McIntire-Stennis (MS) Cooperative Forestry Research Program
The McIntire-Stennis (MS) Cooperative Forestry Research Program awards federal funding for forestry research and graduate education programs at state-certified schools of forestry and Land-Grant Institutions in the United States. The original legislation that provided this funding, a bipartisan initiative of Congressman Clifford McIntire (R) of Maine and Senator John Stennis (D) of Mississippi, was signed by President Kennedy in 1962. MS Program funds are distributed to each state based on a formula that considers the non-federal commercial forestland area, the annual timber harvest volume, and total non-federal forestry research expenditures. Funds are administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
The University of Washington has received MS funding since the first year of this program. The School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS) distributes the award via an annual internal RFP process. The goals of the MS program align with the SEFS vision to provide world-class, internationally-recognized knowledge and leadership for environmental and natural resource issues by providing support for faculty-led forestry research and graduate student training.
Purpose
The purpose of the MS Program is to:
- Increase forestry research on forest productivity, utilization, and protection;
- Train future forestry scientists; and
- Involve other disciplines in forestry research.
Who Can Apply?
Who can apply?
- SEFS Faculty are eligible to apply
- Assistant Professors, Research Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, Research Associate Professors, Professors, Research Professors, Professor of Practices, Assistant/Associate/Professors WOT
- Faculty who have not received an award in the two previous years
Eligibility
To satisfy NIFA’s 2025 McIntire-Stennis Request for Proposals, all proposed MS projects must fall into one or more of seven legislatively mandated forestry research areas:
- Reforestation and management of land for the production of crops of timber and other related products of the forest;
- Management of forest and related watershed lands to improve conditions of water flow and to protect resources against floods and erosion;
- Management of forest and related rangeland for production of forage for domestic livestock and game and improvement of food and habitat for wildlife; management of forest lands for outdoor recreation;
- Protection of forest land and resources against fire, insects, diseases, or other destructive agents;
- Utilization of wood and other forest products;
- Development of sound policies for the management of forest lands and the harvesting and marketing of forest products; and
- Other studies as may be necessary to obtain the fullest and most effective use of forest resources.
In addition, proposed projects should address three critical goals as described in the current MS Strategic Plan:
- Create the future generation of forestry educators, scientists, and practitioners through graduate education;
- Build and sustain strategic relationships that enhance overall program effectiveness and support; and
- Communicate and educate the importance, impact, and successes of the McIntire-Stennis Program.
SEFS MS Program Guidelines
SEFS MS program awards are dependent upon available NIFA funding.
SEFS encourages faculty to use MS funding to support graduate students for up to two years. Each award will consist of 2 quarters of graduate support during each academic year (0.5 FTE) and 1 summer quarter (to be used in either year 1 or 2) of support. Faculty must show their matching plan to support the graduate student for the remaining 2 quarters. Faculty are also encouraged to use the funds for recruitment of new graduate students starting in the autumn quarter following proposal submissions. Students can be at any level of their graduate education; priority is given to current SEFS students.
Faculty who serve as PI for McIntire Stennis funded proposals are excluded from the competition for the next two years. However, these faculty can serve as co-PIs for new projects.
Awards must be fully spent each year. Extensions or funding continuations between project years are not allowed. Purchases of supplies or equipment must be conducted before the end of each budget period, and materials must be received in time for legitimate use on the project. Separate UW Grant Worktags are established for each year of a project.
Due to USDA-NIFA policies, any foreign travel for MS projects must receive prior approval from the sponsor, and MS funds may not be subcontracted to non-UW entities. In order for international research activities to be entertained by the sponsor, the following must be addressed in the proposal:
- A clear link to how the research will provide benefits to the American people and Agriculture and
- Define why the proposed work cannot be done in the United States. McIntire-Stennis is a domestic program so all work should be focused on improving the domestic forest resources.
Annual Deadlines & How to Apply
Annual Fall Round
- The internal SEFS RFP is released annually the second week in October or before.
