Timber Supply (MP SRTS) model. SOFAC will integrate and update endogenous land use change and reforestation decision components in the ongoing MP SRTS framework. SOFAC will develop new statistical methods and programs to use the annual FIA SAFIS data, which will form the basis for timber inventory status and projections in the United States. SOFAC will maintain data on comparative investment returns to plantation and natural forests in the Americas, and integrate these results into estimates of impacts on trade and forest plantations throughout the Americas. SOFAC will meet annually with industrial and public members and with scientific cooperators to discuss model enhancements and appropriate assumptions for use in modeling each year. SOFAC will discuss current issues and applications for the economic models each year, and the members will select appropriate applications each year. SOFAC will report in the research program each year, and publish periodic public reports stemming from its analyses and modeling. SOFAC will provide funds for graduate research assistantships and train graduate students in forest economics, who can then work for private firms or public agencies in timber supply and forest economics analyses.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership Pool Agreement

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC)

Amount Awarded: $1

Abstract: No abstract on record.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC) Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Resource Management Service (RMS), LLC

Amount Awarded: $120,000

Abstract: Whereas, the parties of this Agreement intend to join together in a cooperative effort to support a SOUTHERN FOREST RESOURCE ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM (hereinafter called ‘CONSORTIUM’) at the University that will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U. S. and the world; foster interactions between industry and university researchers; and facilitate further research cooperation between the parties. SOFAC will build timber supply models based on prior efforts by the modelers at NC State University and cooperators at the USDA Forest Service, Research Triangle Institute, and University of Georgia. SOFAC will enhance existing multiple products timber supply modeling that has been developed by NC State modelers in the Multiple Product Subregional Timber Supply (MP SRTS) model. SOFAC will integrate and update endogenous land use change and reforestation decision components in the ongoing MP SRTS framework. SOFAC will develop new statistical methods and programs to use the annual FIA SAFIS data, which will form the basis for timber inventory status and projections in the United States. SOFAC will maintain data on comparative investment returns to plantation and natural forests in the Americas, and integrate these results into estimates of impacts on trade and forest plantations throughout the Americas. SOFAC will meet annually with industrial and public members and with scientific cooperators to discuss model enhancements and appropriate assumptions for use in modeling each year. SOFAC will discuss current issues and applications for the economic models each year, and the members will select appropriate applications each year. SOFAC will report in the research program each year, and publish periodic public reports stemming from its analyses and modeling. SOFAC will provide funds for graduate research assistantships and train graduate students in forest economics, who can then work for private firms or public agencies in timber supply and forest economics analyses.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC)Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Timberland Investment Resources, LLC

Amount Awarded: $60,000

Abstract: Whereas, the parties of this Agreement intend to join together in a cooperative effort to support a SOUTHERN FOREST RESOURCE ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM (hereinafter called ‘CONSORTIUM’) at the University that will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U. S. and the world; foster interactions between industry and university researchers; and facilitate further research cooperation between the parties. SOFAC will build timber supply models based on prior efforts by the modelers at NC State University and cooperators at the USDA Forest Service, Research Triangle Institute, and University of Georgia. SOFAC will enhance existing multiple products timber supply modeling that has been developed by NC State modelers in the Multiple Product Subregional Timber Supply (MP SRTS) model. SOFAC will integrate and update endogenous land use change and reforestation decision components in the ongoing MP SRTS framework. SOFAC will develop new statistical methods and programs to use the annual FIA SAFIS data, which will form the basis for timber inventory status and projections in the United States. SOFAC will maintain data on comparative investment returns to plantation and natural forests in the Americas, and integrate these results into estimates of impacts on trade and forest plantations throughout the Americas. SOFAC will meet annually with industrial and public members and with scientific cooperators to discuss model enhancements and appropriate assumptions for use in modeling each year. SOFAC will discuss current issues and applications for the economic models each year, and the members will select appropriate applications each year. SOFAC will report in the research program each year, and publish periodic public reports stemming from its analyses and modeling. SOFAC will provide funds for graduate research assistantships and train graduate students in forest economics, who can then work for private firms or public agencies in timber supply and forest economics analyses.

Title: Southern Forest Resource Assessment Consortium (SOFAC)Membership

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: Resolute Forest Products

Amount Awarded: $120,000

Abstract: Whereas, the parties of this Agreement intend to join together in a cooperative effort to support a SOUTHERN FOREST RESOURCE ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM (hereinafter called ‘CONSORTIUM’) at the University that will develop forest sector market models for application to forest resource assessments in the South, U. S. and the world; foster interactions between industry and university researchers; and facilitate further research cooperation between the parties. SOFAC will build timber supply models based on prior efforts by the modelers at NC State University and cooperators at the USDA Forest Service, Research Triangle Institute, and University of Georgia. SOFAC will enhance existing multiple products timber supply modeling that has been developed by NC State modelers in the Multiple Product Subregional Timber Supply (MP SRTS) model. SOFAC will integrate and update endogenous land use change and reforestation decision components in the ongoing MP SRTS framework. SOFAC will develop new statistical methods and programs to use the annual FIA SAFIS data, which will form the basis for timber inventory status and projections in the United States. SOFAC will maintain data on comparative investment returns to plantation and natural forests in the Americas, and integrate these results into estimates of impacts on trade and forest plantations throughout the Americas. SOFAC will meet annually with industrial and public members and with scientific cooperators to discuss model enhancements and appropriate assumptions for use in modeling each year. SOFAC will discuss current issues and applications for the economic models each year, and the members will select appropriate applications each year. SOFAC will report in the research program each year, and publish periodic public reports stemming from its analyses and modeling. SOFAC will provide funds for graduate research assistantships and train graduate students in forest economics, who can then work for private firms or public agencies in timber supply and forest economics analyses.

