Cooperative Agreement G23AC00429

PROJECT TITLE: MANAGING ECOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION TO ENHANCE CARBON STORAGE AND BIODIVERSITYPROJECT DATES: 7 1 2023 THROUGH 6 30 2025AWARD PURPOSE: THIS WORK WILL EXPLORE KEY MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES INCLUDING NATIVE PLANT COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND MANAGEMENT OF INVASIVE SPECIES, WILDFIRE, AND ECOSYSTEM CHANGE, THROUGH A COLLABORATION BETWEEN RESEARCHERS, LAND MANAGERS AND OTHER PRACTITIONERS WITHIN THE NORTH CENTRAL REGIONAL INVASIVE SPECIES AND CLIMATE CHANGE (NC RISCC) NETWORK. RESEARCH EFFORTS WILL PRODUCE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT WHICH MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ENHANCE CARBON STORAGE, A KEY ECOSYSTEM SERVICE THAT AGENCIES WANT TO INCLUDE IN MANAGEMENT PLANS AND STRATEGIES, YET LARGELY HAVE NOT YET DONE SO. THIS PROJECT WILL IDENTIFY AREAS THAT HAVE UNDERGONE ECOSYSTEM TRANSFORMATION (I.E., MAJOR STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL CHANGES ACCOMPANYING THE TRANSITION FROM FOREST- OR SHRUB-DOMINATED AREAS TO GRASS-DOMINATED AREAS) AND QUANTIFY THE CHANGES IN CARBON STORAGE THAT HAVE ACCOMPANIED THESE TRANSFORMATIONS. STAKEHOLDERS AND RESEARCHERS WILL GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT ECOSYSTEM TRANSFORMATION IS, AS WELL AS THE CARBON CONSEQUENCES OF AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO ADDRESS ECOSYSTEM TRANSFORMATION.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: TO HELP NC STAKEHOLDERS BETTER INTEGRATE CARBON STORAGE ALONGSIDE OTHER MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES, THE RECIPIENT WILL USE AN INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK WITH REMOTE SENSING AND STAKEHOLDER INFORMATION ON TRANSFORMATION LOCATIONS TO IDENTIFY AREAS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCEDTRANSFORMATION OR ARE VULNERABLE TO FUTURE TRANSFORMATION ACROSS THE NC REGION AND WILL ALSO QUANTIFY THE CURRENT CARBON STORAGE AND CHANGES IN CARBON STORAGE ASSOCIATED WITH ECOSYSTEM TRANSFORMATIONS INVOLVING GRASS INVASION AND OR WILDFIRE WITH REMOTE SENSING AND MACHINE LEARNING APPROACHES. THIS WORK WILL BE GUIDED BY COLLABORATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN THE NC RISCC NETWORK THROUGH A SERIES OF THREE INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS WHICH WILL FACILITATE INFORMATION EXCHANGE AMONG PRACTITIONERS, AS WELL AS INFORM THE PROJECTS ANALYSIS. IN THE CULMINATION OF THESE WORKSHOPS, THE RECIPIENT WILL COLLECTIVELY EXPLORE WHICH MANAGEMENT PRACTICES LEAD TO DESIRED CO-BENEFITS (E.G., HIGHER CARBON STORAGE, NATIVE PLANT BIODIVERSITY, AND ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE) OR ENTAIL TRADEOFFS AMONG MANAGEMENT GOALS.DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES: PRODUCTS FROM THIS WORK WILL INCLUDE WORKSHOP INFOGRAPHICS, WRITTEN SUMMARIES WITH MAPS FOR A MANAGEMENT AUDIENCE ON ECOSYSTEM TRANSFORMATION (CURRENT AND FUTURE) AND CARBON STORAGE, A WORKSHOP REPORT THAT WILL BE JOINTLY WRITTEN BY WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS, AND PUBLICATIONS IN SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS.INTENDED BENEFICIARY(IES): THIS WORK CAN BE USED TO ADAPT MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR IMPORTANT ECOSYSTEM SERVICES THAT MAY BE AGENCY ORGANIZATION SPECIFIC INCLUDING CARBON STORAGE, NATIVE PLANT DIVERSITY, AND ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE, TO BETTER ALIGN ASPIRATIONS WITH ACTION. THIS RESEARCH AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT WORK IS CRITICAL TO ADDRESS THE INTERACTIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE WITH BOTH INVASIVE GRASSES AND WILDFIRE, AS WELL AS IDENTIFY ADAPTATION STRATEGIES TO RESTORE CARBON IN FORESTS AND SHRUBLANDS ACROSS THE NC REGION AFTER THESE DISTURBANCES.SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: N A