- For the current SEFS 2026 MS RFP, submissions are due on Monday, November 3, 2025.
- Awards will be announced by the last day of Autumn Quarter, Friday, December 13, 2025.
All internally selected projects must submit a formal proposal to USDA-NIFA due in July 2026. Further details and the required template will be provided to award recipients.
Research will begin after NIFA formally approves each project, with a target start date of September 16, 2026.
Application Instructions
1. Complete the SEFS MS Cover Sheet.
- Please note that you are asked to address the eligibility criteria in this form and in the White Paper as specified below.
2. Prepare a White Paper no longer than four pages, single-spaced, 11pt font minimum, that meets the following requirements:
- Provides a summary of the scientific project, including objectives and methods, as well as expected results. Addresses the program criteria listed above in the “Eligibility” section. (two pages maximum)
- Includes a budget justification. (one-page maximum)
- Includes References Cited as needed. (one-page maximum)
3. Draft a project budget using the MS Budget Template that meets the following requirements:
- Includes the level of funding for the type of graduate student you anticipate hiring. You may budget up to 4 academic quarters and 1 summer quarter of funding for the student.
- Includes any required project essentials such as supplies and travel costs, not to exceed $5,000 per proposal.
- Uses Schedule 3. Per USDA-NIFA requirements, indirect costs and direct tuition are not allowed in the budget.
- Describes how you will meet the 1:1 cost sharing obligation. For every dollar in award funds, one dollar in cost sharing is required using non-federal funds. Refer to the SEFS Cost Share Policy for additional information.
4. Submit your proposal packet via email by Monday, November 3, 2025 to SEFS Budget/Fiscal Analyst Lead Tricia O’Hara.
Please note: Letters of support and/or collaboration, survey instruments, etc., will not be evaluated and should not be included as supplements to the proposal.
Questions about the application? Email Tricia (tjohara@uw.edu) and/or join her Zoom office hours at the times below:
- October 14th, 21st and 28th
- 9am-11am PST
- Zoom link
FAQ
Q: When are applications for funding due?
A: Research proposals are typically due the third Friday in November for the Annual Fall Round. See more details in the “Annual Deadlines & How to Apply” section above.
Q: What materials are required to apply for funding?
A: See the “Application Instructions” section under “Annual Deadlines & How to Apply” above.
Q: How much funding is available?
A: SEFS receives annual McIntire-Stennis (MS) funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The total amount of this award for Washington State is calculated based on our non-federal forestry research expenditures, the area of non-federal commercial forest land, and the volume of timber cut annually. The Governor determines how much funding the UW (SEFS) receives, and how much goes to WSU.
The SEFS Research Committee convenes and determines how many research projects we can award using the newest grant and any remaining MS funds from previous cycles. Typically this results in about 3-4 new funded projects per year.
Q: What are the allowable uses for funding?
A: For a two-year research project proposal, SEFS encourages applicants to use NIFA funds to pay for seven quarters of student researcher salary/wages plus benefits. This is intended to cover Fall-Summer quarters in the first year of the project, and fall-spring quarters in the second year.
Once those costs are covered, other allowable uses of the funds include contractual services, travel costs, supplies and materials, and equipment.
Please reach out to Tricia O’Hara with any questions about specific uses of the funds.
Q: What are the cost sharing requirements to receive MS funding?
A: NIFA requires a 1:1 cost sharing match for this award. Cost sharing must be contributed from non-sponsored awards that directly benefit the MS project, and incur expenses during the timeframe of the MS project. Typical sources of cost sharing include faculty effort, third-party contributions, non-faculty UW employee effort, supplies, services, or other project expenses. The MS program does not allow for any indirect costs on these grants, so UIDC is not an allowable source of cost sharing. Please refer to the SEFS Cost Share Policy for further information.
Q: What kinds of research projects are a good fit for MS funding?
A: Refer to the introduction, “Purpose,” and “Eligibility” sections above, as well as examples from “Current and Past Projects” below. We encourage creative submissions and welcome all ideas.
