Notice of Intent | USGS 17 FA 0268

Opportunity Information: Apply for USGS 17 FA 0268

This Notice of Intent (Funding Opportunity Number USGS 17 FA 0268) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) under the Natural Resources funding activity category (CFDA 15.820). The planned award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically means the USGS expects to have substantial involvement during the project period rather than acting only as a pass-through funder. The opportunity was created on July 13, 2017, with an original closing date of July 27, 2017. The listed maximum funding amount (award ceiling) is $65,211, and eligible applicants are limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.

The project focus is on improving how researchers identify and understand stress resilience in pine species, specifically drought tolerance and resistance to bark beetle attacks. The work described centers on combining three complementary data streams: rapid genetic screening, tree ring analysis (dendrochronology), and climate data. Rapid genetic screening refers to using genetic markers or other high-throughput methods to quickly characterize genetic variation among trees or populations. Tree ring analysis provides a historical record of annual growth that can reveal how individual trees responded to past droughts, temperature shifts, and other environmental stressors. Climate data, in turn, supplies the environmental context needed to interpret growth patterns and link them to specific conditions, such as prolonged moisture deficits, heat waves, or seasonal precipitation anomalies.

By integrating genetics with tree ring and climate records, the intent is to identify pine individuals or populations that consistently perform better under drought conditions and/or show indications of surviving or withstanding bark beetle pressure. In practical terms, the combined approach can help distinguish whether certain trees did well because of favorable local conditions or because they have heritable traits that confer resilience. The integration can also support the development of predictive relationships between genetic signals and observed performance over time, which is useful for selecting trees for restoration, seed sourcing, and management actions aimed at sustaining forests under increasing climate stress and insect disturbance.

Overall, the opportunity supports applied research at the intersection of forest genetics, historical growth reconstruction, and climate analysis. The expected outcome is a clearer, evidence-based ability to flag drought-tolerant and beetle-resistant pine material, helping inform forest conservation and management decisions in the face of changing climate and escalating disturbance regimes.

• The Geological Survey in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.820.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-07-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-07-27. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $65,211.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for USGS 17 FA 0268

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