Umes mcintire-stennis cooperative forestry research program: the umes mcintire-stennis cooperative forestry research program focuses on carrying out research, and developing the future workforce to…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $284,092 to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) on October 1, 2025, under the Cooperative Forestry Research program (CFDA 10.202).

UMES will conduct forestry research and workforce development focused on coastal forest ecosystems in Maryland, particularly on the Delmarva Peninsula. The work encompasses reforestation and timber management; watershed protection against floods and erosion; and forest recreation and wood product utilization. Over the five-year strategic focus, UMES will transition forest management from reactive to evidence-based resilience by conducting dendrochronology and physiological analysis to identify traits and growth patterns that allowed native trees to survive historical stress periods (drought, high salinity, pests) over the past century. The research will translate this historical knowledge into actionable management protocols and field tools for stakeholders.

Performance occurs at Princess Anne, Maryland, with a period of performance through September 30, 2027. The McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research program distributes formula funding to State-certified institutions to support forestry research, scientist training, and interdisciplinary forestry education. Funds must be expended in the fiscal year of appropriation; up to 50 percent of the allocation may carry over to the following fiscal year and must be fully expended by September 30 of that year.

Umes mcintire-stennis cooperative forestry research program: the umes mcintire-stennis cooperative forestry research program focuses on carrying out research, and developing the future workforce to carryout relevant work in forestry. Work at umes specifically focuses on forests in maryland, especially on the delmarva peninsula. The specific focus of work at umes falls into the following categories: 1) reforestation and management of land for the production of crops of timber and other related products of the forest; 2) management of forest and related watershed lands to improve conditions of water flow and to protect resources against floods and erosion, and 3) management of forest lands for outdoor recreation; utilization of wood and other forest products. Within this scope and given that coastal forest ecosystems represent a crucial stabilizing force in highly dynamic environments that are increasingly subjected to unpredictable extreme weather events and external pressures. Our strategic focus over the next 5 years will be to engage in research that supports a transition in forest management from reactive defense to proactive, evidence-based resilience. This initiati VE is designed to decode the long-term survival mechanisms of native trees, translating that historical knowledge into actionable management protocols and field tools that protect stakeholder assets, ensure the longevity of coastal systems, and enhance overall forest health and productivity. We will move beyond short-term observations to understand the mechanisms used by trees to persist over historical time scales (the past century) by conducting a dendrochronology (tree ring analysis) and physiological analysis to identify the specific traits and growth patterns that have allowed trees to survive periods of intense stress (drought, high salinity, pests) over the last 100 years. The knowledge gained from our research will be packaged directly into practical tools and management strategies for immediate field adoption. Specifically, we plan to execute comprehensive screening of coastal forest seeds to pinpoint and propagate seeds with superior natural tolerance to saltwater intrusion, explore existing passive water collection and delivery tools as a means to increasing seedling survival in salinizing systems, and integrate all findings into a new set of resilience management guidelines that forest owners can utilize to select, plant, and manage forests for maximum stability in mid-atlantic coastal systems. Research and education activities will also be continued on the forest study plot located on the umes research, extension and teaching farm. Specifically, this will be focused on developing and implementing an integrated framework that merges 3D mobile scanning data with image-based artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) techniques for tree monitoring at the study site. This will include, data acquisition, preprocessing and integration of 3D scanning and image-based AI/ML. This will lead to the development and comprehensive testing of an integrated framework that will incorporate the algorithms and AI/ML models for comprehensive tree monitoring at the study site