Current and Past Projects
Current Projects
FFY 2025
September 2025-September 2027: “Testing environmental regeneration thresholds to support dry forest management and resilience” PI: Julie Larson, Co-PI: Brian Harvey.
September 2025-September 2027: “Understanding community capacity to prepare for smoke events and the social dimensions of scaling-up prescribed burning in the Washington State, U.S.A.” PI Francisca Santana, Co-PI Ernesto Alvarado.
September 2025-September 2027: “Assessing Healthcare Cost Savings of Forest Proximity in Washington” PI: Josh Lawler, Co-PIs Sergey Rabotyagov, Greg Bratman, Spencer Wood.
FFY 2024
September 2024-September 2026: “Riding on the winds of change: Does wind-dispersal of fungal propagules determine patterns of elevational range expansion for forest trees?” PI: Claire Willing, CO-PI: Brittany Johnson.
September 2024-September 2026 “SoilRx: A spatially explicit machine learning tool for mapping forest soil moisture.” PI: L. Monika Moskal. Co-PI: Brittany Johnson. Co-I: Meghan Halabisky.
FFY 2023
September 2023-September 2025: “Linking deer behavior to forest health on Tribal lands.” PI: Alex McInturff, Co-I: Aaron Wirsing & Laura Prugh. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Molly Rambeau.
September 2023-September 2025: “Assisted migration of coast redwood in Washington.” PI: Gregory Ettl, Co-I: Bernard Bormann & Rolf Gersonde. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Dano Holt.
September 2023-September 2025: “The Production and Use of Non-Timber Forest Products in Washington State, Opportunities for Growth, and Climate Change.” PI: Kent Wheiler. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Alec Solemslie.
September 2023-September 2025: “The effect of mixed severity wildfires on pollinator populations.” PI: Patrick Tobin, Co-I: Ernesto Alvardo. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Autumn Maust.
FFY 2022
September 2022-September 2024: “Production of biodegradable plastic composites using forest sourced materials.” PI: Rick Gustafson, Co-I: Anthony Dichiara. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Alexandrea Maerz.
September 2022-September 2024: “Model-based coupling of winter hardiness and spring phenology in Pacific Northwest conifers.” PI: Soo-Hyung Kim, Co-I: Greg Ettl. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Miro Stuke.
FFY 2021
This work is supported by McIntire-Stennis grant no. NI21MSCFRXXXG056 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
September 2021-September 2023: “Leveraging Forest Resources in the Fight Against the COVID-19 Pandemic & Beyond.” PI: Anthony Dichiara, Co-I: Renata Bura. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Dylan Edmundson.
September 2021-September 2023: “Consequences of Forest Fires in Western Cascadia: Post-Fire Woody Carbon and Future Fire Risk.” PI: Brian Harvey, Co-Is: David Butman, Daniel Donato, Joshua Halofsky. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Jenna Morris.
September 2021-September 2023: “Enabling Wildfire as a Management Tool for Sierra Nevada Forest Management.” PI: Van Kane, Co-I: L. Monika Moskal. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Hannah Redford.
September 2021-September 2023: “Developing a Web-Based Financial Analytical Tool for Small Forest Landowners Facing Swiss Needle Cast-Associate Growth Losses in Coastal Washington State.” PI: Sándor Tóth, Co-I: Bernard Bormann.
September 2021-September 2022: “Livestock Grazing and Wildlife Interactions on National Forests.” PI: Beth Gardner. Graduate Student Research Assistants: Sarah Bassing Linch, Olivia Sanderfoot.
September 2021-September 2022: “Equitable Health Benefits of Natural Climate Solutions.” PI: Joshua Lawler, Co-Is: Philip Levin, Jeremy Hess. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Kristin Hayman.
September 2020-September 2022: “Implementing the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act in the US Forest Service: Case Studies of Recreation Fee Programs.” PI: Clare Ryan. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Lauren Newton.
