“Evaluation and validation of vegetation, fuel, and fire behavior tools and technology in hardwood-dominated forest ecosystems of Virginia and the eastern United States”

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has been awarded a contract under Broad Agency Announcement W912HQ24S0005 to conduct research focused on evaluating and validating vegetation, fuel, and fire behavior tools and technologies specifically within hardwood-dominated forest ecosystems across Virginia and the eastern United States. The work aims to improve the accuracy and applicability of existing modeling and measurement systems used for wildfire management and forest health assessment in these ecologically significant regions. The contract was issued with solicitation number W912HQ26CA049 and was posted on May 18, 2026, under NAICS code 541715 for research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences. The awarding agency is the Department of Defense through its office W4LD USA Hecsa, located in Alexandria, Virginia, with MacKenzie Rivera serving as the primary point of contact for the contract. Performance of the research will occur across the target forest regions, with no specific location designated for the place of performance, indicating fieldwork and data collection will take place throughout the eastern United States.