**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE UNITED STATES (U.S.) SOUTH, 13 SOUTHEASTERN STATES FROM VIRGINIA TO TEXAS, HAS APPROXIMATELY 245 MILLION ACRES OF FORESTLAND, COVERING ABOUT 46% OF THE TOTAL LAND USE. THE FOREST SECTOR INCORPORATES ALL THE FOREST RELATED INDUSTRIES BEGINNING FROM TREE GROWERS, FOREST MANAGEMENT SUPPORT ENTERPRISES AND LABORERS, LOGGERS, PRIMARY AND SECONDARY FOREST PRODUCT INDUSTRIES TO OTHER CRUCIAL FORESTRY STAKEHOLDERS SUCH AS FOREST MANAGERS, CONSULTANTS, ASSOCIATIONS, AND TIMBER CONTRACTORS. THE FOREST SECTOR IN THIS REGION IS A VITAL ECONOMIC ENGINE, PARTICULARLY IN THE RURAL REGIONAL ECONOMY, AS THE FOREST PRODUCT INDUSTRY IS ONE OF THE TOP EMPLOYERS AMONG ALL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES IN RURAL COUNTIES. SINCE EARLY 2020, EVERY SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD HAS GRAPPLED WITH THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC, AND FORESTRY AND FOREST PRODUCT INDUSTRY ARE NO EXCEPTION. FORESTRY AND FOREST-BASED EMPLOYMENT AND BUSINESSES IN THE RURAL ECONOMIES HAVE REPORTEDLY REALIZED MIXED IMPACTS THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC. SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN, WHILE LUMBER (PROCESSED SAWN WOOD) PRICES HAVE BEEN RECORD HIGHS LATELY, STANDING TIMBER (STUMPAGE) PRICES HAVE REMAINED FLAT OR TRENDED DOWNWARD IN THE SOUTHERN MARKETS. THE LOWER TIMBER PRICES DIRECTLY AFFECT THE OVERALL FOREST MANAGEMENT AND THE RETURN POTENTIAL OF ALL SPECTRUM OF FOREST LANDOWNERS RANGING FROM FAMILY FOREST OWNERS TO INDUSTRIAL CORPORATE OWNERSHIPS. SIMILARLY, FORESTRY OPERATIONS INCLUDING TIMBER HARVESTS AND LOGGING HAVE ALSO BEEN NEGATIVELY IMPACTED IN THE WAKE OF THE PANDEMIC. WHILE WOOD PROCESSING MILLS SUCH AS SAWMILLS HAVE REALIZED HIGHER PROFITS FROM THE SKYROCKETED LUMBER PRICES, OTHER FOREST-BASED BUSINESSES INCLUDING FOREST LANDOWNERS, CONTRACTORS, SEASONAL MIGRANT WORKERS, AND LOGGERS HAVE STRUGGLED AMIDST THE LOOMING PANDEMIC. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS INTEGRATED PROJECT IS TO EVALUATE THE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON FORESTRY AND THE FOREST PRODUCT INDUSTRY THROUGHOUT THE SUPPLY CHAIN, AND IDENTIFY, DEVELOP,AND DISSEMINATE THE STRATEGIES TO REVITALIZE THE SOUTHERN FOREST-BASED RURAL ECONOMY IN THE POST-PANDEMIC ERA. USING THE ADVANCED CAUSAL INFERENCE APPROACHES, THIS PROJECT INTENDS TO QUANTIFY THE PANDEMIC IMPACTS ON STANDING TIMBER MARKETS AND FOREST-BASED WORKFORCE. FURTHERMORE, USING VARIOUS SOCIAL SCIENCE TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES, THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO EVALUATE THE PANDEMIC IMPACTS ON FOREST LANDOWNERS, FOREST MANAGEMENT, SEASONAL MIGRANT WORKERS, AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) EFFORTS OF THE FOREST PRODUCT COMPANIES IN THE WAKE OF THE PANDEMIC. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE TO: 1) EVALUATE THE IMPACTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON ROUNDWOOD MARKETS, FOREST LANDOWNERS, AND FOREST MANAGEMENT IN THE U.S. SOUTH; 2) EXAMINE THE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON FOREST-BASED EMPLOYMENT AND WORKFORCE INVOLVED IN THE FORESTRY SUPPLY CHAIN IN RURAL SOUTHERN STATES; 3) INVESTIGATE THE PANDEMIC IMPACTS ON THE FOREST PRODUCT INDUSTRY INCLUDING THEIR CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CONTRIBUTION DURING THE PANDEMIC; AND 4) DEVELOP AND DELIVER AN EXTENSION PROGRAM IN THE POST-PANDEMIC FOREST MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO PROMOTE RURAL PROSPERITY IN FORESTED COUNTIES IN THE U.S. SOUTH.THESE PROPOSED ACTIVITIES ARE TIMELY AND WILL GREATLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE POLICY PRESCRIPTIONS AND FOREST MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS IN ORDER TO REVITALIZE FOREST-BASED RURAL ECONOMIES IN THE U.S. SOUTH. THIS INTEGRATED PROJECT IS TO INFORM POLICY RESPONSE TO REDUCED OR DELAYED INVESTMENTS IN REFORESTATION AND MANAGEMENT RESULTING FROM THE PANDEMIC (DUE TO REDUCED LANDOWNERS' INCOME AND REDUCED AVAILABILITY OF MIGRANT LABOR). OTHER MOTIVATIONS OF THIS STUDY INCLUDE: (A) LEARN LESSONS USEFUL FOR SHAPING THE PUBLIC RESPONSE TO SIMILAR FUTURE ECONOMIC DISRUPTIONS, (B) IDENTIFY WHICH PARTS OF THE INDUSTRY AND WHICH STAKEHOLDERS WERE MOST RESILIENT AND WHICH MOST VULNERABLE TO THESE DISRUPTIONS, THUS LEARNING AND TRANSFERRING LESSONS ABOUT SUCCESSFUL ADAPTATIONS STRATEGIES, (C) SHED LIGHT ON HOW LABOR SHOCKS AFFECT DIFFERENT STAGES IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN (PLANTATION, HARVEST, TRANSPORT, AND TIMBER PROCESSING), (D) EXAMINE WHETHER AND HOW COMPANIES AND LANDOWNERS ADJUST CSR COMMITMENTS IN RESPONSE TO THE ECONOMIC SHOCK, AND (E) EDUCATE FOREST LANDOWNERS AND STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT THE NEW ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN FOREST MANAGEMENT IN THE CHANGING ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE. THEREFORE, IT IS CRUCIAL THAT WE REVIEW THE PANDEMIC-RELATED IMPACTS, OPPORTUNITIES, AND CHALLENGES TO FOREST MANAGEMENT AND FOREST PRODUCT COMPANIES AND EXPLORE THE POSSIBLE POLICY AND MANAGEMENT SUPPORTS TO REVITALIZE AND FOSTER FOREST-BASED RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THIS NEED IS EVEN MORE PRESSING IF THE PROJECTIONS FROM EARLY STUDIES, WHICH ONLY ASSESSED FIRST-ORDER IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC, ARE ACCURATE IN THAT IMPACTS VARY BY INDUSTRY, REGION, PERSISTENCE, ORDER, AND MAGNITUDE. THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY WILL HAVE BROADER IMPLICATIONS TO REVIVE FOREST MANAGEMENT AND THE FOREST PRODUCT INDUSTRY IN THE U.S. SOUTH, THE LARGEST WOOD BASKET IN THE WORLD. AS THE IMPACTS OF THE LINGERING PANDEMIC ON FORESTRY AND FOREST PRODUCT MARKETS ARE REPORTEDLY MIXED, QUANTIFYING THE WELFARE IMPACTS OF THE LARGEST HEALTH CRISIS ON VARIOUS FOREST-BASED BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRIES IS THE CRUCIAL STEP TOWARDS THE APPROPRIATE POLICY AND MARKET SUPPORTS TO REVIVE FOREST-BASED RURAL BUSINESSES IN THE U.S. SOUTH. SIMILARLY, DOCUMENTING AND PUBLICIZING THE POSSIBLE FOREST MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN THE POST-PANDEMIC PERIOD WILL AUGMENT THE RECOVERY EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY AND RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE U.S. SOUTH. QUANTIFICATION OF THE PANDEMIC IMPACTS ON STANDING TIMBER MARKETS, FORESTRY WORKFORCE, AND FOREST PRODUCT INDUSTRY AT A REGIONAL SCALE, WHICH WILL BE CRUCIAL INFORMATION FOR GOVERNMENTS AND POLICYMAKERS IN DESIGNING SUPPORT PACKAGES AND POST-PANDEMIC RECOVERY PROGRAMS AND EFFORTS IN THE U.S. SOUTH. SOME OF THE EXPECTED RESULTS INCLUDE: (A) IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF THE PANDEMIC IMPACTS ON FOREST LANDOWNERS AND CHANGES IN THEIR PERCEPTIONS AND STRATEGIES OF FOREST MANAGEMENT IN THE POST-PANDEMIC ERA; (B) DOCUMENTATION OF THE INDUSTRY AND STAKEHOLDERS WHICH WERE THE MOST RESILIENT AND THE MOST VULNERABLE TO ECONOMIC IMPACTS - THUS, LEARNING AND TRANSFERRING LESSONS ABOUT SUCCESSFUL ADAPTATIONS STRATEGIES FOR SIMILAR FUTURE EXTERNAL SHOCKS; (C) CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FOREST PRODUCT INDUSTRY DURING THIS UNPRECEDENTED SITUATION, AS THE FOREST PRODUCT MANUFACTURING FIRMS REPRESENT THE TOP EMPLOYER AMONG MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES IN THE RURAL COUNTIES; (D) STATUS OF THE SEASONAL FORESTRY MIGRANT WORKERS DURING THE PANDEMIC, AS THEY PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN TREE PLANTING AND OTHER FOREST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN THE U.S. SOUTH; (E) RESEARCH AND EXTENSION CAPITAL BUILDING FOR A USDA PRIORITY AREA; TRAINING A POST-DOC AND THREE GRADUATE STUDENTS IN FOREST ECONOMICS, POLICY, AND SOCIAL SCIENCE FIELDS.