Minnesota agricultural experiment station (MAES) uses mcintire stennis funds to conduct research related to the production, utilization, and protection of forestland, to train forestry students,…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $1.582 million to the Regents of the University of Minnesota under the Cooperative Forestry Research program (CFDA 10.202) on October 1, 2025, for forestry research and education through the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.

MAES conducts research on forest production, utilization, and protection; trains forestry students; addresses invasive species and local energy innovations; and integrates other disciplines into forestry research. Research projects protect forests from insect threats, diseases, and weather fluctuations; incorporate new management techniques and technologies in forest management plans; and improve forest inventory approaches and public policies. Expected outcomes include new knowledge, techniques, technologies, and policies that advance forestland production, utilization, and protection. Beneficiaries include forestland owners, public and private forest and wildlife managers, tribal communities, forest product industries, recreationalists, and the general public across rural, suburban, urban, and tribal communities in Minnesota and surrounding states.

Work is performed at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The period of performance runs through September 30, 2027. As a formula grant, funds are distributed to state-certified institutions as designated by the Governor or designee. McIntire-Stennis funds must be fully expended in the fiscal year of appropriation, though current policy allows 50 percent carryover into the next fiscal year, with complete expenditure required by September 30 of the carryover year.

Minnesota agricultural experiment station (MAES) uses mcintire stennis funds to conduct research related to the production, utilization, and protection of forestland, to train forestry students, economic growth, invasive species, local energy innovations, and to involve other disciplines in forestry research. MAES activities, from the use of mcintire stennis funds, help to fulfill our role in education, research, and outreach to advance the science and management of our forests and natural resources for generations to come. Research projects focus on a wide range of forestry topics including protecting forests from insect threats, diseases, and weather fluctuations, incorporating new management techniques and technologies in forest management plans, and improving forest inventory approaches and public policies. Expected outcomes include the generation of new knowledge, techniques, technologies, and policies that improve the production, utilization, and protection of forestland. Beneficiaries of these research projects include forestland owners, public and private forest and wildlife managers, tribal communities, industries that depend on forest products, recreationalists, and the general public. These stakeholders span rural, suburban, urban, and tribal communities in minnesota and surrounding STA TES.