CFRU Request for proposals now open through January 13, 2023!

The CFRU is seeking research pre-proposals now through January 13, 2023. Pre-proposals will be ranked by our advisory committee and if selected, you will be asked to present an overview of your project at our winter meeting on January 26, 2023. If approved, we will ask you to submit a more detailed full proposal and presentation in April. Funding becomes available July 1, 2023.

We are seeking to fund 6-8 projects, running 2-3 years in length, with an annual budget anywhere from $20-45K. Other things to consider when applying: we have 10% overhead costs at the CFRU, our members like to see past CFRU projects or other research leveraged, as well as additional funding sources. It is to your advantage to keep the pre-proposal brief and easy to understand by someone who is not a researcher. 

Based of a recent member survey, areas of particular interest include:

• Remote sensing research for stand predictions as well as wildlife
• Silvicultural practices addressing carbon sequestration
• Plantation studies
• Carbon and climate studies
• Forest health topics (white pine weevil, balsam woolly adelgid, white pine needle diseases)
• Utilizing our existing long-term research network, MASN, for nested research projects, in wildlife, silviculture, and remote sensing

Our membership is vast and interests range from industrial forest challenges to conservation research. You can find our most recent prospectus here, with more details on member interests. Want to discuss your research idea specifically before forming a proposal? Email regina.smith@maine.edu.