Dendroecological analysis of trees in the NCRN | P18AS00334

Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00334

The grant opportunity titled "Dendroecological analysis of trees in the NCRN" (Funding Opportunity Number P18AS00334) is a National Park Service cooperative agreement focused on building a high-quality tree-ring dataset to support long-term vegetation monitoring in the National Capital Region Network (NCRN). The project centers on dendroecology, meaning it uses tree-ring records to determine tree age, reconstruct annual growth patterns, and compare growth trends across locations and species. The work will be carried out at two National Park Service units: Catoctin Mountain Park and Monocacy National Battlefield, using existing NCRN vegetation monitoring infrastructure as the sampling framework.

The selected cooperator is expected to collect increment cores from trees located at NCRN vegetation plots at both parks, specifically sampling outside of 49 monitoring plots at Catoctin Mountain Park and outside of 15 monitoring plots at Monocacy National Battlefield. Beyond field sampling, the cooperator must assemble and manage a team of trained technicians capable of completing standard dendrochronology lab preparation steps. This includes mounting and sanding the cores so annual rings are clearly visible and measurable. Each prepared core must then be scanned with a scale bar, creating an image archive that serves as a permanent visual record for quality assurance, future reference, and potential reanalysis.

A major deliverable is precise measurement of annual ring growth. The opportunity specifies the use of a Velmex measuring system together with Measure J2X software to measure annual increment to a precision of 0.001 mm. Using these measurements, the team will determine minimum ages for sampled trees and develop a series of tree-ring chronologies. These chronologies are to be based on normalized mean annual increment, producing a ring width index (RWI) that allows comparison of growth signals over time while reducing the influence of tree age and size on raw ring widths.

Data management is a core requirement of the project. The cooperator must build a structured SQL database designed around clear relationships among plots, cores, and individual rings. PlotName will function as the primary key, CoreID will be linked to PlotName, and RingID will be linked to CoreID. The database will store tree-level attributes such as species and diameter at breast height (DBH) in a table keyed by CoreID. For each RingID, the database will store ring width measurements, ensuring that every annual ring measurement can be traced back to a specific core and plot. This relational structure is intended to make the final dataset usable for NCRN monitoring staff and scalable for future additions.

A key scientific step required by the opportunity is crossdating, the process of matching ring-width patterns among trees to assign each ring to the correct calendar year and to detect measurement or biological anomalies. Each core must be crossdated against all other cores within 3 km of the focal core using COFECHA, a standard dendrochronology quality-control program. Crossdating can reveal missing rings (gaps) or false rings (extra rings formed within a year), and the database must be updated to reflect these corrections. After crossdating is complete, an additional field, Ringyear, will be added to the database and linked to RingID so that each ring width value is associated with an actual year.

The analytical component of the project goes beyond building chronologies and requires evaluation of tree growth rates across sites and species. The opportunity specifically calls for assessing growth using both basal area increment (BAI), which translates ring widths into annual wood production in terms of cross-sectional area, and ring width index (RWI), which supports comparisons of relative growth through time. These metrics together help distinguish whether observed changes are related to climate, competition, disturbance, or stand development, and they provide a clearer basis for comparing growth patterns among different species and park locations.

The project’s final deliverable is a complete, quality-controlled tree-ring database that must be reviewed and approved by the principal investigator (PI) before it is released to NCRN staff. In practical terms, this means the expected outcome is not only raw measurements, but a vetted dataset with documented crossdating corrections, consistent identifiers, and an organized structure that NCRN personnel can use for ongoing monitoring, reporting, and future research.

Administratively, this opportunity was offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement under the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, with an activity category focused on employment, labor, and training and listed under CFDA 15.945. Eligibility was limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The opportunity was created on June 15, 2018, with an original closing date of June 25, 2018. The anticipated funding ceiling was $60,000, and the agency expected to make one award, indicating a single partner would be selected to complete the full scope of work.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the employment, labor and training sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Dendroecological analysis of trees in the NCRN" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 15, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 25, 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 $60,000.00 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.

Apply for P18AS00334

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