Title: Dust

PI: Gonzalez, Ronalds Wilfredo

Direct Sponsor Name: Solenis LLC

Amount Awarded: $49,968

Abstract: Solenis is exploring the opportunity to develop effective/efficient wet-end additives to control the dust generated during tissue manufacturing and converting processes. From a manufacturer perspective, dusting and linting represent aspects of major concern as both factors jeopardize productivity, safety, and manufacturing costs. Additionally, recent consumer-based surveys indicate that linting propensity is becoming an important feature driving tissue purchasing decisions since consumers consider lack of residual lit to be as important as other key performance attributes such as strength and softness (Vu, 2020). Addressing these issues implies developing (i) the ability to characterize dusting components in terms of type, source, size, and propensity, and (ii) control dust release by understanding how retention relates to dusting at various stages of tissue manufacturing, converting, and product end-use.

Title: Biodegradable and Recyclable Paper-Based Alternative to Single-Use Beverage Plastic Products

PI: Lavoine, Nathalie Marie

Direct Sponsor Name: Ohio State University

Amount Awarded: $14,960

Abstract: The overall objective of this research project is thus to investigate plasma treatment as an environmentally safe and more efficient technique to modify the surface chemistry of cellulose fibers.

Title: The Potential for Tall Wood Building to Sequester Carbon, Support Forest Communities and Create New Options for Forest Management

PI: Kelley, Stephen S

Direct Sponsor Name: US Endowment for Forestry & Communities, Inc.

Amount Awarded: $300,013

Abstract: The project consists of a rigorous side-by-side comparison of CLT, steel, and concrete buildings considering the individual buildings and the integrated manufacturing and forestry system. It will involve a comprehensive, integrated study of the potential for CLT wood building to serve as a driver for: 1) Near-term carbon sequestration, and for providing other environmental benefits relative to alternative construction materials; 2) New opportunities for creating affordable housing for families and under-served communities; 3) Local and regional economic development associated with both the production of mass timber products, and new building construction; 4) New options for managing forests, that may allow forest land owners to economically thin overcrowded forest stands and remove standing dead and dying trees; and 5) Project results will be incorporated into a multi-attribute decision support tool to allow for the analysis of trade-offs, and used to focus the public discussion on the benefits and costs of the wide-scale deployment of CLT building systems.

Title: Recreation Resources Service (RRS)

PI: Seekamp, Erin Lynn

Direct Sponsor Name: NC Dept. of Natural & Cultural Resources formerly NC Dept of Env. & Natural Resources (DENR)

Amount Awarded: $2,825,850

Abstract: The Recreation Resources Service (RRS) is established for the specific purpose of providing assistance to public and private segments of the leisure service industry within North Carolina. Clientele of the program include: municipal and county park and recreation departments, nonprofit agencies, private recreation agencies, recreation consumer groups, and recreation and park board and commission members. RRS provides timely,cutting edge technical assistance to improve community park and recreation opportunities, sponsors a variety of continuing education opportunities addressing current issues facing park and recreation professionals, conducts applied research studies, and assist communities with state and federal park and recreation grants.

Title: Diversity in Partnerships Research and Development

PI: Fearn, Milton L

Direct Sponsor Name: US National Park Service

Amount Awarded: $154,892

Abstract: The scope of work under this agreement will consist of a collaborative effort to create a comprehensive evidence-based framework to guide marketing and promotion, planning for interpretive services, stewardship and partnership development, and philanthropy to engage African Americans partner organizations in support of national park units with African American themes. To assist the NPS in developing strategies for connecting to African American audiences, this task agreement will focus on four major collaborative functions: 1) social science research to investigate perceptions and meanings of national park sites and themes among selected African American partner organizations and visitor groups; 2) development and technical support of marketing and branding activities to African American partner organizations, visitor groups, and other relevant stakeholders; and 3) development of education and training curricula and programs to build capacity among African American partner organizations to collaborate with the NPS in stewardship and philanthropy in support of national park units with African American themes; and 4) evaluation of marketing, branding, and training activities.

Title: Needs Assessment and Guidance to Define a Clear Vision for a Geospatial Mapping System — to Service the Needs and Opportunities of the National Park Service – Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Branch and Related Programs

PI: Hipp, James A.

Direct Sponsor Name: US National Park Service

Amount Awarded: $97,260

Abstract: The purpose of the updated and extended project is to provide additional technical support, consultation and research related to developing and evaluating new methods in the application of geospatial analysis for the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program within the Conservation and Outdoor Recreation (COR) Branch of the National Park Service (NPS). The additional technical support, consultation and research activities will include, but are not limited to: 1) developing training material for using the RTCA web mapping application; 2) incorporating additional COR Branch program data into the existing RTCA Enterprise database; and 3) enhancing the current RTCA web mapping application by incorporating existing themed GIS web services.

