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contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

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rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

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examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

34098 

Vol. 83, No. 139 

Thursday, July 19, 2018 

AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL 

DEVELOPMENT 

Notice of Meeting: Board for 

International Food and Agricultural 

Development 

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act, notice is hereby given of 

the public meeting of the Board for 

International Food and Agricultural 

Development (BIFAD). The meeting will 

be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET 

on Wednesday, August 8, 2018, at the 

Madison A&B on the Mezzanine Level, 

Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 

Woodley Rd. NW, Washington, DC. 

Participants may attend in person or 

join via livestream. The link to the 

global live stream as well as registration 

information can be found on BIFAD’s 

home page: http://www.usaid.gov/bifad. 

The central theme of this public 

meeting will be US Benefits Leveraged 

from Strategic Investments in 

Developing Country Agriculture and 

Food Security. Dr. Mark Keenum, 

BIFAD Chair, will preside over the 

public business meeting, which will 

begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. ET with 

opening remarks. At this meeting the 

Board will address old and new 

business, and then invite Agricultural & 

Applied Economics Association 

members and other interested 

individuals to engage in a dialogue and 

provide feedback on a new study that is 

being commissioned by BIFAD and 

USAID. This study will conduct a metaanalysis of US benefits and capabilities 

that are leveraged from strategic 

investments in developing country 

agriculture and food security. Presenting 

at the meeting is Dr. Joseph Glauber, 

Senior Research Fellow at the 

International Food Policy Research 

Institute (IFPRI), who is leading the 

study for BIFAD. Dr. Glauber served 

over 30 years at the US Department of 

Agriculture, including as Chief 

Economist from 2008 to 2014. 

Beginning at 11:15 a.m. ET, Chairman 

Keenum will moderate a half-hour 

public comment period. The public 

meeting will adjourn at 12:00 p.m. ET 

with Dr. Keenum’s closing remarks. 

Those wishing to attend the meeting 

or obtain additional information about 

BIFAD should contact Clara Cohen, 

Designated Federal Officer for BIFAD in 

the Bureau for Food Security at USAID. 

Interested persons may write to her in 

care of the U.S. Agency for International 

Development, Ronald Reagan Building, 

Bureau for Food Security, 1300 

Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, 

DC 20523–2110 or telephone her at 

(202) 712–0119. 

Clara Cohen, 

Designated Federal Officer, BIFAD, Bureau 

for Food Security, U.S. Agency for 

International Development. 

[FR Doc. 2018–15413 Filed 7–18–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for 

the Conservation Reserve Program 

(CRP) Forest Inventory Analysis Pilot 

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation 

and Farm Service Agency, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Farm Service Agency 

(FSA), on behalf of Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC), is announcing the 

availability of competitive grants to 

conduct a forest inventory analysis, 

forest management, and economic 

outcomes modelling, for certain 

currently enrolled Conservation Reserve 

Program (CRP) land. The analysis is 

focused on lands enrolled in CRP for at 

least 8 years and located in areas with 

a substantial concentration of acres 

enrolled under the following 

conservation practices devoted to 

multiple bottomland hardwood tree 

species: General tree planting, 

hardwood tree planting, vegetative 

cover on previously established tree 

stands, riparian buffers, bottomland 

timber establishments, and farmable and 

aquaculture wetlands. Qualified 

applicants must be non-profit 

organizations dedicated to conservation, 

forestry, and wildlife habitats that have 

experience in conducting accurate forest 

inventory analysis through the use of 

advanced, cost-effective technology, as 

determined by FSA. 

DATES: Application Deadline: August 

15, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Applications must be 

submitted in the following method: 

Grants Portal: Go to www.grants.gov. 

Follow the online instructions for 

submitting grants. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Richard Iovanna, telephone (202) 720– 

5291. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Section 743 of the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2018 (Pub. L. 115– 

141) requires that the USDA enter into 

grant agreements for forest inventory 

analysis, and forest management, and 

economic outcomes modelling of certain 

CRP land. Under this authority, the CCC 

will make available not more than $1 

million in grants to non-profit 

organizations. The CRP Forest Inventory 

Analysis Pilot will be administered 

under the general supervision of FSA on 

behalf of CCC, in accordance with the 

provisions of 2 CFR part 200. 

