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The Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund) supports sustainable communities and environmental stewardship by funding research, scholarships and education programs essential to the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry. TREE Fund Research Fellowships are multi-year grants, designed to empower transformative arboriculture research by emerging scholars, in support of the TREE Fund's research priorities. While rigorous, actionable research findings are the primary desired outcome of this program, Research Fellowships are also purposefully designed to empower the academic arboriculture community for years to come - by investing in the careers of pre-tenured professors and scientists in meaningful ways that support their own professional development, even as they expand the knowledge base in their respective fields.

The goal of the Tree Research & Education Endowment Fund grant programs is to provide support for research and technology transfer projects that are in keeping with the TREE Fund's mission and priorities as well as addressing topics that have the potential of benefiting the everyday work of arborists. Research Fellowship grants are designed to address a specific topic as defined by the TREE Fund Board of Trustees and to provide support to a young scientist who is being mentored by an established and published scientist. Projects are expected to be completed within three to five years. One $100,000 grant will be awarded annually. No project may receive more than one award from this program. Please note that funds cannot be used to pay for overhead expenses or student tuition and fees. Priority Areas: The TREE Fund research priority areas are derived from the Revised National Research and Technology Transfer Agenda for Urban and Community Forestry. Proposals in the following priority areas are more likely to be funded, but all proposals will be considered. Root and soil management Plant health care Risk assessment and worker safety Urban forestry

The Jack Kimmel International Grant Program, championed by the Canadian TREE Fund, honors the late Jack Kimmel who was the former Director of Parks for the City of Toronto. He is remembered for his contribution of 46 years of leadership to the ISA and its Ontario chapter. Jack Kimmel grants provide much needed funding to arboriculture and urban forestry researchers all over the world. This grant is administered by the TREE Fund, with participation from the Canadian TREE Fund in the evaluation process. Projects are expected to be completed within one to three years. Grant award amounts are limited to a maximum of $10,000 and will vary depending upon the adjudged value of the project relative to the needs of the arboriculture community. No project may receive more than one award from this program. Please note that funds cannot be used to pay for overhead expenses or student tuition and fees. Priority Areas The TREE Fund research priority areas are derived from the Revised National Research and Technology Transfer Agenda for Urban and Community Forestry. Proposals in the following priority areas are more likely to be funded, but all proposals will be considered. Root and soil management Plant health care Risk assessment and worker safety Urban forestry

The National Capital Region Network (NCRN) monitors 425 permanent forest vegetation plots, distributed among 11 park units. Stand age is generally not known for these plots, which has complicated the interpretation of monitoring data. The measurement goals of this project are to (1) estimate stand age at each of the long-term monitoring plots and (2) generate a record of the historical pattern of tree growth as recorded by tree rings. Analysis of these data will focus on building models of tree growth based on (1) community composition and estimates of competition, (2) climate variables related to growing season length and precipitation timing, and (3) remote sensing observations of vegetation cover. From these models, we expect to gain a better understanding of the sensitivity of tree growth to climate, disturbance, and long-term successional processes. Eight common species will be included in the study, affording the opportunity to compare across the most dominate species in the parks, and summarize their historic growth patterns and potential for future growth.

The U.S. Forest Service will support projects in the Great Lakes basin that implement the following strategic, priority actions: * restore tree canopy lost to infestation by emerald ash borer * create or improve green infrastructure through the planting of trees and other vegetation as part of a local management strategy to maintain and enhance urban watersheds. * restore the structure and function of coastal wetlands and lake-affected riparian areas through planting of native trees and diverse vegetation.

Task 1.0Habitat Preferences of the elf owl in riparian habitat:The applicant shall design a study to obtain a description of the habitat within the home range, home range size, and activity budget of the elf owl within riparian areas where they are breeding. For this study Reclamation is interested in larger scale habitat parameters such as species of cavity tree or cactus, species of roosting tree or cactus, sheltering substrate, species of trees in riparian habitat, an estimate of canopy height and canopy cover within riparian habitat, an estimate of the mid story layer within riparian habitat, an estimate of abundance of cavities and snags, and other large scale parameters that may be important. The applicant shall use GIS to map locations of elf owl nests and large scale habitat parameters to describe foraging, roosting, nesting, and sheltering habitat. Reclamation is interested in obtaining a good description of the habitat within the home range of the elf owl but not in collecting data in non-use areas or creating habitat selection models.If any on the ground estimates are proposed for the larger scale parameters above the awardee shall work with Reclamation staff to conduct those measurements according to MSCP standards. 

