The northeast region of the National Park Service (NPS) has proposed an ambitious effort to improve forest resilience and prepare for the effects of climate change by addressing forest regeneration debt (Miller et al. 2023) in 17 northeastern and mid-Atlantic parks. If funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, this initiative will include environmental assessments and implementation of management action to increase tree regeneration in park forests. An important component of the effort will be evaluating current park-level efforts to estimate deer population size and developing a consistent regional approach for long-term deer monitoring.
Project Timeline: Funding decisions for a start in FY 2023 will be announced by mid-April. If this project is approved, funds will be obligated by September 30, 2023. If the project is not approved for FY 2023, it will be competed for a start in FY 2024, and funds would be obligated in spring 2024. Regardless of the start date, the project is expected to take two years.
Funding Source: National Park Service
For more information see the Request for Letters of Research Interest.