Mittelstet receives grant for Eastern Redcedar project

Redcedar trees spreading in the Sandhills are the focus of study in Professor Mittelstet's latest grant-funded research.
Redcedar trees spreading in the Sandhills are the focus of study in Professor Mittelstet's latest grant-funded research.

Professor Aaron Mittelstet recently received $144,000 in funding to determine the impact of Eastern Redcedar encroachment on recharge in the Nebraska Sandhills.

His proposed project, "Quantifying the Impact of Eastern Redcedar Encroachment on Recharge in the Nebraska Sandhills," was one of 12 approved by the Natural Resources Commission for funding.

Mittelstet submitted the proposal to the Water Sustainability Fund, which was created by the Legislature in 2014. The fund supports the goals set out in § 2-1506, Rules (Title 261) adopted by the Natural Resources Commission.

“Our objective is to determine the rate of encroachment of the redcedar and its impact on water resources in the Ogallala Aquifer and ultimately the Platte River, the water source for both Lincoln and Omaha," Mittelstet said. "I would like to thank the Water for Food Institute for providing the 40 percent required matching funds."

Co-principal investigators on the project are professors Christopher Neale, Dirac Twidwell and Craig Allen.