Past Projects 2015-2021
September 2020-September 2021: “A Drone-Based Approach Toward Plant Conservation: Population and Habitat Modeling of Showy Stickseed (Hackelia Venusta).” PI: L. Monika Moskal, Co-I: Wendy Gibble. Graduate Student Research Assistants: Andrew Foster, Anthony Stewart.
September 2020-September 2021: “Climate Warming and Forest Insect Outbreak Dynamics of the Pacific Northwest.” PI: Patrick Tobin, Co-I: Gregory Ettl. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Alex Pane.
September 2019-September 2021: “From the Forest to the Assiette: Renewable Nanoproducts for Food Preservation.” PI: Renata Bura, Co-I: Anthony Dichiara. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Sheila Goodman.
September 2019-September 2021: “Fuels and Chemicals from Bettle-Killed Trees: Comparing the Economic Viability and Environmental Impact of Products.” PI: Anthony Dichiara, Co-I: Rick Gustafson. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Dylan Edmundson.
September 2019-September 2021: “Evaluating the Effects of Smoke Pollution on Human and Wildlife Behavior on U.S. Forest Service Land.” PI: Beth Gardner. Graduate Student Research Assistants: Olivia Sanderfoot, Sarah Bassing Linch, Robert Emmet.
September 2019-September 2021: “Forest Carnivore Restoration and Mountain Beaver Pest Control in Washington.” PI: Laura Prugh. Graduate Student Research Assistants: Kayla Dreher, Heather Milne, Rebecca Windell.
September 2018-September 2021: “Capacity Building for Advanced Understanding of Microbial Processes in Forest Soils and Waters.” PI: Heidi Gough. Student Research Assistants: Benjamin Therrien, Jacqueline Kobal, Amberose Longrie.
September 2018-September 2020: “Reducing Uncertainty and Enhancing Management Decisions in the U.S. Wood Product Industry: Developing an Interactive, Multi-Source, Wood Products Global Trade Database.” PI: Kent Wheiler.
September 2018-September 2020: “Improving Forest Management and Conservation with Airborne LiDAR Data Across Western Oregon.” PI: Van Kane, Co-I: L. Monika Moskal. Graduate Student Research Assistants: Vivian S. Griffey, Caden Chamberlain, Saba Saberi.
September 2018-September 2020: “Effective Duration of Fuels Treatments on Resistance to Severe Wildfire and Postfire Resilience in Interior Pacific Northwest Forests.” PI: Brian Harvey, Co-Is: Jonathan Bakker, Ernesto Alvarado-Celestin, Derek Churchill, Daniel Donato, Joshua Halofsky. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Donald Radcliffe. Student Research Assistants: Hannah Wilson, Madison Stone, Madison Laughlin, Sarah Burrington, Hiruni Jayasekera, Marcela Todd Zaragoza, Sienna Patton, Michael McNorvell.
September 2018-September 2020: “Forest Ecosystems Services in Urban and Peri-Urban Settings for Removal of Emerging Contaminants from Roadway Run-Off.” PI: Heidi Gough. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Abigail Kargol. Student Research Assistants: Christy Johnson-Garrett, Chardai Thomas, Benjamin Therrien, Amberose Longrie, Jacqueline Kobal.
September 2018-September 2019: “Seeing the Forest Through the Soil: Do Soil Chemical and Physical Characteristics Explain Variance in the Response of Pinus Ponderosa Growth to Climate?” PI: Brittany Johnson, Co-Is: Adam Csank, Benjamin Sullivan. Graduate Student Research Assistants: Jalene Weatherholt, Alexandra Niedzwiecki.
September 2018-September 2019: “Lagrangian Pricing of Climate Uncertainty in Discount Premiums for Spatially Explicit Forest Planning Models.” PI: Sándor Tóth, Co-I: Weikko Jaross. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Bawinabadi Bagaram.