The John Z. Duling Grant Program was established and funded by a bequest from the estate of John Z. Duling of Indiana, who was a strong advocate of research and proposed in 1972 the establishment of the ISA Research Trust. The goal of this program is to provide seed money or partial support for innovative research and technology transfer projects that have the potential of benefiting the everyday work of arborists. It is anticipated that Duling grantees will leverage additional dollars. Projects are expected to be completed within one to three years. Grant award amounts are limited to a maximum of $10,000 and will vary depending upon the adjudged value of the project relative to the needs of the arboriculture community. No project may receive more than one award from this program. Please note that funds cannot be used to pay for overhead expenses or student tuition and fees. Priority Areas: The TREE Fund research priority areas are derived from the Revised National Research and Technology Transfer Agenda for Urban and Community Forestry. Proposals in the following priority areas are more likely to be funded, but all proposals will be considered. Root and soil management Plant health care Risk assessment and worker safety Urban forestry

Established in 1995 to honor one of the leaders in the arboriculture industry and a founder of the ISA Research Trust, the Hyland R. Johns Grant Program funds longer term research and technology transfer projects that have the potential of benefiting the everyday work of arborists. Projects are expected to be completed within three to five years. Grant award amounts range from $7,500 to $25,000 and will vary depending upon the adjudged value of the project relative to the needs of the arboriculture community. No project may receive more than one award from this program. Please note that funds cannot be used to pay for overhead expenses or student tuition and fees. Priority Areas: The TREE Fund research priority areas are derived from the Revised National Research and Technology Transfer Agenda for Urban and Community Forestry. Proposals in the following priority areas are more likely to be funded, but all proposals will be considered. Root and soil management Plant health care Risk assessment and worker safety Urban forestry

Background: Planning for the Bear Creek cooperative project, which consists of instream restoration and barrier culvert removal, began in 2009 with local land owners, Lane County planning/engineering, BLM fisheries staff and staff from the Long Tom River Watershed Council (LTWC). The project is located within the Long Tom River 5th Field Watershed Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC). Five phases have been proposed. Phase one (Lane County) was completed in the fall of 2014 and consisted of the removal of a barrier culvert and replacement with a fish friendly pipe on County Road 4096. Phase two consists of the replacement of a fish barrier culvert on road 19-5-22.1. This culvert will be replaced in the summer of 2015 with a fish passage culvert through a BLM contract. Phase 3 and 4 will be completed under this assistance agreement. Phase five is located upstream of the above mentioned restoration work. Phase five work has been initiated by BLM fisheries staff in the summer of 2014 and consisted of pulling trees and zip lining them into the stream channel and also falling stream adjacent trees into Bear Creek. Phase 5 would occur on BLM Section 21, of T19S R5W future similar work will continue to occur based on funding. NEPA has been completed for all phases of the Bear Creek project. Match funding for this project has been awarded to BLM and LTWC cooperators for phases 3 and 4. These funds cannot be used by any other recipients.

The John Z. Duling Grant Program was established and funded by a bequest from the estate of John Z. Duling of Indiana, a strong advocate of research who in 1972 proposed the establishment of the ISA Research Trust. The goal of this program is to provide start-up or seed funding to support innovative research and technology transfer projects that have the potential of benefiting the everyday work of arborists. John Z. Duling Grants may be used to support exploratory work in the early stages of untested, but potentially transformative, research ideas and approaches. Examples may include application of new approaches to research questions, or application of new expertise involving novel disciplinary or interdisciplinary perspectives. Projects are expected to be completed within one to three years with a maximum grant award of $25,000. No project may receive more than one award from this program. Due to the similarity of the Jack Kimmel International Grant and John Z. Duling Grant, applicants may submit to only one of these programs per annual project funding cycle. Note Well:  In 2020, TREE Fund's John Z. Duling Grant program will be focused specifically on urban forest management. Suggested areas of inquiry are (but are not limited to): Inventory and/or resource assessment; Development of management guidelines; Establishment, quantification and/or maintenance of ecosystem services; Pest/pathogen management; Assessing/maximizing returns on investments in urban forests;

The National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council seeks innovative (new, cutting-edge or builds upon existing studies) grant proposals for program development, study, and collaboration that will address strategies in the Ten Year Action Plan. Specifically for this Request for Proposals, the Council is considering proposals to address the following priority issues:* Making Urban Trees and Forests More Resilient to the Impacts of Natural Disasters and the long-term Impacts of Climate Change* Green Infrastructure Jobs Analysis* Utilizing Green Infrastructure to Manage and Mitigate Stormwater to Improve Water Quality Organizations, local governments, tribal agencies, and partnerships are encouraged to submit proposals that will demonstrate the reach, resources, and expertise needed to address the three priority issues in ways that will lead to meaningful, replicable results across the country.Potential Innovation grantees are should work collaboratively with other organizations and entities not traditionally involved in urban and community forestry.Applicants should consider multi-year projects and other sources of funds, which may include other Federal cooperative conservation sources.