Title: Capacity Building Phase XI: Increasing the Pool for the Development of a Multicultural Workforce and Connection to Underserved Communities Across the US

PI: Nelson, Stacy A.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $50,000

Abstract: This project builds upon and expands the Forest Service’s Partnership Outreach and Capacity Building, and the Multicultural Workforce Strategic Initiative Programs, and is an initiative that represents an opportunity for substantial collaboration between Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI), the 1862 land grant institutions, the Puerto Rico Commonwealth environmental and educational agencies, and the public served by the consortium/partnership.

Title: AmeriFlux Management Project Core Site – North Carolina Loblolly/Alligator

PI: King, John S

Direct Sponsor Name: Texas A&M University

Amount Awarded: $115,542

Abstract: A cluster of research sites will be maintained according to the Ameriflux Management Program’s Statement of Work. The sites include a mid-rotation loblolly pine plantation (site code US-NC2 in the Ameriflux and FLUXNET databases, operational since November 2004), and companion sites in young, recently disturbed loblolly pine plantations (US-NC3 starting 2013) and a natural bottomland forested wetland (US-AR/NC4 starting 2009). All sites are located on the lower coastal plain in North Carolina, and represent a historically established land use gradient. With current common management practices and areal coverage of commercial plantations in different edaphic and climatic regions in the SE-US, the two loblolly plantations are representative of a broader area. The core research at the individual sites and across the cluster focuses on the following topic areas: (1) the magnitude, regulation and variability of carbon and water cycles, (2) the tradeoffs of different management objectives, including productivity, carbon sequestration, water yield, biodiversity, and environmental services to surrounding communities, (3) responses to environmental pressures, like drought, pest outbreaks, and air pollution episodes, (4) validation, testing and development of plant gas exchange and ecosystem models of gas exchange and resource use, (5) projecting changes in flux partitioning under changing climate and environmental conditions, and (6) facilitating the development and validation of new measurement and modeling technologies.

Title: Analysis and Economic Modeling and Clean Air Act Issues, Forestry, Agriculture and Landscape Change Modeling and Analysis Support

PI: Baker, Justin Scott

Direct Sponsor Name: RTI International (aka Research Triangle Institute)

Amount Awarded: $48,077

Abstract: This proposal, in response to the RTI International RFP titled Analysis and Economic Modeling and Clean Air Act Issues, is supported by RTI International and a mission support contract from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Climate Change Division. Under this contract, Dr. Justin Baker (NCSU-CNR-FER) will collaborate with researchers at RTI and other institutions on the development and application of several land use sector modeling frameworks to develop projections of land use, markets, resource management, and greenhouse gas emissions under socioeconomic, environmental, and policy change. Dr. Baker will provide analytical and modeling support for research and development efforts, quick turnaround research for policy analysis, and technical writing and synthesis to disseminate new research. Dr. Baker’s modeling contributions will focus on projecting terrestrial carbon stocks over different spatial and temporal scales and under a wide range of alternative future conditions using multi-model assessment techniques. Further, Dr. Baker will focus on policy design issues related to bioenergy expansion, international trade, and climate mitigation programs.

Title: Collaborative Research: Building Capacity to Improve STEM Education through Citizen Science by Scaling Up University-Community Partnerships

PI: Cooper, Caren Beth

Direct Sponsor Name: National Science Foundation (NSF)

Amount Awarded: $37,337

Abstract: This IUSE:EHR-ICT proposal seeks to build the capacity for establishing citizen science communities that engage students in meaningful learning experiences in and around the Nation’s largest Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Citizen Science refers to efforts to involve volunteers from across different sectors of society, stakeholder groups, and communities in the scientific process. North Carolina State University (NCSU) has been a leader in efforts to bring Citizen Science into university classrooms through Active Learning (Bonwell & Eison, 1991) pedagogies. As collaborators on this proposed project their experience and expertise will be leveraged in capacity building efforts at North Carolina A&T State University (NC A&T SU) focused in four key areas: training, relationship & awareness building, information technology infrastructure, and needs assessment for scaling-up the project. Initial capacity building efforts within NC A&T SU will be centered in the Sociology and Psychology Programs within the College of Health and Human Sciences (CHSS) and extend outward through partnerships with other programs in the CHHS, other Colleges and Divisions and student organizations within the University, and the broader East Greensboro, NC community. Among other things, funds from the grant will support the training of members of the NC A&T SU research team in the use of citizen science IT platforms and active learning pedagogies. These faculty members will in turn become ambassadors who will host workshops and events that build the capacity of additional faculty collaborators to integrate citizen science-based active learning approaches into their courses. Evaluation of the capacity building efforts will be assessed via rates of participation in capacity building events, implementation of these approaches into university classrooms, and formative evaluations using focus group and surveys.

Title: A Multi-Scale Decision Support Tool to Quantify Forest Benefits on Water Quantity and Quality in the Southern United States

PI: Martin, Katherine Lee

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $299,769

Abstract: Forests and water are inextricably linked, and people are dependent on forested lands to provide clean, reliable water supplies for drinking and to support local economies. As more than 90% of the forested land in the South is privately owned, water supplies in the region are at risk of degradation from continued fragmentation and conversion of forests to other land uses to support a growing population. Given the variety of threats to surface water, it will be increasingly important for forest managers to highlight the value of forests for maintaining clean and abundant supplies of drinking water in the region. A key component of maintaining this green forest infrastructure is ensuring that healthy forests are maintained on the landscape and managed using science-based sustainable forest management practices. Our objectives are to: 1) Develop a multi-scale modeling approach that is capable of quantifying forest water quantity and quality indicators, 2) Develop and provide and economic valuation of forest water related ecosystem services, and 3) Develop a public-facing web application that links water resource values to forests and forest management options.

