Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Texas at Austin received a $483,157 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Earth Sciences, under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050), awarded April 15, 2026, with completion targeted for March 31, 2029. The project will produce fundamental research outputs addressing forest productivity and drought recovery dynamics, including peer-reviewed scientific publications, tree-ring chronologies, and analytical datasets linking deep soil moisture measurements to satellite-derived water balance data. The research will generate insights into the mechanisms underlying prolonged forest impacts following drought, particularly examining whether delayed deep root-zone moisture recovery explains extended periods of reduced tree growth and streamflow even after precipitation returns to normal levels.

The deliverables include original tree-ring records combined with analysis of rare multiyear deep soil moisture measurements and publicly available tree-ring chronologies integrated with satellite observations. Products will advance scientific understanding of forest response to drought stress and inform evidence-based forest management practices. The project supports workforce development through student research training, consistent with the Geosciences program's emphasis on building the national scientific enterprise. No subawards are planned for this research effort.