New
Awards Announcement
June 2005
Sustainable Forestry Research
Announcement
USDA Forest Service Funds Agenda 2020 Sustainable Forestry
Research Proposals
Background: Agenda 2020 is a partnership
among government, the forest products industry, and academia
to develop technology capable to improve industry economics,
increase energy efficiency and reduce negative environmental
effects. The Sustainable Forestry research component of Agenda
2020 focuses on achieving substantial and sustainable increases
in forest productivity. A Request-for-Proposals (RFP) was
issued in April 2005 by Forest Service R&D that focused
on Soil Productivity and the Physiology of Forest Productivity.
There was $700,000 available this year with potential funding
for up to three years.
Summary of Proposals: Forty five proposals
were received for a total request of almost $10 million over
the next 3 years. There were many excellent proposals from
universities, the Forest Service and others. Proposals were
received from across the US – the South had 56%, the
West 27%, and the North 18%.
Selection Process: A review panel, consisting
of 5 technical experts from FS R&D and 5 from the forest
industry, rated the proposals based on technical merit. Technical
criteria and weights were: (1) relevance and merit –
10%, (2) scientific quality – 40% (3) benefits and value
– 30%, and (4) industrial collaboration – 20%.
Reviewers recused themselves as appropriate, which resulted
in at least 8 reviewers for every proposal. The composite,
average score was used to rank the proposals and the top seven,
in rank order, were selected.
Selections: The selected proposals are:
Quantifying Genotype x Silviculture Interactions
Impacts on Productivity and Carbon Sequestration by Manipulating
Soil Organic Matter, N Supply, and Demand –
Chris Maier, Forest Service (FS); Kurt Johnsen, FS; John Seiler,
Virginia Tech; Jennifer Bennett, North Carolina State University
(NCSU); Marianne Burke, FS; and, Felipe Sanchez, FS. A collaborator
was MeadWestvaco.
Prediction of Whole-Stem Wood Quality of Superior Loblolly
Pine Clones for Deployment – Fikret Isik,
NCSU; Bailian Li, NCSU; and, Bronson Bullock, NCSU. Collaborators
were FS and MeadWestvaco.
Fall River Long-Term Site Productivity –
Constance Harrington, FS; Warren Devine, FS; David Peter,
FS; Thomas Terry, Weyerhaeuser; Adrian Ares, Weyerhaeuser;
and, Robert Harrison, University of Washington.
Assessing the Impact of Intensive Forest Management
Practices on Wood Formation and Quality at the Level of Gene
Expression – Jeffery Dean, University
of Georgia at Athens (UGA); Campbell Nairn, UGA; Michael Cunningham,
International Paper; and, William Rottmann, ArborGen.
Soil Productivity and Nutrient Management of Mid-Rotation
Sweetgum and Sycamore SRWC Plantations –
Carl Trettin, FS; Mark Coleman, FS; Devendra Amatya, FS; Tim
Callahan, College of Charleston; and, Michael Kane, International
Paper.
Nutrient Supply and Demand: Relationship to Long-Term
Soil Productivity, Silviculture, and Forest Floor Management
– Andrew Scott, FS; Thomas Dean, Louisiana State University;
Mary Sword, FS; and, Jim Barnett, FS. Collaborators are International
Paper, Temple-Inland, Roy O. Martin Timber, and Weyerhaeuser
Rapid Techniques for Screening Wood Properties
for Genetic Improvement of Loblolly Pine –
Laurence Schimleck, UGA; and, Bailian Li, NCSU. Collaborators
are FS and Wood Quality Consortium.
For more information, contact: Bryce Stokes, 703-605-5263,
bstokes@fs.fed.us
Department
of Energy