Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA GRANTS 070312 001
Apply for USDA GRANTS 070312 001
- The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Accelerating the Dispersal and Impact of the Predatory beetle Laricobius nigrinus against Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Adelges tsugae in the 7 County High Country Region of Northwestern North Carolina" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.025 Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 3, 2012 and posted on Jul 3, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 2, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $60,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- 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).
- For profit industries, Land Grant Universities, Non Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture, State Agricultural Experiment Stations and State Governments.
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Opportunity Summary:
This grant opportunity, offered by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), supports a targeted biological control project aimed at reducing damage from hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), Adelges tsugae, in the seven-county High Country region of northwestern North Carolina. The core idea is to speed up the establishment, spread, and effectiveness of Laricobius nigrinus, a predatory beetle that is a specialized natural enemy of HWA. The project is designed as a “catalyst” for a broader, ongoing regional effort, with an emphasis not only on releasing predators but also on building local capacity through education, training, field rearing, collection, and redistribution. A secondary component includes work tied to another predator, Scymnus coniferarum, which at the time of the announcement was expected to receive permission for field release, with the longer-term intent of building a more complete predator community similar to what exists in the Pacific Northwest.
The background logic for the grant is drawn from observed outcomes in the Pacific Northwest, where predator complexes that include L. nigrinus (and potentially Scymnus coniferarum) can impose high predation pressure on HWA. Rather than eliminating HWA entirely, these predators can suppress it enough that hemlock trees remain healthier over time while predator populations persist in a self-sustaining way. APHIS is essentially trying to recreate that functional balance in eastern forests, where HWA has been far more destructive due to the lack of an equivalent natural enemy community. In practical terms, the project focuses on accelerating dispersal and increasing on-the-ground impacts by improving how releases are planned, how populations are monitored, and how the insects are sourced and redistributed across the region.
APHIS laid out six specific objectives. First, the project will monitor the phenology (seasonal timing), host specificity, impact, and spread of existing L. nigrinus populations at the three oldest release sites in northwestern North Carolina. This monitoring is to be done through periodic beat sheet sampling, a field method where branches are tapped so insects fall onto a sheet for collection and counting, allowing practitioners to track predator presence, timing, and abundance. Second, the grant supports organizing beetle collection events and hands-on training sessions so local partners can participate in collection and redistribution efforts, which is important for scaling biocontrol beyond what a single agency team could accomplish alone. Third, the project includes travel to the Seattle area to collect L. nigrinus (within its established range in the Pacific Northwest) and ship those beetles back to cooperating partners in the North Carolina High Country for immediate field release, reflecting a direct pipeline from collection to deployment.
The fourth objective is to release collected beetles into seven new insectary sites, with one site established in each county in the High Country region. These insectary sites function as strategic release and establishment locations intended to serve as local “source” populations over time, supporting natural dispersal into surrounding hemlock stands and enabling future collections. The fifth objective is to apply information gained from life history and monitoring studies to improve the overall biocontrol strategy across a wider geography, not just the initial counties. This includes refining release timing and placement, increasing establishment success, supporting population growth (numerical distribution), encouraging dispersal, and ultimately increasing measurable predation impact on HWA throughout the southern and central Appalachian region. The sixth objective focuses on data sharing and technology transfer: results and methods are to be entered into the appropriate APHIS and Forest Service HWA databases and shared through regionally relevant meetings and publications so the broader management community can use the findings.
From an administrative and funding standpoint, this was a discretionary grant opportunity in the agriculture category, listed under CFDA 10.025 (Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care). APHIS anticipated making one award, with an estimated total funding amount of $60,000, and no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted on July 3, 2012, with an application deadline of August 2, 2012, and an archive date of September 1, 2012. Eligibility was open to a mix of institutional types, including for-profit industries, land-grant universities, non-land-grant colleges of agriculture, state agricultural experiment stations, and state governments (with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement). A contact was provided for access issues with the full announcement: Eileen Berke, Management Analyst, at 301-851-2856.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this USDA APHIS grant opportunity about?
This USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) grant supports a targeted biological control project to reduce damage from hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), Adelges tsugae, in the seven-county High Country region of northwestern North Carolina.