Title: Environmental Justice for Future Leaders in Forestry and Environmental Resources

PI: Emanuel, Ryan E

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) – National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Amount Awarded: $262,500

Abstract: Environmental justice (EJ) is an academic and a policy framework intended to help count the full societal costs of decisions about environmental management, food production, and other activities, including many within the purview of the US Department of Agriculture. However, scientists and other professionals in agriculture and natural resources rarely encounter EJ in their academic training. Fewer still have research experiences or hands-on training that centers on EJ. This project will recruit and mentor doctoral students who will gain a strong working knowledge EJ policy and its intersections with other areas of expertise within Forestry and Environmental Resources. Students will acquire research skills and leadership experiences related to implementation of EJ policies and analytical frameworks within their knowledge domains. The project will recruit students from diverse backgrounds, and especially those with demonstrable commitments to marginalized communities on whom EJ policies often center. To accomplish this, the project will take advantage of North Carolina State University’s critical mass of EJ scholars and existing partnerships with Tribes and community-based groups. Careful recruiting and mentoring will ensure that students are successful. Deep integration of EJ and related topics into curricula will ensure that students have a firm grasp of EJ that complements other academic work. Internships and specialized training will help students be prepared for future leadership. Benchmarks will assess success of the project, including the extent to which it advances the USDA goal of increas(ing) the number, quality and diversity of students in the food, agricultural and related sciences.

Title: Urban and Community Forestry Economic Impact Analysis

PI: Parajuli, Rajan

Direct Sponsor Name: Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF)

Amount Awarded: $130,663

Abstract: Economic contribution analysis communicates the greater monetary benefits of the urban and community forestry sector in terms of contribution to gross domestic product, jobs, and labor income to policy makers and legislators. This project will involve conducting an economic contribution analysis of the urban and community forest industries in the Southern region (a 13-state region), and in 13 participating states. The specific objectives of the project are to: (1) facilitate discussion and consensus on scope of urban and community forest industries, methodology for analysis, and report template, (2) develop and distribute relevant survey questions in cooperation with the project team, (3) document the methodology and rationale for the selected approach in a written report, (4) analyze IMPLAN and other relevant datasets for the Region, and at the state level, (5) produce reports summarizing the findings for the Region, plus each individual participating state, totaling 14 reports, and (6) present the methodology, a mid-project progress report, and a final presentation of results. To accomplish the objectives, the College of Natural Resources North Carolina State University is teamed up with Ohio State University, Virginia Tech Univeristy, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, and Mississippi State University. Our multi-disciplinary team of urban forestry professionals, natural resource social scientists, and forest economists with extensive involvement in IMPLAN modeling and economic contribution analysis is capable of accomplishing this project in a timely and efficient manner.

Title: Agent-Based Modeling for the Multi-Objective Optimization of Energy Production Pathways: Integrated Techno-Economics and Life Cycle Assessment

PI: Kern, Jordan

Direct Sponsor Name: Colorado State University

Amount Awarded: $148,781

Abstract: Concerns over depleting oil reserves and national security have spurred renewed vigor in developing bio-based fuels. A variety of feedstocks, conversion technologies, and biobased refinery concepts have been proposed and are being investigated. The viability of these systems is typically quantified through sustainability assessments. Current work has focused on the assessment of technologies either based on economic viability or environmental impact but typically not concurrently. Further, there has been minimal work in the area of biorefinery optimization. The proposed work will develop a unique toolset that is capable of identifying promising production pathways as well as performance targets for biobased energy and co-product systems. The foundation of the work is a modular engineering process model that captures the performance of various feedstock production systems, conversion technologies, and end use. This foundation is coupled with techno-economic, life cycle and resource demand modeling to understand the sustainability of the various production pathways. The work includes the novel coupling of economics and environmental impact through integration of a social cost of carbon such that a more holistic assessment can be performed.

Title: Spatial Patterning and Carbon Vulnerability: Does the Spatial Arrangement of Forest Management Increase Susceptibility to Climate Change and Ecosystem Disturbances?

PI: Scheller, Robert

Direct Sponsor Name: University of Colorado – Denver

Amount Awarded: $32,376

Abstract: Temperate forests are responsible for about 14% of total carbon (C) storage and 26% of net C uptake globally. In North America, forests are the largest land sink, annually absorbing 7-24% of US fossil fuel emissions and storing large quantities of C in their wood and soils. However, much of that results from recovery from agricultural abandonment, fire suppression, and reduced logging, and the future of this C sink is highly uncertain. Higher rates of individual tree mortality, more large-scale disturbances (particularly fire), and higher decomposition rates due to higher temperatures may increase the variability and/or magnitude of sink strength in U.S. forests over long-time spans. Coupled with these emerging dynamics are the spatial legacies of previous forest management practices, which may render some sinks more vulnerable or resilient to climate change or disturbances due to different stand ages and compositions. Newly implemented but untested management practices (young growth harvesting and maximizing C for sale on carbon markets) add further ecological and economic complexity. Yet our knowledge of how management choices will influence the magnitude and spatial patterning of C cycling and long-term C storage at broad scales is relatively poor. Our work will address four fundamental questions: How has historical management influenced the spatial distribution of C stocks and fluxes relative to natural disturbances? Does that spatial pattern promote stability or vulnerability to climate change and natural disturbance? To what degree and where are current management practices constrained by historical patterns of management? What will these shifts in management practices and their historical constraints mean for future C distributions and their value on C markets under climate change? We will use a combination of data integration, remote sensing, and modeling to answer these questions.