Description 

The CRP Forest Inventory Analysis 

Pilot is focused on lands enrolled in 

CRP for at least 8 years and located in 

areas with a substantial concentration of 

acres enrolled under certain 

conservation practices devoted to 

multiple bottomland hardwood tree 

species, including conservation 

practices for general tree planting, 

hardwood tree planting, vegetative 

cover on previously established tree 

stands, riparian buffers, bottomland 

timber establishments, and farmable and 

aquaculture wetlands. Qualified 

applicants must be non-profit 

organizations dedicated to conservation, 

forestry, and wildlife habitats that have 

experience in conducting accurate forest 

inventory analysis through the use of 

advanced, cost-effective technology. 

Comprehensive data analysis using 

advanced, cost-effective technology on 

land enrolled in CRP with certain 

bottomland hardwood practices is 

important for several reasons. Such data 

will provide the FSA CRP program 

manager with the information needed to 

more effectively manage enrollment. For 

example, the inventory may find that 

mortality of a selected species of tree is 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 139 / Thursday, July 19, 2018 / Notices 34099 

1The purpose of the CP11 practice is to maintain 

a stand of trees in a timber planting previously 

established on cropland as practice CP–3 or CP–3A 

to enhance environmental benefits. This CP11 

practice was available only through a re-offer of 

expiring or expired CRP acres. 

high in certain situations. As a result, 

the CRP program manager may adjust 

what tree species can be enrolled in CRP 

on a regional and site-specific basis. 

Economic modeling will provide 

information on the expected net returns 

to CRP enrollees, as well as an 

evaluation of taxpayer costs. In short, 

there is a need for data collection and 

analysis of bottomland hardwood 

conservation practices and economics. 

For more than 30 years under CRP, 

landowners have voluntarily enrolled 

tens of millions of farmland acres to 

conserve and improve soil, protect 

water quality, and provide wildlife 

habitat by establishing long-term cover, 

primarily grasses and trees. Landowners 

voluntarily enroll their lands for periods 

of between 10 and 15 years. 

CRP cost share funding is provided to 

landowners who install the prescribed 

conservation practices. These practices 

can be costly and require ample 

investment by the landowner and 

technical assistance provider to ensure 

that the practices are appropriate and 

properly installed. The adequacy of the 

conservation plan is paramount to 

achieving CRP enrollment goals, 

especially for bottomland hardwoods. 

Bottomland hardwoods are streamside 

forest trees—such as cottonwood, 

sycamore, oak, maple, ash, cypress, and 

tupelo—that typically grow on lands 

prone to flooding. Over the past 8 years, 

46 States have enrolled land into CRP 

that is devoted to bottomland hardwood 

trees. Cumulative CRP bottomland 

hardwood tree enrollment, over the past 

8 years, is just over 799,000 acres, with 

over 550,000 acres (69 percent) located 

in the States shown in Table 1. 

TABLE 1—TREE ENROLLMENT IN CRP BY STATE OVER THE PAST 8 YEARS; USDA MAY 31, 2018 

State Total CRP tree 

acres 

Cumulative 

acres 

Acres of total 

percent Region 

Mississippi ............................................................................................... 204,870 204,870 26 Southern Forest. 

Arkansas .................................................................................................. 79,341 284,211 36 Southern Forest. 

Louisiana ................................................................................................. 75,087 359,298 45 Southern Forest. 

Alabama .................................................................................................. 58,035 417,333 52 Southeast Forest. 

Illinois ....................................................................................................... 47,824 465,156 58 Midwest Forest. 

Georgia .................................................................................................... 35,212 500,369 63 Southeast Forest. 

North Carolina ......................................................................................... 26,942 527,310 66 Southeast Forest. 

Minnesota ................................................................................................ 24,346 551,674 69 Northern Forest. 

The CRP Forest Inventory Analysis 

Pilot is intended to provide information 

and analysis needed to better inform 

CRP decision making associated with 

the following bottomland hardwood 

conservation and stand maintenance 

practices: 

1. CP03—Tree Planting; 

2. CP03A—Hardwood Tree Planting; 

3. CP11—Vegetative Cover—Trees 

Already Established; 1

4. CP22—Riparian Buffer; 

5. CP31—Bottomland Timber 

Establishment; and 

6. CP40—Farmable Wetland 

Program—Aquaculture Wetland. 

