Project Grant 2424997

This $829,191 National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Grant award under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) supports research to understand how wildfires impact water availability and quality in the wet montane forests of Oregon's Willamette National Forest. The project will measure snow accumulation, soil infiltration, and water chemistry across watersheds with varying levels of vegetation loss and soil burn severity to evaluate how these factors affect water production and storage. Six students will be supported and trained to communicate the research findings to the public. The goal is to provide critical insights to forest managers on how wildfires, which are becoming more frequent, are affecting vital water resources in this region. No sub-awards are planned for this 3-year project, which will commence on August 1, 2024.