Formula Grant NI26MSCFRXXXG039

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Fort Valley State University $255,544 under the Cooperative Forestry Research program (CFDA 10.202) on October 1, 2025.

The award funds a McIntire-Stennis research project that uses LiDAR and GIS technology to quantify forest carbon storage potential across multiple ecosystem types in Georgia. The project will capture LiDAR data at various forestry sites representing mature pine forest, cleared pine forest tract, urban forest, and non-forest grassland ecosystems. Researchers will correlate calibrated LiDAR data with field biomass measurements to develop biomass estimation models visualized per-tree, then apply these models across entire survey areas to produce GIS biomass distribution maps and carbon storage estimates. This work addresses the gap in detailed, precision forestry carbon data currently unavailable through traditional methods, providing small forestry landowners and conservation practitioners in Georgia with granular geospatial intelligence to optimize carbon resource management and guide restoration efforts.

Performance occurs at Fort Valley, Georgia, with a period from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. McIntire-Stennis funds are expected to be fully expended in the fiscal year of appropriation; fifty percent of FY 2025 allocation may carry over into FY 2026 and must be expended by September 30, 2026, unless a waiver for greater carryover is approved by the National Program Leader.