The inventory, analysis, and modeling 

must estimate, at a minimum, stand 

composition, stand density, basal area, 

and tree height using remotely sensed 

data (rather than data collected by 

visiting a site). The data will be used to 

generate statistically robust estimates of 

commercial value, economic returns, 

carbon sequestration, and wildlife and 

water quality impacts for each of the 

practices in at least one of the regions 

and states enumerated in Table 1. These 

estimates will identify species 

appropriate for bottomland CRP 

practices or sites, as well as forest 

management practices needed to 

maintain cover during the contract 

period. An accurate assessment of the 

model output will be conducted using 

ground plots. 

Definitions 

The 2018 Consolidated 

Appropriations Act uses the term ‘‘nonprofit organizations.’’ Consistent with 

OMB Circular A–122, the term ‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means any 

corporation, trust, association, 

cooperative, or other organization that: 

1. Is operated primarily for scientific, 

educational, service, charitable, or 

similar purposes in the public interest; 

2. Is not organized primarily for 

profit; and 

3. Uses its net proceeds to maintain, 

improve, or expand its operations. 

The term ‘‘non-profit organization’’ 

excludes: 

1. Colleges and universities, unless a 

501(c)(3) has been established; 

2. Hospitals; 

3. State, local, and federallyrecognized Indian tribal governments; 

and 

4. Those non-profit organizations that 

are excluded from coverage under 

paragraph 5 of Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) Circular A–122. 

The term ‘‘economic outcomes 

modelling’’ as used in this NOFA, must 

include multiple dimensions, including, 

but not limited to, baseline return 

estimates to CRP participants (taking 

into account, among other items, 

commercial value), and returns under 

alternative scenarios that reflect 

management recommendations. 

Eligibility and Application Process 

Non-profit organizations dedicated to 

conservation, forestry, and wildlife 

habitats, that have experience in 

conducting forest inventory analysis 

through the use of remote sensing data 

and technology are eligible to apply. 

Applicants must submit an application 

by August 15, 2018, through 

www.grants.gov. To find the CRP Forest 

Inventory Analysis Pilot in 

www.grants.gov, search on funding 

opportunity number USDA–FSA– 

CRPFIA–2018. Applications must 

include, but are not limited to, an 

executive summary, work plan, and 

budget information using Application 

for Federal Assistance (SF–424) form. 

(See www.grants.gov for more details 

about the specific application 

requirements.) 

Non-profit organizations may submit 

a combined cross-organization proposal 

to include work that will be coordinated 

across more than one organization, 

especially if a joint proposal creates 

synergies or increased efficiencies. The 

application may include one or more 

forest regions. 

The result of a successful application 

will be a one-time grant agreement. 

Successful applicants will be required 

to sign the grant agreement with FSA, 

which will include reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements. It is 

possible that not all of the $1 million 


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34100 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 139 / Thursday, July 19, 2018 / Notices 

authorized by Congress for this pilot 

will be expended. All applications are 

subject to the approval of FSA, and FSA 

reserves the right to reject any and all 

applications. 

Application Selection Criteria 

FSA will evaluate applications using 

the evaluation criteria specified in this 

NOFA and on www.grants.gov to select 

the application(s) that best support the 

goals of CRP Forest Inventory Analysis 

Pilot. A proposal must include the 

following information; this information 

will be used by FSA in the awarding of 

grants: 

1. Amount of funding requested; 

2. Amount of funding from other 

parties (with sufficient documentation) 

that provide additional leverage, if any; 

for example, specifying the regions, 

states, practices and plots where the 

proposal goes beyond minimal 

requirements (such as by considering 

CP–36, long-leaf pine); 

3. Sampling approach to be used; 

4. Remotely sensed data to be used, 

including its sources and its spatial, 

temporal, and spectral resolution; 

5. Number and relevance of metrics to 

be estimated and the modeling approach 

to be used to estimate the metrics; 

6. The accuracy assessment, including 

sampling approach and location of 

ground plots following the U.S. Forest 

Service’s Common Stand Examination 

protocols or those in the peer-reviewed 

literature; and 

7. Work plan and timeline for 

completion by September 30, 2020. 

Process for Evaluation and Application 

and Awards of Grants 

After applicants submit applications, 

FSA, on behalf of CCC, will screen each 

application to determine whether the 

applicant is eligible and whether the 

application is complete and sufficiently 

responsive to the requirements specified 

in this NOFA. Applicants may revise 

their applications and re-submit them 

prior to the published deadline if there 

is sufficient time to do so. FSA will 

appoint an inter-agency review panel to 

evaluate the applications. During the 

evaluation period, FSA may contact an 

applicant to seek clarification and 

modification of the proposal. The 

resulting CRP Forest Inventory Analysis 

Pilot grant agreements will be between 

the non-profit organization(s) and FSA. 