Title: Urban Forestry Economic Analysis in the Northeastern Midwest Region

PI: Parajuli, Rajan

Direct Sponsor Name: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR)

Amount Awarded: $159,733

Abstract: Economic contribution analysis of the urban forestry sector helps communicate the greater monetary benefits of the sector in terms of gross domestic product contribution and jobs to policy makers and legislators. This project will involve conducting an economic contribution analysis of the urban forest industries in the Northeastern Midwest Area (a 20-state region), and in 16 participating states. The specific objectives of the project are to: (1) facilitate discussion and consensus on scope of urban forest industries, methodology for analysis, and report template, (2) assist the Team and UW Survey Center in developing relevant survey questions and using results in Region and state level economic analyses, (3) document the methodology and rationale for the selected approach in a written report, (4) analyze IMPLAN and other relevant datasets for the Region, and at the state level, (5) produce reports summarizing the findings for the Region, plus each individual participating state, totaling 17 reports, and (6) present the methodology, a mid-project progress report, and a final presentation of results. To accomplish the objectives, the College of Natural Resources North Carolina State University is teamed up with Ohio State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Mississippi State University. Our multi-disciplinary team of urban forestry professionals, natural resource social scientists, and forest economists with extensive involvement in IMPLAN modeling and economic contribution analysis is capable of accomplishing this project in a timely and efficient manner.

Title: Can Strategic Riparian Buffers Improve Coastal Resilience to Changing Conditions in the Cape Fear River Watershed?

PI: Martin, Katherine Lee

Direct Sponsor Name: NCSU Sea Grant Program

Amount Awarded: $48,099

Abstract: Riparian buffers have been used to protect water quality from human land uses for decades, and their impacts at local and stream reach segments are well established. What is not well understood is the scale and placement of riparian buffers required to improve water quality across regional scale watersheds, thus protecting coastal ecosystem health from upstream development and agricultural land uses, particularly in the context of changing land use and climate. The outcome goals of the Healthy Coastal Ecosystems focal area of North Carolina Sea Grant Strategic Plan emphasize the critical need for wholistic, watershed approaches that include upstream-downstream connectivity and the impacts of changing climate and land use on watershed health. Our project goal is to apply a human-natural systems watershed approach address critical gaps in scientific understanding that forward the outcomes of the Healthy Coastal Ecosystems Focal area 1. Identify the role that upstream land use change plays on downstream (coastal) water quality in the context of changing climate 2. Examine the role that riparian buffer protection policy might play in mitigating the impacts of climate and land use change on downstream, coastal water quality. We will test a central hypothesis that strategic buffers, those placed on local watersheds with the greatest extents of either developed or row crop agriculture with provide significant improvements to whole watershed health (stream flow flashiness, sediment and nutrients) as measured across sub-watersheds and at the coastal watershed outlet. We will compare the watershed health benefits of strategic buffers only in the Piedmont, urbanizing region of the Cape Fear River basin to the placement of buffers throughout the entire basin. We will analyze the effectiveness of strategic buffers to business as usual (no mandated buffers) as well as complete buffers (all streams). To ensure results of our project reach stakeholders, we will form a Stakeholder Advisory Board that will provide regular assessments of project success.

Title: Coastal Plain Aquifer Vulnerability to Extreme Storms and Implications for Rural Prosperity, Food Security, and Water Resource Resiliency

PI: Nichols, Elizabeth Guthrie

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) – National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Amount Awarded: $200,000

Abstract: This ERG proposal is time-sensitive to coastal North Carolina communities that were flooded by Hurricane Florence and whose livelihoods depend upon safe and reliable groundwater. Rural, eastern NC communities rely almost entirely (97%) on aquifers for drinking water, crop irrigation, food processing, and industry. There is little information about the water quality of these coastal aquifers and even less understanding of how extreme hydrologic events, such as Hurricane Florence, impact them. We estimate there are ~ 300,000 private well users, equal or more livestock/crop irrigation wells, and hundreds of permitted water supply wells in the eleven counties that were extensively flooded by Hurricane Florence. Experts estimate slow-moving hurricanes will increase in frequency for Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The risk of surficial, near-surface, and deep aquifer contamination is uncertain for these extreme storm events. We will pilot an innovative dual-tracer strategy using tritium and 3H3He groundwater tracers with non-targeted, suspect-screening high-resolution mass spectrometry (NTSS-HRMS) to assess young water intrusion to groundwater. Our first goal is to establish comprehensive organic chemical fingerprints of aquifers in flooded and non-flooded areas of the Coastal Plain. Our second goal is to use these fingerprints, with tritium and tritium/helium, to evaluate changes to organic chemical fingerprints in wells flooded by Florence and to advance our understanding of young water flux to confined aquifers. This project is high-risk because ~90% of organic chemical features in HRMS analyses are not identifiable although mass to charge spectral features are determined. State of the art database workflows will help tentative identification (suspect screening HRMS) of these unknown chemical features. Just as the LCMS analyses of surface waters revolutionized our understanding of pervasive pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the 1990s, this ERG research may likewise revolutionize our understanding of organic chemical eposomes in coastal aquifers. This project will advance regional water quality data for chemicals of concern and potentially contribute new tracer chemicals or chemical features to improve our understanding of aquifer connectivity, modern water flux to groundwater, and groundwater vunlerability to extreme storms.

