Opportunity Information: Apply for A1580090354
Apply for A1580090354
- The National Park Service in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bark beetles, fuels and future fire hazard in contrasting conifer forests of Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem" and is now available to receive applicants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 4, 2009 and posted on Aug 4, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 6, 2009. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $375,051.00 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).
- This is a single source award to University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI. The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activities based upon a variety of demonstrable factors. The PI brings more than 15 years of research into fire related ecological processes in the Yellowstone area landscape. The PI has demonstrated the ability to map landscape level forest insect outbreaks using a variety of advanced techniques as well to understand the ecological consequences of such disturbances. Moreover, team members have previously demonstrated the ability to work together successfully and productively.
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Opportunity Summary:
This National Park Service grant opportunity focuses on a practical and urgent problem facing forest and park managers across the western United States: bark beetle outbreaks and large wildfires are both increasing in extent and severity, and climate change is widely suspected to be a key driver behind these trends. The project is centered in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), where decades of prior work provide a strong baseline for comparing how forests respond when insect epidemics and fires overlap in time and space. The core idea is to move beyond general assumptions and produce evidence about how bark beetle-caused tree mortality changes forest fuels, how that translates into future fire hazard, and whether common management actions taken after beetle outbreaks actually reduce the chances of severe fire.
The studies are designed to build on more than 20 years of research in the GYE along with newer, ongoing work examining beetles and fire in lodgepole pine forests. The proposal recognizes that insects and fire are not just isolated disturbances; they interact in ways that can reshape fuel structure (for example, the amount and arrangement of dead needles, branches, standing dead trees, and downed logs), which in turn influences the likelihood of intense fire behavior. Even though bark beetles and wildfire have major ecological and economic consequences, the opportunity statement emphasizes that there is still surprisingly limited scientific clarity on how fire hazard changes after beetle epidemics, or how effective post-outbreak fuel treatments are.
The research is organized around three main questions that are framed as testable hypotheses. First, it asks how beetle outbreaks alter fuel profiles and resulting fire hazard differently in two contrasting conifer forest types: lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir. This is important because the same disturbance can produce very different fuel conditions depending on species traits, stand structure, and how mortality unfolds over time, so the project aims to avoid one-size-fits-all conclusions. Second, it examines how prior bark beetle infestation influenced the severity of recent fires in both forest types, and whether experiencing both disturbances in sequence (beetles followed by fire) undermines forest recovery. In other words, it is not only about whether a fire burns hotter or spreads faster, but also about what happens afterward: whether regeneration, surviving trees, and longer-term ecosystem recovery are compromised when beetle outbreaks and wildfire compound each other. Third, it evaluates which post-beetle fuel treatments are most likely to change the hazard of subsequent severe fire in lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir forests. The description specifically notes management practices such as removing beetle-killed trees and/or removing remaining smaller trees, with the broader goal of determining what treatments actually work, under what conditions, and in which forest types.
Administratively, this is a discretionary grant funded through a cooperative agreement, categorized under biological/research activities. The opportunity anticipated a single award with an estimated total funding level of $375,051 and no cost-sharing or matching requirement. Eligibility was not open competition; it was explicitly designated as a single-source award to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The justification given is that the principal investigator and team are uniquely qualified based on extensive experience studying fire-related ecological processes in the Yellowstone region, demonstrated capability in mapping landscape-scale insect outbreaks using advanced techniques, and a proven track record of productive collaboration among team members.
Key dates indicate the opportunity was posted on August 4, 2009, with an original and current closing date of August 6, 2009, and an archive date of September 5, 2009. For access issues related to the full announcement, the listed contact was Tonya Bradley, Contract Specialist, with a provided phone number. Overall, the grant is aimed at producing actionable, ecosystem-specific science to guide post-beetle management decisions and improve understanding of how insect-driven mortality influences future wildfire hazard and forest resilience in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the main purpose of this National Park Service grant opportunity?
The opportunity supports research aimed at improving scientific, evidence-based understanding of how bark beetle outbreaks change forest fuels and wildfire hazard, and whether common post-outbreak management actions actually reduce the likelihood of severe fire. The work is framed as a practical response to increasing bark beetle outbreaks and large wildfires across the western United States, trends that are widely suspected to be influenced by climate change.
What problem is this project trying to address?