Any non-profit organization that 

receives a grant must commit to fully 

expend the awarded federal funds by 

September 30, 2020, with an 

opportunity for extension upon 

approval by FSA. 

Responsibilities of the Participants 

Successful applicants will be required 

to sign an agreement with FSA and 

provide detailed budget and schedule 

information. The agreement will require 

periodic achievement reports. The 

agreement will require the grantee to 

commit to do all of the following: 

1. Perform inventory, analysis, 

modelling and validating, including 

conducting site visits and plot sampling, 

on the CRP enrolled acreage; and 

2. Provide an accounting for the 

money received by the grantee. 

During the term of the grant, the 

grantee will be required to obtain prior 

approval for any changes to the scope, 

objectives, or funding allocation of the 

approved agreement. Failure to obtain 

prior approval of such changes may be 

considered a violation, and in such case 

the grantee may be required to return all 

grant funds, including any funds 

already expended, as determined 

appropriate by FSA. Grantees will be 

required to monitor funds and report on 

expenditures. The grantee must certify 

that the CCC funds will not be used to: 

1. Duplicate existing inventories, 

analysis, or economic modelling efforts; 

however, grant funds may be used to 

expand the prior inventories, analysis, 

or economic modelling efforts; 

2. Pay costs of preparing a CRP Forest 

Inventory Analysis Pilot grant 

application; 

3. Pay costs of the project incurred 

prior to the date of grant approval; 

4. Fund political activities or lobbying 

efforts; 

5. Pay any judgment or debt owed to 

the United States; 

6. Pay for the repair of privately 

owned vehicles; 

7. Pay for unrelated salaries, 

overhead, and expenses; or 

8. Pay for unrelated research. 

Failure of the grantee to execute a 

grant agreement in a timely fashion, as 

determined by FSA, will be construed to 

be a withdrawal from the CRP Forest 

Inventory Analysis Pilot. In this event, 

FSA will demand a refund of the grant 

funds as deemed appropriate by FSA. 

Distribution of Grant Funds and 

Reimbursement of Unused Funds 

FSA expects to transfer CCC funds to 

the selected non-profit organization 

applicants before September 30, 2018. 

Environmental Review 

The environmental impacts of this 

NOFA have been considered in a 

manner consistent with the provisions 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321–4347), the 

regulations of the Council on 

Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 

1500 through 1508), and the FSA 

regulations for compliance with NEPA 

(7 CFR part 799). 

The purpose of the grants for the CRP 

Forest Inventory Analysis Pilot is to 

provide the CRP Program Manager with 

information to inform decision-making 

about the effectiveness of certain 

conservation practices on CRP land for 

bottomland hardwoods and are passive 

in nature and will not involve ground 

disturbance or tree removals or 

disturbance. The discretionary aspects 

of the CRP Forest Inventory Analysis 

Pilot include, but are not limited to, 

eligibility, how many grants to award, 

and how to evaluate submissions. As 

such, the Categorical Exclusions in 7 

CFR 799.31 apply, specifically 7 CFR 

799.31(b)(6)(vii) and (viii) (these two 

categorical exclusions include site 

characterization, environmental testing, 

and monitoring where no significant 

alteration of existing ambient conditions 

would occur; and, stand analysis for 

forest management planning, 

respectively). No ‘‘Extraordinary 

circumstances’’ (7 CFR 799.33) exist; as 

such, FSA has determined that this 

NOFA does not constitute a major 

Federal action that would significantly 

affect the quality of the human 

environment, individually or 

cumulatively. Therefore, beyond this 

Environmental Review in this NOFA, 

FSA will not prepare any additional 

environmental documentation for this 

action. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

Requirements 

The CRP Forest Inventory Analysis 

Pilot is exempt from the requirements of 

the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 

Chapter 35), as amended, as specified in 

subsection 1601(c)(2)(B) of the 

Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm 

Bill, 16 U.S.C. 3846(b)), which provides 

that CRP, as a Title II program, be 

promulgated and administered without 

regard to the Paperwork Reduction Act. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

The title and number of the Federal 

assistance in the Catalog of Federal 

Domestic Assistance to which this 

NOFA applies is 10.122, the 

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) 

Forest Inventory Analysis Pilot. 

Richard Fordyce, 

Administrator, Farm Service Agency. 

[FR Doc. 2018–15349 Filed 7–18–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES