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.Apply for G19AS00076
- 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).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) funding opportunity for the Pacific Northwest CESU, offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Department of the Interior, through the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC). The opportunity supports a focused research project related to forest nutrient supply in the Oregon Coast Range.
What is the main purpose of the project?
The purpose is to generate new, applied scientific information that improves how forest managers and scientists understand long-term nutrient supply and nutrient budgeting in the Oregon Coast Range, with the goal of reducing uncertainty in forest nutrition guidelines and related management decisions.
What type of award is being offered?
The award is structured as a cooperative agreement. This indicates an expectation of collaboration and substantial involvement with USGS scientists, rather than a hands-off grant arrangement.
Who is offering and administering the opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by USGS (Department of the Interior) and is associated with the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC), within the framework of the Pacific Northwest CESU network.
What research topics are specifically targeted?
The opportunity targets two nutrient-related processes central to sustaining soil fertility and forest productivity in the Oregon Coast Range:
- Improving estimates of current nitrogen inputs from biological nitrogen fixation by red alder (a nitrogen-fixing tree common in Pacific Northwest forests).
- Clarifying the relationship between soil nitrogen and mineral weathering, the breakdown of soil minerals that releases other essential nutrients needed for tree growth.
Why is red alder important to this research?
Red alder is a key biological nitrogen fixer in the region and is a potentially significant source of nitrogen inputs to forest ecosystems. The project is seeking better estimates of how much nitrogen red alder contributes through biological nitrogen fixation across the landscape.
What is mineral weathering and why does it matter here?
Mineral weathering is the process by which soil minerals break down and release nutrients that trees need for growth. The opportunity emphasizes that while mineral weathering is recognized as an important nutrient source, its current rates, magnitude, and contribution across the Coast Range are not well quantified.
What is the key scientific motivation mentioned in the opportunity?
A key motivation comes from findings reported by Perakis and Pett-Ridge (2019), which suggest that nitrogen-fixing red alder may preferentially access nutrients that originate from mineral weathering. This implies nitrogen fixation and mineral weathering may be coupled and could jointly sustain multiple nutrient supplies, not only nitrogen.
What does it mean that nitrogen fixation and mineral weathering may be "coupled"?
In this context, coupling means the processes may influence one another in a linked way. The opportunity is seeking data that clarify how red alder influences or stimulates mineral weathering and how those effects scale from site-level observations to broader areas across the Oregon Coast Range.
What geographic area is the focus of this project?
The project is focused on forested landscapes and watersheds in the Oregon Coast Range.
What kinds of deliverables are expected?
The expected deliverable is information robust enough to improve (parameterize) forest growth models and watershed nutrient flux models used in forested Coast Range watersheds. The intent is to generate applied data that can be directly used to improve model performance and management relevance.
How will the results be used?
Results are intended to inform tools and models that support decisions about timber productivity, maintaining soil fertility, watershed health, and broader ecosystem sustainability in the Oregon Coast Range.
Why does the opportunity emphasize improving model parameterization?
The opportunity is designed to produce quantitative information that reduces uncertainty in nutrient budgeting. Better parameterization helps models represent nitrogen fixation inputs, nitrogen-related effects on weathering and nutrient release, and spatial variability of these processes across the landscape.
How many awards did USGS anticipate making?
USGS anticipated making one award.
What is the maximum funding amount available?
The funding ceiling for the anticipated single award was $48,929.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants are limited to partners within the Pacific Northwest CESU network. The opportunity notes that eligibility is clarified in the full announcement text and follows the CESU program structure for channeling research collaborations through designated network institutions and organizations.
Is this opportunity open to applicants outside the CESU network?
Based on the provided information, eligibility is limited to Pacific Northwest CESU partners, so applicants outside the CESU partner network would not be eligible under this opportunity.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number and CFDA number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is G19AS00076, and the CFDA number is 15.808.
When was the opportunity posted and what was the closing date?
The opportunity was posted on July 8, 2019, with an original closing date of July 22, 2019.
What does the cooperative agreement structure imply for project work?
It implies the project is expected to be collaborative, with USGS scientists involved in the work, rather than the recipient operating entirely independently. The structure reflects an expectation of coordination and scientific partnership.
What management problem is this opportunity trying to address?
The opportunity aims to address limited quantification of nutrient inputs and nutrient-release processes across the landscape, which constrains the ability to set reliable forest nutrition guidelines and to confidently model nutrient dynamics tied to soil fertility and forest productivity.
What specific uncertainties is the project expected to reduce?
Based on the opportunity description, the project is intended to reduce uncertainty around:
- Current rates and magnitudes of nitrogen inputs from red alder biological nitrogen fixation.
- How soil nitrogen relates to mineral weathering and nutrient release.
- How red alder may influence or stimulate mineral weathering.
- How these processes vary spatially across the Oregon Coast Range and scale from sites to landscapes.
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| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), Great Lakes Northern Forests Apply for G19AS00071 Funding Number: G19AS00071 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plains CESU Apply for G19AS00085 Funding Number: G19AS00085 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $70,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G19AS00072 Funding Number: G19AS00072 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $49,300 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unti, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G19AS00090 Funding Number: G19AS00090 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $201,200 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G19AS00091 Funding Number: G19AS00091 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $223,940 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Desert Southwest CESU Apply for G19AS00093 Funding Number: G19AS00093 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $350,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Desert Southwest CESU Apply for G19AS00095 Funding Number: G19AS00095 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $35,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G19AS00096 Funding Number: G19AS00096 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $47,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests Apply for G19AS00098 Funding Number: G19AS00098 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $111,038 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G19AS00099 Funding Number: G19AS00099 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $49,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Basin CESU Apply for G19AS00100 Funding Number: G19AS00100 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $95,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Desert Southwest CESU Apply for G19AS00101 Funding Number: G19AS00101 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $120,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G19AS00092 Funding Number: G19AS00092 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Basin CESU Apply for G19AS00094 Funding Number: G19AS00094 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $10,105 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G19AS00097 Funding Number: G19AS00097 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $47,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Basin CESU Apply for G19AS00103 Funding Number: G19AS00103 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $32,979 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU Apply for G19AS00104 Funding Number: G19AS00104 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $70,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Colorado Plateau CESU Apply for G19AS00105 Funding Number: G19AS00105 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $71,535 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU Apply for G19AS00107 Funding Number: G19AS00107 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $44,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Colorado Plateau CESU Apply for G19AS00108 Funding Number: G19AS00108 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $190,000 |
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