2015 Forest Service National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Deadline: December 15, 2015 The Secretary of Agriculture has a congressionally designated advisory council that assists the U.S. Forest Service in establishing the grant categories and recommendations of final proposals for the Forest Service to consider. This is the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC). The Council serves to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the status of the nation's urban and community forests and related natural resources. The NUCFAC seeks to establish sustainable urban and community forests, by encouraging communities of all sizes to manage and protect their natural resources, which, if well managed, improves the public's health, well-being, economic vitality, and creates resilient ecosystems for present and future generations. The Council recommends urban and community forestry projects that have national or multi-state application and impact through the U.S. Forest Service's competitive Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program. This year, the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC) has identified three national grant categories: 1. Analysis and Solutions for Development and Redevelopment Impacts on Urban and Community Forests, 2. Building Human Health Through Urban and Community Forestry, and 3. Climate Change and Its Impact on Trees and Water. An applicant may apply to more than one category; however they are to use a separate application for each category. The purpose of these grants is to address national issues. This RFP is not for local or State-wide projects. Click on link http://www.fs.fed.us/ucf/nucfac.shtml for full information on the 2016 Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant. Search [CFDA number: 10.675], or [Grant Opportunity No.: USDA-FS-UCF-01-2016]. The grant applications are to be submitted through www.grants.gov. Contact Nancy Stremple, Natural Re

OVERVIEW When approved, this Award of $235,250 will fund the second phase of investigation for the Hemlock Forest Restoration Project Study (aka Hemlock Project). This Project is the first of-its-kind comprehensive, quantitative assessment of the water-cycle consequences (both positive and negative) of forest restoration in a Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest. The 12,000-acre landscape-restoration project site known as the Hemlock Project is located in the Stanislaus National Forest and Mokelumne River basin, which is an area that Congress has authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to investigate for water storage and improved water-management reliability in the Mokelumne River basin. The Hemlock Project is being managed with the involvement and cooperation of the Stanislaus National Forest who expects that the Hemlock Project's forest modifications will restore watershed functions by creating different forest-stand structures and densities. These modifications have multiple benefits including reducing the forest's susceptibility to insect, disease, and drought-related mortality; reducing surface fuels, increasing the height to canopy, and decreasing crown density; retaining large, fire-resistant trees; maintaining and enhancing wildlife habitat; enhancing the extent and connectivity of aspen stands; and improving resource and watershed conditions. These actions will also enhance water-supply reliability by restoring the fraction of precipitation that leaves the basin as runoff versus evapotranspiration; guard against erosion, water-quality problems and snowpack losses associated with wildfire; and maintain water and forest health as the climate warms and evaporative demand increases. This application is for the second phase of funding, generally representing years 3 through 4 of the proposed 10 year period of investigation for the Hemlock Project Study

This project will be conducted in two phases as funds become available. Overall, the entire project will educate an array of audiences to the effects of climate change in two of Alaskas National Parks and Preserves in an interactive online fashion as told by those who have experienced or observed changes over time. It will capture through oral interviews the effects of climate change in both parks, providing opportunity for audiences to draw comparisons to two distinct regions of Alaska. Where applicable, interviews will pay particular attention to: vegetation succession; retreating glaciers; vertical advance of tree lines; changes to coastal lagoons and formation of sea ice; shoreline erosion; permafrost melt; and shifts in phenology.

The objectives of this Agreement are to improve the resilience of once-forested areas under warming and drying climate by collecting seeds from trees located in BAND that appear to drought-resistant, propagating those seeds, and planting seedlings that are within the natural range of variability for the biophysical setting of BAND, but may be better suited to the warmer drier site; and to conduct research that will inform future restoration projects in post-burned areas. In accordance with Section 4.4.2.2 of MP2006, the genetic type used in these plantings would approximate the extirpated genetic type because all of the seeds will have been collected from within BAND and the seedlings will be planted within the natural range of variability for those species. Replanting would occur on sites severely burned during recent human-caused wildfires in BAND. These fires have burned with uncharacteristic severity, the extent of which is far outside the range of historical variability. Recovery along a natural successional pathway is impeded by the extent of the high-severity patches.

Projects include a variety of ecological improvements along with targeted community outreach, education and stewardship. Ecological improvements may include one or more of the following: wetland, riparian, forest and coastal habitat restoration; wildlife conservation, community tree canopy enhancement, water quality monitoring and green infrastructure best management practices for managing run-off. Projects should also increase access to the benefits of nature, reduce the impact of environmental hazards and engage local communities, particularly underserved communities, in project planning, outreach and implementation. 

The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grant program seeks to develop community capacity to sustain local natural resources for future generations by providing modest financial assistance to diverse local partnerships focused on improving water quality, watersheds and the species and habitats they support.  Projects include a variety of ecological improvements along with targeted community outreach, education and stewardship. Ecological improvements may include one or more of the following: wetland, riparian, forest and coastal habitat restoration; wildlife conservation, community tree canopy enhancement, water quality monitoring and green infrastructure best management practices for managing run-off.  Projects should increase access to the benefits of nature, reduce the impact of environmental hazards and engage local communities, particularly underserved communities, in project planning, outreach and implementation.

The objectives of this project are to utilize developed protocols and templates, updated as necessary, to inventory bureau collections at LTRR, and enter information on an estimated 71,000 archeological and natural history specimens into a web-accessible catalog linked to centralized scientific data repositories and catalog the specimens into ICMS. Protocols for identifying and processing specimens will be evaluated jointly and refined continuously to improve efficiency.