Title: Expanding Prescribed Fire Delivery to Restore Longleaf Pine in the Southeast

PI: Bardon, Robert E.

Direct Sponsor Name: National Fish & Wildlife Foundation

Amount Awarded: $130,000

Abstract: The Southeast Prescribed Fire Initiative will occur in priority areas across all 13 Southern states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Priority habitats will include longleaf pine, shortleaf pine and other fire adapted ecosystems in the Southern region, and priority locations include, but are not limited to, Longleaf Implementation Team (LIT) priority areas and Sentinel Landscapes. The project purpose is to implement the Comprehensive Strategy for Prescribed Fire (which is a comprehensive, regional strategy for increasing prescribed burning in the Southeast), thus ultimately helping to increase the use of prescribed fire across the Southeast. The Strategy represents a consensus among representatives of federal and state agencies (including the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Defense, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and state forestry and wildlife agencies), non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and the private sector; therefore, these groups will be the primary partners for this project. Major activities will include continued coordination of the SERPPAS Prescribed Fire Working Group, and implementation of several action items within the Prescribed Fire Strategy such as Learn & Burn field days for private landowners, and support and promotion of Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs) and Fire Festivals. Outcomes include increased use of and support for prescribed fire.

Title: An Operational Multisource Land Surface Phenology Product from Landsat and Sentinel 2

PI: Gray, Joshua Michael

Direct Sponsor Name: Boston University

Amount Awarded: $224,184

Abstract: Dense time series of moderate spatial resolution imagery from the Sentinel 2A and 2B Multispectral Instrument (MSI) and the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) are presenting the land remote sensing community with exciting new opportunities to monitor, map, and characterize temporal dynamics in land surface properties with unprecedented spatial detail and quality. By combining imagery from all three sensors, users will be able to exploit multi-temporal information in a way that has not been previously possible. At the same time, the large data volumes and high-dimensionality of blended time series from Landsat 8 and Sentinel 2 introduce substantial new challenges for users who wish to exploit these data sets. Land surface phenology (LSP) products, which synthesize both the timing of phenophase transitions and also quantify the nature and magnitude of seasonality in remotely sensed ecosystem conditions, provide a simple and intuitive way to reduce data volumes and redundancy, while at the same time retaining information that is useful to a wide range of applications including ecosystem and agro-ecosystem modeling, monitoring the response of terrestrial ecosystems to climate variability and extreme events, crop-type discrimination, and land cover, land use, and land cover change mapping. Methods to monitor and map phenology from coarse spatial resolution instruments such as MODIS are both mature and operational. However, the spatial resolution of MODIS is inadequate for most of the applications identified above. The goal of this proposal is to address the need for LSP data products at moderate spatial resolution. To this end, we propose to implement an operational Land Surface Phenology product at moderate spatial resolution based on blended time series of Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel 2A and 2B MSI data. To demonstrate the need for this product, describe the strategy we propose, and illustrate the viability of our algorithm, this proposal includes four main elements. First, we summarize the background and justification for our proposed product. Second, we provide a formal definition for our proposed LSP data product, which includes a set of Science Data Sets (SDSs) that identify the timing of phenophase transitions and characterize the nature and magnitude of seasonality in remotely sensed land surface conditions. Third, we describe an algorithm that we developed and tested over the last several years, along with the input data requirements required for our proposed product. Fourth, we provide a detailed strategy for product validation along with validation results from a wide range of land cover types that demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of our algorithm. For initial implementation, we propose to generate our product at continental scale for North America at 30-meter spatial resolution using the Harmonized Landsat-Sentinel (HLS) data set that is being generated by NASA. Finally, as part of this effort we propose to collaborate with Prof. Lars Eklundh at Lund University in Sweden, one of the pioneers of land surface phenology, who is funded in Europe to develop land surface phenology algorithms and data sets based on Sentinel-2.

Title: A Collaborative Renewable Energy Assessment Curriculum to Engage Science and Non-Science Majors in Sustainable Energy Production on Agricultural Landscapes

PI: Nichols, Elizabeth Guthrie

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) – National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Amount Awarded: $292,234

Abstract: In rural eastern North Carolina, markets for renewable energy are rapidly developing in the bioenergy and woody biomass sector, solar and solar thermal energy, and wind energy generation. At North Carolina State University (NCSU), Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), a historically black university (HBU), and Cape Fear Community College (CFCC), a comprehensive curriculum to develop skills to assess lands and facilities for renewable energy technologies does not exist but is needed to prepare our undergraduates for emerging employment opportunities. This curriculum will provide a portal through which a diverse undergraduate population can advance their understanding of renewable energy technologies in agricultural landscapes. We will develop seven courses of which six will exist both as online, distance education courses (NCSU) and as face to face courses at ECSU and CFCC. Each institution will link their renewable energy curriculum websites to a central web portal site to highlight the collaborative project and what courses are available by what delivery platform at each institution. This website will show students from each institution how they can complete the curriculum to obtain an Undergraduate Certificate in Renewable Energy Assessment (NCSU) or a Minor in Renewable Energy Assessment (NCSU) or a Minor in Sustainable Energy (ECSU) by taking courses at their respective institution or the other two institutions. Through outreach and marketing, stakeholders will be aware of this curriculum and its ability to provide potential employees for their renewable energy workforce needs. Descriptions of those variables contributing to success and those that impeded progress toward achieving the project goals will be reported, and recommendations on how to sustain and improve programmatic and educational accomplishments will be determined and disseminated.

