Dennis Becker, Ph.D., NAUFRP President
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!
