Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) | G22AS00194

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the main purpose of this USGS funding opportunity?

The opportunity supports a synthesis-focused research effort to improve understanding and projection of wildfire risk across North America under climate change. The work is centered on integrating long-term (multi-century) fire history derived from tree-ring fire scars with modern wildfire records, then using those combined insights to strengthen future wildfire projections at regional to continental scales.

2) What is the core project theme described in the solicitation?

The core theme is: "Synthesis of the new North American tree-ring fire-scar network using past and present fire-climate relationships to improve projections of future wildfire." In practical terms, this means compiling and analyzing a large, continent-wide tree-ring fire-scar dataset and linking it with present-day fire records and climate information.

3) What types of data are expected to be synthesized?

A central expectation is to synthesize the North American tree-ring fire-scar network and merge it with contemporary wildfire datasets. The outcome is intended to be an integrated fire history spanning multiple centuries, connecting annually resolved evidence of past fires (tree-ring scars) with the relatively short modern fire record.

4) Why are tree-ring fire scars important for this project?

Tree-ring fire scars provide annually resolved evidence of past fire occurrence in many forest types. When assembled across broad geographies, they can reveal patterns in fire frequency, extent, and synchrony that are not visible in modern records alone.

5) What role does climate reconstruction play in the project?

The solicitation emphasizes leveraging recent advances in paleoclimate reconstruction methods and the extensive network of tree-ring chronologies to reconstruct seasonal climate variables. The goal is to connect fire occurrence to climate conditions relevant to fire behavior and fire occurrence, not just broad climate averages.

6) What climate variables or metrics are considered especially relevant here?

The description highlights tailoring reconstructions to fire-relevant climate factors such as seasonal moisture balance, drought indices, temperature patterns, and other metrics that better capture fire-season conditions and fuel aridity.

7) What kinds of scientific analyses does the solicitation specifically call for?

The solicitation outlines several scientific approaches and deliverables, including: (1) multi-century spatio-temporal analysis of fire-climate relationships across North America, (2) investigation of climate drivers behind changing synchrony of wildfire, (3) analysis of cyclical properties of fire occurrence tied to major ocean-atmosphere oscillations, and (4) combining historical and modern fire-climate relationships to improve projections of future wildfire potential under climate change.

8) What does "multi-century spatio-temporal dynamics in fire-climate relationships" mean in this context?

It refers to examining how the relationship between fire and climate changes through time (multi-century) and varies across regions of North America (spatial). The project is expected to assess whether fire-climate links strengthen, weaken, or shift under different climate regimes.

9) What is meant by "synchrony of wildfire," and why is it a focus?

Synchrony refers to widespread fire years when many locations burn in the same year (or in tightly clustered periods). The opportunity seeks analysis of the climate patterns that align fuels and weather across large areas, producing continent-scale or multi-region fire years.

10) Which large-scale climate oscillations are named in the solicitation?

The solicitation specifically mentions the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Arctic Oscillation as examples of major ocean-atmosphere oscillations of interest for understanding cyclical properties and potential predictability in fire occurrence.

11) Why does the opportunity discuss "cyclical properties" of fire occurrence?

The stated intent is to evaluate whether recurring climate modes (such as ENSO and the Arctic Oscillation) help explain periodic patterns in fire activity, and whether those cycles could provide predictive capacity for anticipating elevated fire potential.

12) How does the opportunity connect historical fire evidence to future wildfire projections?

A key expectation is to combine historical (tree-ring derived) and modern fire-climate relationships to improve projections of future wildfire potential. The long-term record is meant to clarify how climate variability and long-term warming influence fire potential, then use that understanding to improve forward-looking assessments under continued climate change.

13) Who is the sponsoring agency and which USGS entity is associated with this opportunity?

The sponsoring agency is the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The opportunity is associated with the John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis.

14) What type of funding instrument is used?

The solicitation uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument.

15) Under what program was this opportunity issued?

It was issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.

16) What are CESUs, according to the description provided?

CESUs are partnership networks designed to support research, technical assistance, and education, with an emphasis on collaboration between federal agencies and affiliated partners.

17) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to organizations that are participating partners of the Rocky Mountain CESU. This means it is not described as an open competition for all applicant types.

18) What is the opportunity number and CFDA number?

The opportunity number is G22AS00194, and the CFDA number is 15.808.

19) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling) listed?

The award ceiling is listed as $100,000.

20) What are the key dates shown in the opportunity record?

The creation date shown is February 2, 2022, and the original closing date is March 2, 2022.

21) Does the provided information specify how many awards will be made?

The announcement indicates an expectation of awards, but the provided text does not clearly specify a numeric count.

22) How is the activity classified in the listing?

The listing identifies the agency as the Geological Survey (USGS) and classifies the activity under "Science and Technology and other Research and Development."

23) What geographic scope is implied by the research theme?

The scope is North America, with an emphasis on regional to continental-scale understanding and projections of wildfire potential.

24) What is the overall intended outcome of the proposed synthesis work?

The overall intent is a synthesis-oriented, continent-scale fire-climate research effort that links paleofire evidence from tree rings with modern datasets and climate reconstructions to strengthen understanding of wildfire variability and improve projections of future wildfire.