Southern Research Station Headquarters - Asheville, NC
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Research Work Unit Descriptions
The purpose of the
Research Work Unit Description (RWUD) is to provide a concise summary
of a unit's mission, the problems to be addressed and the reasons for
their selection, the proposed approach, planned accomplishments, and
staffing and funding needs. The RWUD is a dynamic program guide.
Station leadership and Washington Office staff specialists review them
at five-year intervals, to maintain focus of the research program on
high-priority research problems and to determine if the research
direction should continue, be modified, or terminated.As part of this periodic review, the Station engages potential or actual users of the research as well as outside scientists in the discussions about future direction in a Technical Assistance Visit. This information is considered as the Washington Office staff and the Station reach agreement on priorities and direction of the future research program to ensure that it addresses the highest priority problems related to stewardship of natural resources, including both conservation and use. The research direction must coincide with areas of strength for Station Scientists and ones for which Forest Service Research Development and the Southern Research Station is uniquely capable.
Immediately following the Technical Assistance Visit, the Assistant Station Director for Research directs the preparation of the RWUD in close cooperation with the Project Leader and other unit scientists. The Assistant Station Director, Project Leader and appropriate Washington Office Research Staff Directors agree on the unit's mission and on the specific problems to be addressed as the first step in completing the RWUD.
The following information is contained in each RWUD:
- Work Unit or Program number
- Station
- Work Unit Location (primary location, if more than one)
- Research Work Unit Title
- Project Leader (name and official address)
- Area of applicability (local, regional, multiregional, national, international)
- Estimated duration of the RWUD
- Mission - Brief statement of the overall long-range assignment of the Research
Work Unit. - Justification and Problem Selection - Included in the justification statement is a
description of the need for the research, its relationship to other work, and the
potential importance and value of the results to users. The following questions
are addressed for each problem: a) To whom is the problem important?
b) What net benefit will the clientele and society receive if this problem is?
solved? c) What is the likelihood that the research effort will provide a solution
to the problem? - Approach to the Problem - Details of how the unit plans to attack each problem
including types of studies that will be designed to address particular aspects of
the problem, and the anticipated outcomes for users of our research and for the
natural resources that they manage. We also discuss the potential
environmental considerations associated with the conduct of the research. - Staffing and Budget to complete research outlined. The RWUD includes a
table showing estimated number of scientist-years that will address each
problem each year throughout the duration of the RWUD. An estimate of
total costs associated with the RWUD are included.![[ Get Acrobat ]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115164901im_/http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/images/get_adobe_reader.gif)
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