The university of idaho will use the mcintire stennis funding to support competitive research efforts to address critical issues facing forest and rangeland systems of idaho and the inland northwest

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Idaho $1.703 million under the Cooperative Forestry Research (McIntire-Stennis) program on October 1, 2025, for competitive research addressing forest and rangeland systems in Idaho and the Inland Northwest.

The award funds basic and applied research across four focus areas: forest and rangeland management at multiple scales for ecosystem services including timber production, water quality, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, and recreation; reforestation and restoration efforts to improve forest and rangeland health in response to wildfires, insect outbreaks, and invasive species; development of renewable wood and wood-based products; and science-based policy analysis for sustainable forest and rangeland management. Research projects are interdisciplinary, drawing faculty, staff, and students across the University of Idaho's College of Natural Resources. Graduate and undergraduate student training directly supports workforce development for state and federal land management agencies, Native American tribes, private industry, nonprofits, and local communities.

Performance period runs through September 30, 2027, with work performed in Idaho. McIntire-Stennis funds are expected to be fully expended in the fiscal year of appropriation; current policy allows 50 percent carryover into the following fiscal year, with those carryover funds fully expended by September 30 of that year.

These research projects include both basic and applied research focused broadly on the management, utilization, restoration and protection of forests and rangelands. Specific areas of focus include: 1) forest and rangeland management across multiple scales (e.g., tree, stand, landscape) for a variety of ecosystem services, including timber production, water quality and quantity, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, and recreation; 2) reforestation and restoration efforts to improve forest and rangeland health and sustainability (particularly in response to increasing wildfires, insect outbreaks, and invasive plant and animal species); 3) development of wood and wood-based products that are renewable and promote sustainable communities and development; and 4) science-based policy analysis and formulation that improves the management of sustainable forests and rangelands in response to the numerous, complex challenges (e.g., increased human development, increasing wildfires, and natural resource adaptations). Most projects funded within these focus areas are interdisciplinary in nature, BR inging together diverse teams of faculty, staff, and students across the college of natural resources and the university of idaho to find solutions to the complex issues facing idaho's forests and rangelands. The next generation of forest and rangeland scientists and professionals are an integral part of these projects. As such, the training and development of graduate and undergraduate students that results from these projects directly contributes to workforce development for state and federal land management agencies, regional native american tribes, private industry and non-profit organizations, and local communities.