Title: Prepare and Characterize Wood Treated with Silicates

PI: Kelley, Stephen S

Direct Sponsor Name: T2Earth Holdings, LLC

Amount Awarded: $180,000

Abstract: This work covers the preparation and characterization of silicate treated wood samples. The goal of the work is to create wood products that are decay, insect and fire resistant but do not require the use of toxic chemicals. The overall process can be divided into two steps, 1) Silicate Impregnation and 2) Silicate Curing. The impregnation step will focus on the time, pressure and temperature profile used to impregnate silicate solutions into woody of varying species and dimensions. The initial impregnation conditions will be based on information supplied by T2Earth through their background knowledge and their work with partners. The curing step involves the use either dry or wet curing of the silicate treated wood. Different pressures and gases may also be used in this step. The dry curing will emulate curing in an oven or traditional dry kiln, where there is no barrier to the rapid removal of moisture from the wood. The wet curing will investigate higher heat transfer to the silicate treated wood samples, or steps designed to initially retain moisture in the wood. The curing step is designed to enhance polymerization of the silicate with the goal of improving silica retention, and result in improved decay and fire resistance of the treated wood. These samples will be characterized to determine the silicate concentration profile, retention of the silicate, and for a selected subset of the samples the chemical structure of the wood and silicate. These physical properties will be related to the process conditions.

Title: Characterization of Residual Xylan in Dissolving Pulps

PI: Park, Sunkyu

Direct Sponsor Name: Eastman Chemical Company

Amount Awarded: $426,719

Abstract: The differences in compositional and molecular weight of insoluble gel particles during the acetylation of cellulose have a negative impact on the downstream manufacturing process and final product quality. It is generally agreed that the residual hemicelluloses present in dissolving pulp play a role in the formation of these insoluble gel particles. However, a detailed understanding of the effects of hemicellulose composition, branching, and molecular weight on the presence of insoluble gel particles has not been clearly elucidated. To address this issue, it is important to understand the relationship between the composition of insoluble gel particles and their solubility in a common solvent such as acetone.

Title: Next Generation Logistics Systems for Delivering Optimal Biomass Feedstocks to Biorefining Industries in the Southeastern United States

PI: Kelley, Stephen S

Direct Sponsor Name: University of Tennessee

Amount Awarded: $561,000

Abstract: This project will develop new sensor technology to directly assess feedstock quality characteristics, including chemical composition that will be coupled with process data in an advanced statistical process control framework, enabling production of consistently high-quality feedstock at reduced cost. With information on feedstock properties available at various points along the supply chain, more accurate cost analysis will be conducted along with life-cycle analysis of the feedstock production systems.

Title: Engaging Diverse Communities in Urban Greening Efforts: Lessons Learned and Pathways to Success

PI: Larson, Lincoln Ray

Direct Sponsor Name: US Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $199,371

Abstract: Despite many benefits of urban greening, tree-planting programs in diverse communities nationwide often face strong local resistance, especially on private lands. This resistance impacts the success of initiatives such as Green Heart, an urban greening effort in Louisville, KY, designed to create healthier neighborhoods by encouraging tree planting to mitigate air pollution. Working with leaders of Green Heart, our project will investigate various factors (social and/or environmental) that influence the success of greening interventions and identify environmentally just practices to promote healthy urban communities across the US. Using Louisville as a case study, with lessons learned from other cities, we aim to: (1) Synthesize current state of knowledge regarding public support for urban greening across diverse communities; (2) Identify factors associated with tree-planting program success; (3) Examine public perceptions of relationships between urban trees, health, and neighborhood change; and (4) Define and share best practices to promote a national community of practice focused on equitable and inclusive urban greening. Our efforts will culminate in a best practice guide and toolkit, shared with a growing national community of practice promoting social equity in urban forestry. Ultimately, the project will identify strategies to promote urban greening with communities, not just within communities.

Title: Training Teachers to Empower Students through Water Quality Action (Lauren Gibson)

PI: Stevenson, Kathryn

Direct Sponsor Name: North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)

Amount Awarded: $9,000

Abstract: This project will train 20 high school environmental science teachers from across North Carolina to implement a water quality curriculum that teaches students about issues surrounding water quality and empowers them to engage the community in action to address those issues. In the short term, the project seeks to increase teacher capacity for incorporating student-led, project-based environmental education in the classroom. In the long term, the project works toward increased youth empowerment with regard to the environment. This curriculum pushes students to engage with water quality as scientists, carrying out water quality citizen science projects. At the end of this curriculum, students are also expected to work in partnership with their teacher to design and carry out an outreach project to engage their community on issues of water quality. Central to this project is the concept of the youth-adult partnership, a power sharing between students and their teacher that allows for both youth voice in decision-making and adult mentorship. These partnerships are shown to increase students feelings of empowerment, connection to community, and engagement with the curriculum material. They have also been shown to improve adults’ views on the power of young people, giving them a stronger commitment to incorporating youth voice into their future initiatives. By carrying out this water quality curriculum and its associated outreach project, then, both students and teachers will work to be able to contribute to youth empowerment efforts moving forward. This project is the first step of a multi-year project to measure the impact that environmentally-literate young people can have on their broader community’s environmental literacy, particularly when they design and lead community-based, community-engaged environmental projects. We hope to find that this curriculum can spur community-level literacy on water quality as well as community support for environmental action.

