Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00387
This grant opportunity, titled "Impact of forest restoration activities (thinning) on soil compaction and soil" (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00387), was offered by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. It was structured as a discretionary cooperative agreement in the natural resources category, with one expected award and a maximum funding amount (award ceiling) of $99,943. The opportunity was aimed specifically at public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. It was posted on June 16, 2017, with an original application deadline of June 25, 2017, indicating a short submission window and a focused, targeted research need.
The central purpose of the project is to evaluate how forest restoration treatments, especially mechanical thinning and the use of logging machinery, affect both the physical and biological condition of forest soils. The opportunity is grounded in the idea that soil communities are often ignored because they are difficult to observe and measure, even though they drive a wide range of ecosystem processes. The National Park Service is essentially seeking research that links management actions at the surface (thinning operations and equipment traffic) to changes belowground that can influence long-term forest health, resilience, and overall ecosystem functioning.
A key emphasis is the relationship between forest treatments and soil abiotic (non-living) properties. The solicitation highlights specific soil parameters that can change when heavy equipment is used or when vegetation structure is altered, including soil compaction and bulk density, hydrologic behavior, organic matter content, and overall soil carbon and nitrogen. Compaction and bulk density are important because they can reduce pore space, limit root growth, restrict gas exchange, and decrease the ability of water to infiltrate and move through soil. Hydrology-related measures such as hydraulic conductivity and infiltration rate help show whether thinning operations and machinery are changing water retention and flow, which can influence erosion risk, drought sensitivity, and regeneration success.
Alongside these physical and chemical measurements, the project also targets major soil biological groups that reflect soil health and perform different ecosystem roles. The opportunity specifically calls out nematodes, microarthropods, bacteria, and fungi. These organisms are tied to decomposition, nutrient mineralization, soil aggregation, and food web dynamics, and shifts in their abundance or community composition can signal changes in fertility, stability, and the soil's capacity to store carbon. By pairing abiotic indicators (like compaction and carbon/nitrogen pools) with biological indicators (like microbial and invertebrate communities), the project aims to produce a more complete picture of how restoration operations affect soil function rather than just soil structure.
The work is designed to examine mechanical thinning effects in two different ways (described as two experiments) across four forest types: ponderosa pine, xeric mixed conifer, mesic mixed conifer, and aspen. Including multiple forest types matters because soils, moisture regimes, organic matter inputs, and baseline communities differ widely among these systems. A thinning treatment that has minor impacts in a dry, coarse-textured site could have very different outcomes in a wetter, finer-textured or higher-organic-matter soil. By spanning xeric and mesic mixed conifer conditions as well as ponderosa pine and aspen, the study is positioned to compare whether impacts are consistent across ecosystems or whether certain forest types are more vulnerable to compaction and biological disruption.
Methodologically, the solicitation anticipates a combination of traditional field and lab measurements for soil physical and chemical properties, and a mixed approach for biological community assessment. It explicitly mentions using both microscopy-based techniques and molecular methods to quantify the abundance and diversity of bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and microarthropods. This combination implies an interest in both classic taxonomic or functional counts (for example, identifying groups under a microscope) and DNA-based tools that can capture microbial diversity more comprehensively, including organisms that are difficult to culture or distinguish morphologically.
Overall, the opportunity is asking for applied, management-relevant science that can help land managers understand the tradeoffs and potential unintended consequences of restoration thinning. The intended outcome is better evidence on how mechanical thinning and machinery use influence soil compaction, water movement, organic matter and nutrient pools, and the living soil community that supports key ecosystem processes. The results would be useful for refining thinning practices, selecting equipment or operating conditions that reduce soil damage, and improving restoration planning in different forest types managed or influenced by the National Park Service.Apply for P17AS00387
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Impact of forest restoration activities (thinning) on soil compaction and soil" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 16, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 25, 2017. (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 $99,943.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Impact of forest restoration activities (thinning) on soil compaction and soil."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is P17AS00387.
Which agency offered this opportunity?
This opportunity was offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS).
What type of funding instrument was used?
The opportunity was structured as a discretionary cooperative agreement.
What category does this opportunity fall under?
The opportunity is in the natural resources category.
How many awards were expected?
The solicitation listed one expected award.
What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The maximum funding amount (award ceiling) was $99,943.
Who was eligible to apply?
The opportunity was aimed specifically at public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.
When was the opportunity posted?
It was posted on June 16, 2017.
What was the application deadline?
The original application deadline was June 25, 2017.
How long was the submission window?