The project targets a key uncertainty facing forest and park managers: how insect-driven tree mortality (from bark beetles) alters fuel structure and, in turn, affects future fire behavior and fire hazard. It also addresses the limited clarity on whether fuel treatments commonly applied after outbreaks (such as removing dead trees and/or smaller remaining trees) meaningfully reduce severe-fire risk.
Where is the research focused?
The research is centered in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). This location is important because decades of prior work in the region provide a strong baseline for evaluating how forests respond when bark beetle epidemics and wildfires overlap in time and space.
Why is the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) a strong setting for this study?
The opportunity statement highlights that the GYE has more than 20 years of related research that can be used as a baseline, along with newer ongoing work examining beetles and fire in lodgepole pine forests. This long-term context makes it possible to compare conditions before and after overlapping disturbances more rigorously than in many other places.
How does the opportunity describe the relationship between insects and wildfire?
It treats insects and fire as interacting disturbances rather than isolated events. Bark beetle-caused mortality can reshape fuel structure (including dead needles, branches, standing dead trees, and downed logs). These changes can influence the likelihood of intense fire behavior, so the project aims to clarify when and how beetle outbreaks increase, decrease, or otherwise alter fire hazard.
What forest types are specifically included in the research?
The project focuses on two contrasting conifer forest types: lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir. The grant description emphasizes that these forest types can respond differently to the same disturbance due to species traits, stand structure, and how mortality unfolds over time.
What are the main research questions or themes?
The work is organized around three main, testable questions (framed as hypotheses): (1) how beetle outbreaks alter fuel profiles and fire hazard in lodgepole pine versus Douglas-fir forests; (2) how prior bark beetle infestation influenced the severity of recent fires in both forest types and whether sequential disturbances affect forest recovery; and (3) which post-beetle fuel treatments are most likely to change the hazard of subsequent severe fire in each forest type.
What does the project mean by changes to "fuel profiles" after beetle outbreaks?
Fuel profiles refer to the amount and arrangement of combustible material in the forest. The opportunity specifically points to fuels such as dead needles, branches, standing dead trees, and downed logs, which can shift over time following insect-caused tree mortality. These fuel changes are central to understanding potential changes in fire hazard.
Does the project look only at fire behavior, or also at what happens after fires?
It addresses both. The second research question explicitly includes whether experiencing both disturbances in sequence (beetles followed by fire) undermines forest recovery. That includes concerns about regeneration, surviving trees, and longer-term ecosystem recovery, not just whether a fire burns more intensely.
What management actions or fuel treatments are mentioned?
The description notes post-beetle management practices such as removing beetle-killed trees and/or removing remaining smaller trees. The broader goal is to determine what treatments actually work, under what conditions, and in which forest types.
Is this grant intended to support general wildfire research across the West?
No. While the problem is described as widespread across the western United States, the work itself is ecosystem-specific, centered in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and designed to produce actionable science relevant to that setting and the forest types examined.
What type of funding mechanism is used for this opportunity?
This is a discretionary grant funded through a cooperative agreement. The administrative category is listed under biological/research activities.
How many awards were anticipated under this opportunity?
The opportunity anticipated a single award.
What was the estimated total funding level?
The estimated total funding level was $375,051.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No cost-sharing or matching requirement was stated for this opportunity.
Who was eligible to apply for this grant?
Eligibility was not open competition. The opportunity was explicitly designated as a single-source award to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Why was this listed as a single-source award?
The justification provided is that the principal investigator and team were considered uniquely qualified due to extensive experience studying fire-related ecological processes in the Yellowstone region, demonstrated capability in mapping landscape-scale insect outbreaks using advanced techniques, and a proven track record of productive collaboration among team members.
When was the opportunity posted, and what were the closing and archive dates?
The opportunity was posted on August 4, 2009. The original and current closing date was August 6, 2009. The archive date was September 5, 2009.
Is the opportunity still open?
No. Based on the listed closing date (August 6, 2009) and archive date (September 5, 2009), the opportunity is closed and archived.
Who was listed as the contact for access issues related to the full announcement?
The listed contact for access issues was Tonya Bradley, Contract Specialist, with a phone number provided in the announcement.
What is the intended outcome or value of the research for managers?
The grant is aimed at producing actionable, ecosystem-specific science to guide post-beetle management decisions. In particular, it seeks to clarify how insect-driven mortality influences future wildfire hazard and forest resilience, and whether specific fuel treatments measurably reduce the risk of severe fire.
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