What pest problem is the project trying to address?
The project targets hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an invasive forest pest that has been especially destructive to eastern hemlock forests due to the lack of a comparable natural enemy community found in its native or long-associated ranges.
What is the main biological control organism emphasized in this project?
The core focus is on Laricobius nigrinus, a predatory beetle described as a specialized natural enemy of HWA. The project aims to speed up its establishment, spread, and effectiveness in the target region.
Is there a secondary predator included in the scope of work?
Yes. A secondary component includes work tied to another predator, Scymnus coniferarum. At the time of the announcement, this predator was expected to receive permission for field release, with a longer-term intent of building a more complete predator community.
What does APHIS mean by calling the project a "catalyst"?
The project is intended to accelerate and strengthen a broader, ongoing regional effort. Beyond releasing predators, it emphasizes building local capacity through education, training, field rearing, collection, and redistribution so the work can scale across partners and persist over time.
What outcomes is the project trying to achieve in the forest?
The goal is not necessarily to eliminate HWA, but to suppress it enough that hemlock trees remain healthier over time while predator populations persist in a self-sustaining way. This approach is based on observed outcomes in the Pacific Northwest.
Why is the Pacific Northwest referenced in the grant description?
The Pacific Northwest is used as a model because predator complexes that include L. nigrinus (and potentially Scymnus coniferarum) can impose high predation pressure on HWA there. APHIS aims to recreate a similar functional balance in eastern forests.
Where will the project take place?
The targeted area is the seven-county High Country region of northwestern North Carolina. The project also indicates an intent to inform biocontrol strategy across a wider geography, including the southern and central Appalachian region.
How many specific objectives did APHIS lay out for this grant?
APHIS described six specific objectives for the project.
What is Objective 1 of the project?
To monitor the phenology (seasonal timing), host specificity, impact, and spread of existing L. nigrinus populations at the three oldest release sites in northwestern North Carolina using periodic beat sheet sampling.
What is beat sheet sampling, as described in the opportunity?
Beat sheet sampling is a field method where branches are tapped so insects fall onto a sheet for collection and counting. In this project, it is used to track predator presence, timing, and abundance.
What is Objective 2 of the project?
To organize beetle collection events and hands-on training sessions so local partners can participate in collection and redistribution efforts, helping scale biological control beyond what a single agency team could do alone.
What is Objective 3 of the project?
To travel to the Seattle area to collect L. nigrinus within its established range in the Pacific Northwest and ship those beetles back to cooperating partners in the North Carolina High Country for immediate field release.
What is Objective 4 of the project?
To release collected beetles into seven new insectary sites, with one site established in each county in the High Country region.
What are the insectary sites intended to do?
The insectary sites are strategic release and establishment locations intended to become local source populations over time, supporting natural dispersal into surrounding hemlock stands and enabling future collections.
What is Objective 5 of the project?
To apply life history and monitoring information to improve biological control strategy across a wider geography. This includes refining release timing and placement, increasing establishment success, supporting population growth, encouraging dispersal, and increasing measurable predation impact on HWA throughout the southern and central Appalachian region.
What is Objective 6 of the project?
To share data and transfer methods by entering results into the appropriate APHIS and Forest Service HWA databases and sharing information through regionally relevant meetings and publications.
How many awards did APHIS anticipate making under this opportunity?
APHIS anticipated making one award.
What was the estimated total funding amount?
The estimated total funding amount was $60,000.
Is there a cost share or match requirement?
No. The opportunity specified that there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What type of grant opportunity was this?
This was a discretionary grant opportunity in the agriculture category.
What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity was listed under CFDA 10.025, titled "Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care."
When was the opportunity posted and when was it due?
The opportunity was posted on July 3, 2012, and the application deadline was August 2, 2012.
When was the archive date for the opportunity?
The archive date was September 1, 2012.
Who was eligible to apply, based on the summary provided?
Eligibility was open to for-profit industries, land-grant universities, non-land-grant colleges of agriculture, state agricultural experiment stations, and state governments, with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement.
Who should be contacted for access issues with the full announcement?
The contact listed for access issues was Eileen Berke, Management Analyst, at 301-851-2856.
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