Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Rivers CESU | G18AS00120

Opportunity Information: Apply for G18AS00120

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), Great Rivers CESU funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G18AS00120) is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary grant offered through a cooperative agreement mechanism to support targeted research on floodplain forest canopy dynamics in the Upper Mississippi River. Issued by the Department of the Interior, USGS, and categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development (CFDA 15.808), the opportunity is designed to fund one project (Expected Awards: 1) with a maximum federal funding level of $40,453. The competition was limited to eligible CESU partners (the eligibility listing is captured broadly as "Others," with the specific clarification typically provided in the notice’s eligibility section), reflecting CESU’s purpose of leveraging federal-academic and other partner collaborations to address applied natural resource questions.

The central aim of the project is to help Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) managers better understand the current condition of floodplain forests and anticipate how these forests may change in the near to mid-term, particularly in relation to canopy loss and regeneration challenges. UMRS managers have become increasingly concerned that existing floodplain forest stands may be on a trajectory toward decline, potentially shifting from tree-dominated communities to non-forested habitats dominated by herbaceous vegetation. A highlighted risk is the expansion and dominance of invasive reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea), which can outcompete native seedlings and alter understory structure, making it harder for forests to naturally re-establish after disturbance or canopy thinning. The opportunity frames reed canarygrass as a key stressor because it can accelerate or lock in conversion away from forest, but it also notes that forest decline pressures extend beyond this single invasive species.

Another major emphasis is the demographic and structural reality that many floodplain forest overstory trees are aging, which naturally increases susceptibility to mortality and canopy gaps over time. In a healthy, self-sustaining floodplain forest, canopy losses are typically balanced by the recruitment of younger cohorts growing up from the understory. However, the opportunity points to an apparent pattern across many UMRS areas: insufficient natural regeneration. This suggests that even where mature trees still dominate the canopy today, there may be a looming failure to replace them, increasing the likelihood of long-term canopy reduction and eventual conversion to alternative vegetation states.

The notice also underscores the compounding role of invasive pests and pathogens in accelerating canopy loss. Specifically, it calls out Dutch elm disease (caused by Ophiostoma ulmi and O. novo-ulmi) and emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) as ongoing and increasing drivers of tree mortality. These agents can rapidly remove key species from the canopy and, when combined with weak regeneration and competitive invasive understory species, can create conditions where the system struggles to recover as forest. In practical management terms, this kind of information is important for predicting where and how quickly canopy gaps may expand, which species are most at risk, and whether passive recovery is likely or whether active interventions (for example, invasive control, planting, or hydrologic/landscape actions) may be necessary to maintain forest cover.

Administratively, the opportunity was posted on August 6, 2018, with an original application deadline of August 24, 2018, indicating a relatively short turnaround typical of some targeted research solicitations. Overall, the grant is a small, focused research investment intended to produce actionable science for river and floodplain forest management, particularly by clarifying trends and drivers of canopy change, regeneration shortfalls, and the risks of ecological transition from forested floodplain habitats to persistent herbaceous dominance.

• 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, Great Rivers 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 Aug 06, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 24, 2018. (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 $40,453.00 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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