Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Science Foundation's Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (ECO-CBET program, CFDA 47.041) awarded $799,430 to the University of California, Davis, effective October 1, 2025, through July 31, 2027, to develop quantitative metrics and scientific understanding of how surface-fuel attributes resulting from forest restoration practices affect wildfire severity and forest carbon storage. The research addresses the critical national challenge of reducing high-severity wildfires in western U.S. forests by investigating the relationships between mechanical thinning and mastication treatments—forest management practices that remove smaller, fire-resistant trees while preserving larger specimens—and subsequent fire behavior outcomes. The project will establish the importance of heterogeneous fuel characteristics and develop modeling and analytical capabilities to inform forest management decisions that optimize both fire risk reduction and carbon storage in forested mountain watersheds.

This collaborative research initiative contributes to the NSF Engineering program's broader mission of fostering innovation in environmental engineering and natural resource management while supporting critical national priorities in infrastructure resilience and ecosystem health. The outputs will include scientific metrics, quantitative models, and data-driven guidance for practitioners implementing forest restoration strategies, ultimately advancing the field's understanding of how management-induced changes in forest structure and fuel loading influence fire dynamics across multiple spatial and temporal scales.