Conduct a Project at the CFC or other Experimental Forests

Projects at the UMN Experimental Forests are research, teaching, demonstration, or management activities that rely on the land or data from the land. Experimental Forest sites (CFC, HWRC, Allred, Boone, Elstad) primarily support projects conducted by University of Minnesota faculty, staff and students in the pursuit of Natural Resources education and research but are open to non-University project leaders also.

Project proposals are reviewed quarterly. Regular deadlines for proposal submission include:

• February 1
• May 1
• August 1
• November 1

Projects are tracked using our Project Tracking Procedure described below. See the Projects SOP and the Project Record Metadata for complete details. The purposes of tracking these activities are to be good stewards of the land by balancing activities across the land base, to minimize disruption of ongoing projects, and for reporting project activity. Please be in touch with Lane Johnson (any sites) and/or Beckie Prange (HWRC) to initiate the Project Tracking Procedure.

All land in Minnesota is Indigenous land and the CFC is located on the Fond du Lac (FDL) Reservation. Researchers looking to conduct work with the land should review and be aware of the UMN Guidelines for Indigenous Research. Our SOP explicitly incorporates procedures of review by FDL Resource Management for projects taking place at CFC.

For guidance related to personnel safety while in the field see the Field Research Safety webpage available through the UMN Health, Safety, and Risk Management (HSRM). 

Project Tracking Procedure

1. The Project Leader discusses their project idea with the Research Coordinator or Site Manager.
2. If the project idea is deemed to fit within the mission and the biotic and abiotic scope of the land, the project leader will be invited to download, fill out, and submit the Project Proposal Form (see Sidebar links) to the Research Coordinator.
3. The Research Coordinator will review the proposal, discuss any necessary details, including proposed project location(s) and forecasted costs of the research, with the Project Leader, Director of Operations, and/or Site Manager. Additional review by FDL Resource Management will be required for projects proposed on FDL reserved lands (CFC) and may require review through the FDL THPO.
4. If the project is approved, we expect to help you find the right location and, if necessary, to prepare the area for your project. Additional technical project support may be available upon request and will require a detailed project management plan and payment schedule that aligns with the ROC Plot Fee Guidelines.
5. If any monuments, structures, fences, barriers, etc., are installed, or if species exotic to a site are added, they must be removed at the end of the research at the expense of the research grants of those responsible for the project.
6. Informal communications will happen between the project leader or project contact and the on-site UMN personnel as the project is implemented and carried out.
7. A Project Check-in Request Form will annually be sent to Project Leaders for as long as the project is considered “Active”
8. Once data for the proposed lifespan of a project are done being collected, analyzed, and published/reported, or for up to three years after field work is completed, a project’s status will be changed to “Complete” and the location can be considered for other project activity.