September 2018-September 2019: “Land-Based Carbon Mitigation: Generating Knowledge to Support Strategies for Reducing Atmospheric Carbon-Related Greenhouse Gases While Improving Forest Health and Preparing Communities for Climate Change.” PI: Gregory Ettl, Co-Is: Daniel Brown, David Butman, Indroneil Ganguly, Brian Harvey. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Stacey Dixon, Pegah Jalali.
September 2014-September 2017: “Analysis of Spatial Patterning in Natural Douglas-Fir—Western Hemlock Forests and Applications in Restoration of Managed Forests.” PI: Jerry Franklin.
September 2017-September 2019: “Do Stand-Thinning Treatments Promote Resistance and Resilience of Forests to Insects and Fire? Unlocking Insights from Over Seven Decades of USFS Experimental Forest Plots.” PI: Brian Harvey, Co-Is: Jerry Franklin, Michael Battaglia, Mark Harmon, Charles Rhoades, Thomas Veblen. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Michele Buonanduci. Student Research Assistants: Jenna Morris, Felicity Carroll, Sahale Riedle, Arielle Link, Nicole Lau, Thadeus Sternberg, Aileen Liu.
September 2017-September 2018: “Arsenic Contamination in the Pacific Northwest: Mechanisms for Endophytic Arsenic Tolerance to Improve the Phytoremediation of Arsenic Contaminated Soils.” PI: Sharon Doty. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Robert Tournay.
September 2017-September 2018: “Effects of Non-Native Plants on Native Bees in the Pacific Northwest.” PI: Patrick Tobin, Co-I: Jonathan Bakker. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Lila Westreich. Student Research Assistant: Kendra Potoshnik.
September 2017-September 2018: “Curriculum Development to Improve Integration and Inter-Disciplinary Learning in Two Undergraduate Programs in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington.” PI: Richard Gustafson, Co-I: Shannon Ewanick.
September 2016-September 2018: “Trophic Relationships of Reintroduced Fishers in the South Cascades.” PI: Laura Prugh. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Mitchell Parsons.
September 2016-September 2018: “Sustainable Development of Nanosorbents by Catalytic Graphitization of Woody Biomass for Water Remediation.” PI: Anthony Dichiara, Co-I: Renata Bura. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Sheila Goodman.
September 2016-September 2018: “High-Value Chemicals and Gasoline Additives from Pyrolysis and Upgrade of Beetle-Killed Trees.” PI: Fernando De Resende, Co-I: Anthony Dichiara. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Heather Wise.
September 2016-September 2018: “Bigleaf Maple Decline in Western Washington.” PI: Patrick Tobin, Co-I: Gregory Ettl. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Jacob Betzen. Student Research Assistant: Kendra Potoshnik.
September 2015-September 2017: “Metal Deposition Along an Urban-Wildland Gradient in the Puget Sound Region.” PI: Patrick Tobin, Co-I: Thomas DeLuca. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Amanda Bidwell.
September 2015-September 2017: “Potential Soil Carbon Stocks and Turnover Across Privately-Operated Forest Stands in the Pacific Northwest: Understanding the Radiocarbon Age, Quality, and Lability of Soil Organic Carbon Within Douglas Fir Plantations.” PI: David Butman, Co-I: Robert Harrison. Graduate Student Research Assistants: Jason James, Christiana Dietzen.
September 2015-September 2017: “Market and Environmental Assessment of Cross-Laminated Timber Production in the Olympic Peninsula: Mid-Rise Non-Residential Construction Application.” PI: Indroneil Ganguly, Co-Is: Ivan Eastin, Kathrina Simonen. Postdoctoral Researcher: Francesca Pierobon.
September 2015-September 2017: “Biomass Equations for Coastal Douglas Fir by Stand Density, Age, Relative Dominance, and Location.” PI: Eric Turnblom, Co-I: Robert Harrison. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Fletcher Harvey.
September 2015-September 2016: “Modeling the Effects of Forest Management on Snowshoe Hare Population Dynamics in Washington at the Landscape Scale.” PI: Aaron Wirsing. Graduate Student Research Assistant: Laurel Peelle.