Based on the posted date (June 16, 2017) and the deadline (June 25, 2017), applicants had a short window to submit, reflecting a focused and time-sensitive research need.
What is the central purpose of the project?
The project is intended to evaluate how forest restoration treatments, especially mechanical thinning and the use of logging machinery, affect the physical and biological condition of forest soils.
What management activity is the research focused on?
The solicitation centers on forest restoration thinning, with particular attention to mechanical thinning operations and equipment traffic (logging machinery use).
Why is the opportunity focused on soils?
The solicitation is grounded in the idea that soil communities and soil processes are often overlooked because they are difficult to observe and measure, even though they drive many ecosystem processes that influence long-term forest health and resilience.
What kinds of soil impacts is the National Park Service trying to understand?
NPS is seeking research that connects surface management actions (thinning operations and machinery traffic) to belowground changes that can affect long-term forest health, resilience, and overall ecosystem functioning.
What soil physical properties are highlighted in the solicitation?
The opportunity highlights soil compaction and bulk density and also points to hydrologic behavior (including measures such as hydraulic conductivity and infiltration rate) as key physical indicators that may change due to thinning operations and heavy equipment use.
Why are soil compaction and bulk density important in this research?
The solicitation notes that compaction and increased bulk density can reduce pore space, limit root growth, restrict gas exchange, and decrease the ability of water to infiltrate and move through the soil.
Which hydrology-related measures are mentioned?
The solicitation mentions hydrology-related measures such as hydraulic conductivity and infiltration rate to assess whether thinning operations and machinery are changing water retention and flow through soils.
Why does the opportunity care about infiltration and hydraulic conductivity?
These measures help indicate whether thinning operations and machinery traffic are altering water movement and retention, which can influence erosion risk, drought sensitivity, and regeneration success.
What soil chemical or nutrient-related properties are emphasized?
The solicitation emphasizes organic matter content and overall soil carbon and nitrogen.
Which soil biological groups are specifically called out?
The opportunity specifically calls out nematodes, microarthropods, bacteria, and fungi as target biological groups for assessing soil health and soil function.
Why are nematodes, microarthropods, bacteria, and fungi important to measure?
According to the solicitation, these organisms are tied to decomposition, nutrient mineralization, soil aggregation, and food web dynamics. Changes in their abundance or community composition can signal shifts in soil fertility, stability, and the soil's capacity to store carbon.
How does the opportunity define a "complete picture" of soil impacts?
The opportunity emphasizes pairing abiotic indicators (such as compaction and carbon/nitrogen pools) with biological indicators (such as microbial and invertebrate communities) to understand how restoration operations affect soil function, not just soil structure.
How is the study design described?
The work is designed to examine mechanical thinning effects in two different ways (described as two experiments) across multiple forest types.
Which forest types are included in the project scope?
The solicitation identifies four forest types: ponderosa pine, xeric mixed conifer, mesic mixed conifer, and aspen.
Why does the solicitation include multiple forest types?
The opportunity notes that soils, moisture regimes, organic matter inputs, and baseline biological communities can differ widely among forest types. As a result, the same thinning treatment may have different outcomes depending on site conditions (for example, dry versus wet systems, or coarse- versus fine-textured soils).
Does the opportunity suggest that thinning impacts could vary by ecosystem?
Yes. By spanning ponderosa pine, xeric mixed conifer, mesic mixed conifer, and aspen, the study is positioned to compare whether impacts are consistent across ecosystems or whether certain forest types are more vulnerable to compaction and biological disruption.
What methods are anticipated for measuring soil properties?
The solicitation anticipates a combination of traditional field and laboratory measurements for soil physical and chemical properties, alongside approaches for assessing biological communities.
What methods are anticipated for assessing soil biological communities?
The solicitation explicitly mentions using both microscopy-based techniques and molecular methods to quantify abundance and diversity of bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and microarthropods.
Why does the solicitation emphasize both microscopy-based and molecular methods?
The opportunity signals interest in combining classic organism identification or functional counts (via microscopy) with DNA-based tools that can capture microbial diversity more comprehensively, including organisms that may be difficult to culture or distinguish morphologically.
What is the overall intended outcome of the funded work?
The intended outcome is management-relevant science that improves evidence on how mechanical thinning and machinery use influence soil compaction, water movement, organic matter and nutrient pools (carbon and nitrogen), and the living soil community that supports key ecosystem processes.
How might the results be used by land managers?
The solicitation indicates the results would be useful for refining thinning practices, selecting equipment or operating conditions that reduce soil damage, and improving restoration planning across different forest types connected to National Park Service management.
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