Hemlock Project – Phase 2 | BOR MP 18 N016

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR MP 18 N016

Hemlock Project - Phase 2 (Funding Opportunity Number BOR MP 18 N016) is a discretionary grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, under CFDA 15.517, focused on natural resources research tied to forest restoration and watershed hydrology in California's Sierra Nevada. The award amount is set at $235,250 (also serving as the award ceiling), with one expected award. The opportunity was created on April 3, 2018, and originally closed on April 17, 2018. Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and the intended recipient is the University of California, Merced (UC Merced) through a single-source justification based on unique qualifications.

The grant funds the second phase of a longer, roughly 10-year investigation known as the Hemlock Forest Restoration Project Study, or simply the Hemlock Project. Phase 2 generally corresponds to years 3 through 4 of that broader study. The project is described as the first comprehensive, quantitative effort of its kind to measure how forest restoration in a Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer system affects the water cycle, including both benefits and potential drawbacks. In practical terms, the study is designed to determine how changing forest structure through restoration treatments influences the balance between runoff (water that leaves the basin and contributes to streams and reservoirs) and evapotranspiration (water returned to the atmosphere through evaporation and plant use). A central motivation is improving water-supply reliability while also reducing risks associated with catastrophic wildfire, erosion, degraded water quality, and loss of snowpack.

The study area is a 12,000-acre landscape restoration project located in the Stanislaus National Forest within the Mokelumne River basin. This location matters because Congress has authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to investigate options related to water storage and improving water-management reliability in the Mokelumne basin. In other words, the Hemlock Project is positioned to generate applied, decision-relevant science that can inform both forest management and downstream water planning. The Stanislaus National Forest is actively involved, and the restoration concept is framed around restoring watershed function by creating a mosaic of forest stand structures and densities rather than applying a one-size-fits-all thinning approach.

On the forest management side, the restoration treatments aim to increase ecological resilience and reduce vulnerability to insect outbreaks, disease, and drought-driven tree mortality. The modifications also target wildfire risk reduction by decreasing surface fuels, increasing height to canopy (reducing ladder fuels), lowering crown density, and retaining large, fire-resistant trees. At the same time, the treatments are intended to maintain or improve wildlife habitat, expand and connect aspen stands, and improve broader resource and watershed conditions. The opportunity emphasizes that these actions can produce compound benefits: healthier forests that are less prone to severe wildfire and, potentially, improved hydrologic outcomes such as increased runoff and reduced negative post-fire impacts like sediment and water-quality impairment.

The silvicultural design explicitly references the Forest Service's GTR-220 guidance, which promotes heterogeneous forest structures across the landscape using topography (slope position, aspect, and slope shape) to vary treatment intensity. Under this framework, cooler or moister areas that historically burned less often or less severely can retain higher density and canopy cover to support sensitive species and habitat needs, while hotter, drier upper slopes (often southern aspects) trend toward lower densities dominated by larger, fire-resistant trees. Importantly, thinning decisions are described as based more on crown strata, species, and age cohorts rather than simple diameter limits, aligning with ecological restoration goals and a climate- and fire-aware management philosophy. Vegetation treatments for the project were anticipated to begin in 2018 under existing NEPA documentation (signed in October 2015), with thinning contracts expected in 2018 and the option to delay into 2019 if needed.

From a research and implementation standpoint, UC Merced engineers and hydrologists are expected to lead the field research, including installing weather stations and a sensor network, collecting intensive hydrologic and vegetation measurements, and using hydrologic modeling to compare treated and untreated (control) catchments. The study design includes monitoring at the catchment scale to isolate treatment effects, with multiple catchments identified as suitable for thinning, monitoring, and assessment. The plan describes selecting catchments so that some receive treatment under the restoration proposal while at least one remains a control, enabling before-after and treated-control comparisons that are critical for attributing hydrologic changes to management actions rather than to climate variability alone.

The Bureau of Reclamation's role is primarily technical support and interagency coordination. Reclamation anticipates assisting when requested and helping manage communication pathways with the USDA Forest Service as implementation proceeds. Specific responsibilities include coordinating with the Forest Service Pacific Southwest Regional Forester's Office and Stanislaus National Forest officials, and supporting UC Merced in sharing communications and results across Reclamation regions and with other agencies. The opportunity also notes that preliminary results may be communicated to Reclamation policy staff and Washington, D.C. leadership through the Western Watershed Enhancement Partnership (WWEP) interagency framework, highlighting an intent to translate field findings into broader operational and policy discussions.

The award is issued without full and open competition under a single-source justification citing UC Merced's unique qualifications. The rationale centers on UC Merced's specialized expertise in Sierra Nevada forestry and watershed science, its capacity to manage demanding field instrumentation and data systems, and its ability to publish and communicate results through peer-accepted research. The grant portrays the Hemlock Project as a first-of-its-kind assessment that could influence how agencies balance wildfire resilience objectives with water yield and watershed protection, making continuity and technical capability a key reason for selecting UC Merced to manage this phase.

The statutory authority referenced for making the award is the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-11), specifically Section 9509, which authorizes the Secretary to enter into contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements (up to five-year periods) to carry out research within the Bureau of Reclamation. The notice also clarifies that nothing in the authority supersedes other legal responsibilities and that Reclamation must comply with applicable state water laws, reinforcing that the work is research-oriented and intended to inform management rather than override existing water governance.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Hemlock Project – Phase 2" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.517.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 03, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 17, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $235,250.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

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