Graduations are right around the corner, and faculty are busying themselves with summer field planning. April showers also bring changes at the federal level that affects NAUFRP and our programs. I’ll start with what’s happening with our capacity funds.

Federal Budgets

Today, the FY27 Ag Appropriations Bill report was marked up in full Committee markup. I’m happy to report that our capacity programs are recommended for flat funding at $38M for McIntire-Stennis, and $4M for Renewable Resources Extension Act. While not the amounts we requested to account for inflation over the past several years, we’ll count this as a win. Contact Diomy Zamora in the NIFA national office if you have questions about your McIntire-Stennis award.

Forest Service Reorganization

USDA Secretary Rollins announced the reorganization of the Forest Service in late March. I’ve talked with several of you, and you’re no doubt talking with your Forest Service colleagues about how these changes will affect R&D. If your local Forest Service Lab or office is slated for closure, or has not yet been announced, I encourage you contact your regional Station Director to discuss how you may be able support those scientists. Maybe you’re able to co-locate them in your building. Maybe they can teach a class or serve on graduate student committees. Or maybe you have shared space and equipment that needs to be retained. The opportunities will vary by location, but our institutions can offer creative solutions to continue this important work with our federal partners. Station Directors are expecting your outreach. Contact me if you need help connecting with them or would like to discuss ideas.

NAUFRP Announcements

In other news, I’m pleased to announce that nominations are being accepted for the annual Family Forests Education Award and the Dr. Yeon-Su Kim Champion Award. The nomination process and criteria can be found in the attachments. Nominations for both programs are due by June 15, 2026. Winners will be announced at the NAUFRP General Assembly meeting in Tacoma, WA on October 6th. Nominations and questions should be directed to Terri Bates, NAUFRP Executive Liaison.

Thank you to all who completed the APLU capacity survey. This information is important to building our narrative around the value of federal capacity programs like McIntire-Stennis and the Renewable Resources Extension Act. Attached is a one-pager you can use to describe the value of NAUFRP and the McIntire-Stennis program.

A call for nominations to serve on the NAUFPR executive leadership team and subcommittees will soon be announced. Please consider serving. Your voice is important to our collective strength.

We look forward to seeing you in Tacoma in early October at the SAF National Convention. NAUFRP meetings will take place Monday afternoon, October 5 through Tuesday, October 6. Stay tuned for information on planned activities, including a new program this year focusing on academic leadership training. The joint SAF-NAUFRP leadership reception will take place Monday evening, October 5, location TBD.

Thank you for your commitment and leadership. More updates to come!

I am looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks for the NAUFRP General Assembly Meeting at the SAF National Convention in Hartford, CT.

In the morning, we will focus on national research priorities and policy updates. We will also vote on a committee name change in our bylaws. The afternoon session, including lunch

presentations, will focus on developing regional action plans. And as time allows, we will host an open feedback session to hear from the many deans and directors from around the country on topics you would like NAUFRP to focus on.

NAUFRP representatives are also welcome to join the Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 21st (9:00-4:30) in the same location.

McIntire-Stennis

We have received a number of inquiries from NAUFRP members about a request this week from USDA to provide the total investment in forestry research with non-federal funds in federal FY 2024 (October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024). The message was sent to institutions/ATRs who receive M-S funding. We’re working with our NIFA partners to understand the nature of this request and if it will be used in the upcoming M-S formula funding calculation.

As a refresher, M-S funds are allocated to member institutions on an annual basis using this formula:

1. State Allocation = Base Funds + Remaining Funds (0.40×A+0.40×B+0.20×C), where Base Funds: fixed amount of $25,000 distributed equally to each state
2. Remaining Funds: The total annual McIntire-Stennis appropriation minus the aggregate base amounts for all states, where:

• • A (Commercial Forestland): the state’s share of the nation’s total non-federal commercial forestland area (40%);
  • B (Timber Cut): the state’s share of the nation’s total annual volume of timber removed from growing stock (40%); and
  • C (Research Expenditures): the state’s share of the nation’s total non-federal expenditures on forestry research (20%).

While the pending federal government shutdown could impact the October 10 deadline, my recommendation until we hear otherwise is to do your best in aggregating your non-federal forestry research expenditures for federal FY 2024.

NAUFRP Website Update

The NAUFRP website is undergoing a much-needed refresh. The new version will launch soon with improved functionality and accessibility to better promote our collective work. I hope to share more at the upcoming General Assembly meeting in Hartford, CT.

I look forward to seeing you in Hartford and discussing these and the many other updates and issues affecting forestry and natural resource programs around the country.

It would be an understatement to say that it has been an eventful spring. Despite the challenges, we remain steadfast in our mission and continue the important work of the organization. The following are a few key updates and upcoming actions in lieu of the spring NAUFRP newsletter.

McIntire-Stennis Allocations

The second quarter McIntire-Stennis allocations were distributed to member institutions in late March. The funding levels from Q1 and Q2 appear to reflect pre-Continuing Resolution (CR) calculations. We have confirmed through APLU that the CR, which passed on March 15, is intended to fully fund McIntire-Stennis at the FY24 level. NIFA Q3 guidance is forthcoming.

For those following President Trump’s skinny budget, you saw the proposed cut to NIFA of $602M with priority to competitive programs over formula funding for McIntire-Stennis and other capacity programs. This is due in part to the misperception that capacity programs are being used to subvert the President’s Executive Order on DEI Programs and Preferencing. There is also a lack of awareness for what McIntire-Stennis does fund, like reducing the impact of wildfires on public and private forestlands, developing new forest products, and the many other ways we provide benefit to our states and local communities. I encourage you to work with your university’s government affairs office to share the impact of your McIntire-Stennis projects.

Now would be a good time to update those one-page project summaries. House members are especially interested in hearing about impacts to their districts. Senate members will be more interested in hearing about statewide impacts.

NAUFRP leadership will continue to work with our Washington Counsel, Randy Nuckolls, and with APLU to advocate for our McIntire-Stennis appropriation.

NAUFRP Website Update

The NAUFRP website continues to experience some technical difficulties that we are working to resolve. We are also looking for a new contractor to help rebuild and modernize the website to better reflect and promote our collective work. I welcome your ideas and offers of help for this reboot. A big thank you to Michigan Technological University for agreeing to host the site.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the challenges many of our programs are facing or fear will affect our ability to continue the important work of our institutions. Potential losses of federal funding, efforts to reduce overhead rates charged on grants, and the outright dismissal of federal employees have had a chilling effect on our workforce and students.

I want to assure you that NAUFRP s Washington Counsel, Randy Nuckols, is working closely with APLU and our partners to protect our McIntire-Stennis funding, and to advocate broadly for our work. It’s also important that the incoming administration hear your voices. I encourage you to work through your institutional channels to engage with your congressional delegations to share the real impact of your work on the forest resources we all cherish.

We may not be able to change the arc of disruption, but we can be a force for a better future. Our work matters. And it will continue to matter even to those intent on changing government. But it’s up to us to define how our work, and our institutions, achieve that future.

As our colleague John Carroll expressed in his letter last week to our sister organization, the National Association of University Fish and Wildlife Programs: Despite these challenges, I have no doubt in the resilience and dedication of our programs and faculty. We have weathered tough times before, and through collaboration, advocacy, and mutual support, we will find ways to navigate this moment as well.

Offer a helping hand to our federal partners. Reassure students and recent graduates. Seek ways to tell your story of our impact. And share strategies for addressing what will assuredly be continued disruption to our ways of doing business.