Determining drivers of floodplain forest regeneration success and failure on the Upper Mississippi River in Minnesota and Wisconsin | W81EWF 23 SOI 0010

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 23 SOI 0010

This grant opportunity, titled "Determining drivers of floodplain forest regeneration success and failure on the Upper Mississippi River in Minnesota and Wisconsin," focuses on a growing crisis in Upper Mississippi River (UMR) floodplain forests and the lack of reliable, region-specific guidance on how to reverse it. These floodplain forests are described as essential for water quality, wildlife habitat, and recreation, but they are increasingly at risk of crossing ecological "tipping points" where forested areas can abruptly shift into non-forest conditions. The opportunity frames the problem as the result of multiple interacting pressures, including changing climate patterns, invasive species (with a strong emphasis on reed canarygrass), forest health threats such as Dutch elm disease and emerald ash borer, herbivory, low tree-species diversity, and aging stands that are not producing enough new trees to replace the canopy as it declines.

The need for the work is underscored by inventory findings across the UMR floodplain in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and northeast Iowa (Pools 1 through 10). In that region, regeneration is reportedly completely absent on 57 percent of forest inventory plots. Where regeneration does exist, nearly a quarter of those plots are dominated by ash or elm seedlings, species that are unlikely to persist long-term because of insect and disease pressures. The grant description argues that without viable regeneration of a broader mix of floodplain trees, many of these forests are likely to transition into non-forest cover types over coming decades as mature canopy trees die off. While proactive management could reduce the risk of forest loss, the opportunity highlights that current management often fails because the mechanisms controlling regeneration in this part of the UMR are not well understood and institutional knowledge is limited.

The project is designed to identify what site conditions and management actions actually drive successful establishment and early growth of floodplain trees, with particular emphasis on light-seeded, early successional species that historically rely on specific disturbance and hydrologic conditions to regenerate. The key focal species named are eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides), silver maple (Acer saccharinum), and river birch (Betula nigra), though the opportunity leaves room to include additional floodplain species. A central idea is that floodplain regeneration is strongly shaped by gradients in light availability, flood inundation, and soil saturation, so the research is intended to measure regeneration outcomes across those gradients rather than treating floodplains as uniform environments.

The work is organized around three main objectives. Objective 1 is a seedling-based study that builds quantitative relationships between seedling survival and growth and the physical conditions that shape floodplain forests, specifically light availability, flooding regime, and soil moisture. Seedling size is explicitly included as part of these relationships, meaning the study is not only about where seedlings can survive, but also how initial size or size over time relates to survival and growth under different conditions. This objective puts particular emphasis on measuring the biophysical effects of saturated soils in the rooting zone, with the intent of describing soil conditions that are necessary (or prohibitive) for establishment and early growth.

Objective 2 shifts toward applied management testing. It evaluates whether site preparation treatments can create seedbeds that allow light-seeded species to establish from seed, either naturally dispersed or through hand seeding. The treatments described include chemical site preparation using herbicide, mechanical site preparation that breaks up the soil surface, and a combined chemical plus mechanical approach. After treatments, supplemental seeding is planned to increase the likelihood of capturing seed-based establishment. Monitoring under this objective is geared more toward stand-level vegetation responses than tracking individual seedlings in detail; plots within treatment areas are meant to quantify seedling density by age and size class, along with the cover of competing vegetation. The goal is to determine how effective each treatment is across the same light and hydrologic gradients used in Objective 1, which helps translate results into guidance that managers can apply in different floodplain settings rather than a single site type.

Objective 3 is about building longer-term value from the study by establishing long-term monitoring plots. These plots are intended to provide baseline information on the development of stands of light-seeded species from the earliest stages (stand initiation) through later structural phases (including stem exclusion). In other words, the project is not only trying to answer whether seedlings establish, but also setting up a framework to track whether those cohorts can develop into functioning young forest stands over time.

The desired outcomes mirror these objectives and emphasize usable, quantitative deliverables. For Objective 1, the opportunity calls for preliminary quantitative guidelines that help identify physical conditions most suitable for successful regeneration of key floodplain species across Pools 1 to 10. It also seeks quantitative relationships linking seedling size to survival and growth across the measured gradients, with the longer-term intention that these relationships could inform "target seedling characteristics" (for example, what size class or stock type is most likely to survive in certain saturation or light conditions). For Objective 2, the outcomes include an assessment of how viable chemical and mechanical site preparation treatments are for promoting natural regeneration across light and hydrologic gradients, as well as baseline expectations for seedling densities and early growth rates in stands originating from seed.

From a logistics and timeline standpoint, the opportunity anticipates field data collection over at least three growing seasons for both the seedling planting study and the site preparation/seeding trials. Interim analysis is expected along the way, with final analyses planned for the fourth year. The award is structured as a cooperative agreement through the Department of Defense, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, under a science and technology/research and development category (CFDA 12.630). The funding opportunity number is W81EWF 23 SOI 0010, with an anticipated single award and an award ceiling listed at $61,592. The posting dates indicate the opportunity was created April 19, 2023, with an original closing date of June 20, 2023.

Overall, the grant is aiming to move floodplain forest regeneration in this part of the UMR from trial-and-error toward evidence-based decision-making. By combining controlled planting across environmental gradients, real-world site preparation and seeding trials, and longer-term monitoring infrastructure, it is designed to produce both near-term management guidance and a foundation for understanding how regenerated cohorts perform as they transition into young stands, especially in the face of invasive vegetation pressure, altered hydrology, and ongoing tree health threats.

• The Department of Defense, Engineer Research and Development Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Determining drivers of floodplain forest regeneration success and failure on the Upper Mississippi River in Minnesota and Wisconsin" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 19, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 20, 2023. (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 $61,592.00 in funding.
• 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).

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