Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Pacific Northwest CESU | G19AS00076

Opportunity Information: Apply for G19AS00076

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Pacific Northwest CESU funding opportunity (USGS, Department of the Interior) supports a focused research project aimed at improving how forest managers and scientists understand long-term nutrient supply in the Oregon Coast Range. Offered through the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC), the award is intended for a partner within the Pacific Northwest CESU network and is structured as a cooperative agreement, reflecting an expectation of collaboration with USGS scientists rather than a hands-off grant.

The core purpose is to generate new, applied scientific information about two nutrient-related processes that are central to sustaining soil fertility and forest productivity in the region. First, the project seeks better estimates of current nitrogen inputs from biological nitrogen fixation by red alder, a common nitrogen-fixing tree in Pacific Northwest forests. Second, it targets the relationship between soil nitrogen and mineral weathering, the process by which soil minerals break down and release other essential nutrients needed for tree growth. While both nitrogen fixation and mineral weathering are recognized as important nutrient sources, their current rates, magnitudes, and relative contributions across the landscape are not well quantified, which limits the ability to set reliable forest nutrition guidelines.

A key scientific motivation comes from findings reported by Perakis and Pett-Ridge (2019), which indicate that nitrogen-fixing red alder may preferentially access nutrients that originate from mineral weathering. That link matters because it suggests nitrogen fixation and mineral weathering may be coupled in ways that jointly sustain multiple nutrient supplies, not just nitrogen alone. To translate that insight into practical management and modeling tools, USGS is seeking data that clarify how red alder influences or stimulates mineral weathering and how those effects scale from site-level observations to broader landscapes across the Coast Range.

The expected deliverable is information robust enough to improve (parameterize) forest growth models and watershed nutrient flux models used in forested Coast Range watersheds. Those models have direct economic and ecological relevance because they inform decisions about timber productivity, soil fertility maintenance, watershed health, and broader ecosystem sustainability. In short, the opportunity is designed to reduce uncertainty around nutrient budgeting in these forests by quantifying nitrogen fixation inputs, understanding nitrogen-driven effects on weathering and nutrient release, and establishing how these processes vary spatially.

Administratively, the opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number G19AS00076 under CFDA 15.808. It was posted July 8, 2019, with an original closing date of July 22, 2019. USGS anticipated making one award with a funding ceiling of $48,929. Eligible applicants are limited to CESU partners (with eligibility clarified in the full announcement text), consistent with the CESU program structure that channels certain research collaborations through designated network institutions and organizations.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Pacific Northwest CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 08, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 22, 2019. (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 $48,929.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for G19AS00076

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: