** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** OUR OVERARCHING OBJECTIVE IS TO ADVANCE TECHNOLOGIES THAT CO-PRODUCE FISH FEED INGREDIENTS AND SAF FROM LOW GRADE WOODY BIOMASS WITHIN A BIOREFINERY SETTING. THIS PURSUIT HOLDS THE PROMISE OF SUBSTANTIAL REDUCTIONS IN THE PRODUCTION COSTS OF BOTH SAF AND FISH FEED INGREDIENTS, PAVING THE WAY FOR THEIR COST-EFFECTIVE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION WITH BIOREFINERY PRODUCTS ENTERING TWO DIFFERENT MARKET SECTORS.THE DECADES OF FIRE SUPPRESSION, LONG-TERM DROUGHT, AND REDUCED DEMAND FOR PULP AND PAPER PRODUCTION HAVE BEEN CREATING MILLIONS OF TONS OF LOW-GRADE WOODY BIOMASS (LWB), WHICH TYPICALLY INCLUDES SMALL-DIAMETER TREES, BRANCHES, AND OTHER LOW-VALUE WOOD WASTE STREAMS, WHICH CURRENTLY HAS A VERY LIMITED MARKET. OUR SUSTAINABLE WOOD TO FUEL AND FISH FEED (SWF3) PROGRAM DEVELOPS NEW TECHNOLOGIES CAPABLE OF UPGRADING THESE SUSTAINABLY HARVESTED MILLIONS OF TONS WOODY BIOMASS TO RENEWABLE JET FUEL DESIGNATED AS SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL (SAF) AND FISH FEED PROTEIN INGREDIENTS. BY HARNESSING THE POTENTIAL OF LWB, FOREST OWNERS UNLOCK ADDITIONAL INCOME STREAMS. THE ADDITIONAL REVENUE OPTIONS 1) MAXIMIZES THE VALUE OF THE FORESTLAND 2) AVOIDS FOREST LAND USE CHANGES, AND 3) INCENTIVIZES ACTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT, IMPROVING FOREST HEALTH THROUGH PRACTICES LIKE PRE-COMMERCIAL THINNING. THIS PROACTIVE APPROACH ENHANCES LONG-TERM FOREST PRODUCTIVITY. THE COST-EFFECTIVE COPRODUCTION OF FISH FEED FROM WOOD NOT ONLY INCREASES THE PROFITABILITY OF AQUACULTURE FARMERS BUT ALSO MINIMIZES THE ECOLOGICAL IMPACT OF AQUACULTURE BY REDUCING RELIANCE ON WILD-CAUGHT FISH AS FEED. MOREOVER, THE JET FUEL DERIVED FROM WOODY BIOMASS OFFERS A PROMISING OPPORTUNITY TO MITIGATE THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF THE US AVIATION INDUSTRY, MAKING IT A CRUCIAL STEP TOWARD SUSTAINABLE AIR TRAVEL. THE CURRENT ANNUAL US COMMERCIAL JET FUEL MARKET IS 21 BILLION GALLONS, AND IT IS PROJECTED TO REACH 35 BILLION GALLONS BY 2050. THE US GOVERNMENT AIMS TO MEET THE AVIATION SECTOR'S 100% JET FUEL DEMAND WITH SAF DERIVED FROM RENEWABLE FEEDSTOCK (E.G., FOREST AND AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES) BY 2050, WHILE REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) EMISSIONS OF THIS SECTOR BY AT LEAST 50% COMPARED TO ITS CURRENT EMISSION LEVELS. THE NEAR-TERM TARGET OF THE US GOVERNMENT IS TO PRODUCE 3 BILLION GALLONS OF SAF ANNUALLY BY 2030. IN 2022, US SAF PRODUCTION WAS ONLY 2 MILLION GALLONS, FALLING SHORT OF TARGETS. THIS IS BECAUSE THE CURRENT LIMITED SUPPLY OF SAF FROM PLANT OILS OR ANIMAL FATS AT PRODUCTION COSTS THAT ARE VERY HIGH COMPARED TO PETROLEUM DERIVED JET FUEL.TO REALIZE OUR OVERARCHING OBJECTIVEOF DEVELOPING A NOVEL BIOREFINERY FRAMEWORK FOR COPRODUCTION OF JET FUEL AND FISH FEED, WE ARE ENGAGING IN RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES IN A WIDE RANGE OF FIELDS INCLUDING CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, FISH NUTRITION, FOREST RESOURCES, ECONOMICS, MICROBIOLOGY, AND SUSTAINABILITY. THE OUTCOME OF THESE ACTIVITIES WILL 1) ADVANCE FUNDAMENTAL AND TRANSLATIONAL (FROM LAB TO PILOT SCALE,) SCIENCES RELATED TO SAF PRODUCTION VIA HYDROTHERMAL LIQUEFACTION TECHNOLOGY THAT WORKS ON A VARIETY OF FEEDSTOCKS, AND THE COPRODUCTION OF FISH FEED FROM WOOD DERIVED SUGARS, 2) INCREASE DIVERSITY IN BIOECONOMY WORKFORCE, AND 3) PROVIDE SCIENCE-BASED KNOWLEDGE TO STAKEHOLDERS IN THE BIOECONOMY, EMPOWERING THEM TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT, USE, AND PROMOTION OF WOOD DERIVED JET FUEL AND FISH FEED.