Title: RAPID: Disaster Recovery Decision Making in Remote Tourism-Dependent Communities

PI: Knollenberg, Whitney Grace

Direct Sponsor Name: National Science Foundation (NSF)

Amount Awarded: $58,934

Abstract: In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian severely impacted remote, tourism-dependent communities in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina. The communities of Ocracoke and Hatteras sustained the most infrastructure damage (e.g., businesses, homes, schools, power, potable water, transportation, and telecommunications). As recovery efforts begin, tourism business owners have to determine whether or not to reinvest, while individuals employed within the tourism industry have to determine whether or not they will remain. These decision processes include utilizing their hurricane experience (both past and present) and a variety of information sources within their local networks to inform perceptions of access to an available workforce or workforce housing, the availability of recovery resources, and the likelihood of future visitors, as well as perceptions of recovery risks. In turn, these perceptions influence recovery intentions and actual recovery decisions. This study specifically explores this decision making process in near-term, post-disaster contexts. The project has three objectives to: (1) identify the information networks accessed by individuals within the tourism industry to inform recovery decisions; (2) evaluate the extent to which recovery information activated through those networks is processed; and (3) document decision making pathways that influence risk perceptions and intended recovery decisions.

Title: Translating and Disseminating Findings from RWJF’s Physical Activity Research

PI: Hipp, James A.

Direct Sponsor Name: Baylor University

Amount Awarded: 48600

Abstract: Drs. Hipp and Floyd, graduate students Alberico and Huang, and their community partners will contribute to the following dissemination activities of PARC3 and PARC. 

Title: Strengthening Community Networks for Environmental Learning and Resilience Through Children

PI: Stevenson, Kathryn

Direct Sponsor Name: NCSU Sea Grant Program

Amount Awarded: $59,998

Abstract: Developing solutions to large-scale, collective coastal challenges requires environmentally literate communities. In order to achieve this, we need to further conceptualize and design associated measurements of environmental literacy (EL) that focus on communities rather than individuals. The questions become not how individuals understand and interact with the world around them, but how communities share information, understandings, and associated action plans. To date, few, if any, have developed definitions or associated metrics to assess or benchmark progress toward community-level EL. Further, child-based environmental education (EE) is a promising, but understudied, strategy to build community-level EL. Children have been shown to foster EL among adults, particularly among those who may be most resistant to engaging with environmental topics. Given that school-based EE can reach a large proportion of adults in communities through their children and that children can effectively engage adults in environmental issues, school-based EE may be an effective strategy to build shared understandings, motivations and action strategies (i.e., community-level EL). Accordingly, this project will work toward two objectives. We will first conduct an online DELPHI study, a structured communication technique, to develop definitions and measurements of community-level EL. Next, we will train 30 middle and high school teachers in a citizen-science and school-based EE program around water quality that is specifically designed to build community-level EL through intergenerational learning. We will test how this curriculum boosts both individual and community-level EL among students, teachers, parents, and community members across the state of North Carolina.

Title: Improving Environmental Decision Making In Coastal Communities Through Giving Children A Voice: Building Science Literacy, Civic Engagement, And Coastal Resilience Through K-12 Citizen Science

PI: Stevenson, Kathryn

Direct Sponsor Name: NCSU Sea Grant Program

Amount Awarded: $119,998

Abstract: Numerous coastal environmental challenges including salt water intrusion, marine debris, and water quality threaten North Carolina’s (NC) coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Associated scientific recommendations abound but deficiencies in environmental literacy (EL), and failure to use scientific knowledge in environmental decision making stymie local efforts to employ solutions. Environmental education (EE) among K-12 audiences may address these barriers, as it can build EL among future generations and emerging research suggest that these impacts may trickle up to parents, community members, and even decision makers if programs are designed with that goal in mind. For this project, we will partner with Duke University Marine Lab to scale up two citizen science-based EE projects currently being piloted through NSF support. Each of these projects is specifically designed to enhance intergenerational transfer. We will expand the projects to 30 middle grade classrooms across the CAMA counties and experimentally test impacts on knowledge of and engagement with coastal environmental challenges, environmental self-efficacy, and pro-environmental behavior among students; and increased salience of coastal environmental issues in the eyes of decision makers and community members with whom students engage.

Title: Capacity Building Phase XI: Increasing the Pool for the Development of a Multicultural Workforce and Connection to Underserved Communities Across the US

PI: Nelson, Stacy A.

Direct Sponsor Name: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service

Amount Awarded: $50,000

Abstract: This project builds upon and expands the Forest Service’s Partnership Outreach and Capacity Building, and the Multicultural Workforce Strategic Initiative Programs, and is an initiative that represents an opportunity for substantial collaboration between Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI), the 1862 land grant institutions, the Puerto Rico Commonwealth environmental and educational agencies, and the public served by the consortium/partnership.