Forestry and its related products are critical to alabama's economy

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Tuskegee University $724,054 under the Cooperative Forestry Research program (CFDA 10.202) on October 1, 2025. The McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research program funds basic research, cutting-edge technologies, and applied solutions in forest management and related rangelands, addressing challenges including land use pressures, sustainability, wildfires, forest soil health, and rural economic development. The award period runs through September 30, 2027, with performance at Tuskegee, Alabama. This is a formula grant distributed to state-certified institutions as determined by the Governor or designee. Obligated funds must be fully expended in the fiscal year of appropriation, though current policy permits carryover of up to 50 percent into the next fiscal year, with those carryover funds fully expended by September 30 of the carryover year.

Recent data suggest that the agricultural and forestry industries generate an estimated $0.77 in the state economy per dollar of output translating to $10,770 per capita. Agricultural and forestry production generates 10 jobs per $1 million in direct sales and accounts for approximately 20% of all jobs in the state. Agricultural, forestry, and related industries generate an additional 9 jobs for each job in production agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.alabama has one of the most productive timberlands in the world and its forests LIE within the heart of the most productive geographical area of the united states. About 93% of alabama's timberland is owned by families, private individuals, or companies, less than 10% is publicly owned, which is the opposite of many western U.S. States. Alabama's sustainably managed timber resources are world class, continually growing in supply, and will continue to position the state as an attractive target for forest industry and more. The state grows approximately 23.1 million acres of forests with a total economic output of $27.7 billion and ranks in the top ten nationwide to produce lumber, pulp, paper, paperboard, and wood panels. The mcintire-stennis forestry research provides funding for basic research and cutting-edge technologies as well as applied critical solutions in the management of the nation's forests and related rangelands. Forestry research is global in nature and has many international dimensions and issues including global trade, invasive pests and changing environments. The US forestry industry faces several challenges including, land use pressures, sustainability, wildfires, technological advances, regulations, globalization and export markets, forest soil health, urbanization, demand for rural economic development, ecosystem services, bioenergy, access of information by small and medium size landowners and others. Solutions to all these challenges are multidimensional in nature and thus require coordinated integrative approaches. IT is therefore important that we encourage the development of our research programs to be integrative and transdisciplinary. Most information available for forestland management is geared toward large forest landowners and cannot be applied to limited resource forest landowners. Our research program will build capacity, provide leadership and continue to foster transdisciplinary and integrative approaches to F orestry research that provides solutions to small and medium sized forest landowners to increase their profitability. The program also focuses on training the next generation of forestry scientists and professionals. Tuskegee university will conduct research in the following areas: (1) advancing sustainability and profitability for small-scale under-represented minority forestry landowners; (2) sustainable forest management and recreational use for limited resource landowners in the black belt region; and (3) enhancing the grazing and feeding opportunity for livestock by expanding silvopasture and woodland-grazing practices