The connecticut agricultural experiment station receives mcintire stennis act capacity funding to address the challenges and priority areas identified by connecticut residents

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station $639,270 under the Cooperative Forestry Research program (CFDA 10.202) on October 1, 2025, to conduct forest management and sustainability research and urban forestry research in Connecticut through September 30, 2027.

The award funds multiple applied research projects addressing forest health and resilience. Research includes laboratory and field work using DNA fingerprinting to identify spread pathways of the BLD nematode (Litylenchus crenatae); evaluation of biological control agents, including the introduced ladybeetle predator (Sasajiscymnus tsugae), to manage hemlock woolly adelgid and investigation of climatic factors influencing that pest; and examination of tree regeneration and understory plant community composition changes following emerald ash borer–induced ash mortality, including assessment of forest management practices on understory dynamics across affected areas. Urban forestry research develops strategies to enhance stress tolerance in urban trees, supporting public health, urban livability, carbon emissions reduction, and biodiversity in Connecticut's urban forest canopy, which has the highest proportion of forest cover in the United States.

Work is performed in New Haven, Connecticut. The McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research program supports eligible state-certified forestry research institutions to increase forest research in production, utilization, and protection of forestland and to train future forestry scientists.

The priority research areas include: (1) management and sustainability of forest resources: for example, mcintire stennis project accession no. 7009136 supports both laboratory and field work, is using the highly informative DNA fingerprinting system developed at the caes to identify pathways of spread of the BLD nematode, litylenchus crenatae. Another example is mcintire stennis project accession no. 1024391 exploring the use of biological controls to control hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA, adelges tsugae), along with investigating the influence of climatic factors on HWA. Biological control agents, including the introduced ladybeetle predator (sasajiscymnus tsugae), are the only viable alternative to maintaining this integral part of our forest ecosystems. Another example is mcintire stennis project accession no. 7006711 that has been examining how the composition of regenerating trees and understory plant communities change over time following ASH tree decline and mortality from emerald ASH borer (EAB), including surveying understory plant composition and examining factors influencing understory that community across the EAB chronosequence, as well as investigating forest management practices on understory dynamics following EAB invasion. (2) urban forestry: for example, mcintire stennis project accession no. 1023745 is developing strategies to enhance stress tolerance in urban trees. Connecticut's urban areas have the highest proportion of forest cover in the united states and maintainance of a healthy canopy cover in urban areas is critical for public health, habitability of urban areas, reduction and abatement of carbon emissions, and biodiversity. Research will benefit not only urban residents, but municipal officials and arborists responsible for maintaining tree health