National Institute of Food and Agriculture

(a) Partnerships (1) In general The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, shall enter into a partnership with an eligible entity described in paragraph (2) to conduct research on improving white oak species resiliency, health, and preservation, including research on— (A) population-scale sequencing; (B) stress response traits; (C) seedling physiology and performance; and (D) white oak product development. (2) Eligible entity An eligible entity referred to in paragraph (1) is a land-grant college or university that has demonstrated— (A) scientific expertise relating to white oak; (B) the ability to rapidly transfer technologies to the stave industry; (C) geographic proximity to concentrated areas of white oak; and (D) support for regional economic development. (b) Priorities The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, shall prioritize research relating to the resistance of white oak to disease, pest, heat, and drought in cultivated, new, and old-growth white oak timber stands.