** 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 MAJORITY OF FOOD CROPS REQUIRE POLLINATORS TO MAXIMIZE YIELD, AND CROP YIELDS CAN THEREFORE BE REDUCED IF TOO FEW POLLINATORS VISIT CROP FLOWERS. THUS, UNDERSTANDING HOW BEST TO INCREASE POLLINATOR VISITATION TO CROPS IS KEY FOR INCREASING CROP PRODUCTION. IN THE NORTHEASTERN U.S., THE MOST IMPORTANT POLLINATORS OF SPRING-BLOOMING CROPS--SUCH AS APPLES--ARE WILD BEES THAT DEPEND ON FOREST HABITAT. AS A RESULT, ORCHARDS NEAR FORESTS TEND TO RECEIVE MORE POLLINATION.HOWEVER, NO GUIDELINES ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR MANAGINGFORESTS TO SUPPORTCROP POLLINATION BECAUSE IT IS UNKNOWN WHAT FOREST CHARACTERISTICS BEST SUPPORT THE WILD BEES THAT POLLINATE CROPS. FOR EXAMPLE, IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER YOUNGER AND OLDER FORESTS SUPPORT CROP-POLLINATING BEES EQUALLY WELL.FOREST AGE IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TOCONSIDERBECAUSE THE AGE AT WHICH FORESTS ARE HARVESTED FOR TIMBER IS A CENTRAL FACTOR IN FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANS. IF THESE KNOWLEDGE GAPS ARE ADDRESSED, MANAGEMENT OF FORESTS ADJACENT TO ORCHARDS COULD BE TAILORED TO CONSERVE POLLINATORS AND SUPPORT CROP PRODUCTION.IN ORDER TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE-BASED GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING FORESTS TO SUPPORT CROP PRODUCTION, I PLAN TO EVALUATE POLLINATORS AND YIELDS IN APPLE ORCHARDS THAT VARY IN THE AGE OF ADJACENT FORESTS. IN EACH ORCHARD, I WILL COLLECT DATA ON THE ABUNDANCE, BIODIVERSITY, AND VISITATION RATE OF WILD BEES ON APPLE FLOWERS. I WILL THEN COLLECT DATA ON APPLE YIELD IN EACH ORCHARD. USING THESE DATA, I WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THE AGE OF ADJACENT FOREST AFFECTS BEE COMMUNITIES AND CROP YIELDS IN APPLE ORCHARDS. THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE AN IMPORTANTSTEP TOWARDS INTEGRATING FOREST MANAGEMENT, POLLINATOR MANAGEMENT, AND CROP PRODUCTION.