Main Logo of Southern Research Station, Stating: Southern Research Station - Asheville, NC, with a saying of 'Science you can use!'
[Images] Five photos of different landscape

For an in-depth look at State-by-State summaries & forest facts:





The Southern Research Station is part of the Nation's largest forestry research organization -- USDA Forest Service Research and Development -- the leading organization for research on natural resource management and sustainability in the United States. Headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, the Southern Research Station serves 13 Southern States and beyond. Its staff of over 130 scientists is organized into Research Work Units with science technicians and other support personnel, who work at various locations throughout the region: Federal laboratories, universities, and experimental forests.

Since the beginning of the 20th Century, the Southern Research Station's researchers have excelled in studies on temperate and tropical forests, forest resources, and forest products and activities. These studies provide a wealth of long-term data sets and conclusions on the dynamics of tree plantations and natural stands, watershed management, and wildlife habitats. Guided by a Strategic Framework updated in 2006, our mission is to create the science and technology needed to sustain and enchance southern forest ecosystems and benefits they provide. Forest Science in the South - 2006 summarizes budget information, highlights the year's accomplishments, and list publications.



Small logo of the USDASmall logo of the Forest Service Shield


Congressional Corner

texas

forest facts
east texas

  • total forest area = 12,129,900
  • total timberland = 11,884,800
    • softwood area = 5,194,600
    • hardwood area = 6,690,200
  • national forest system = 685,800
  • other public = 262,200
  • forest industry = 3,404,600
  • nonindustrial private = 7,532,300


virginia

forest facts

  • total timberland = 15,467,000
    • softwood area = 3,443,900
    • hardwood area = 12,000,900
  • national forest system = 1,650,300
  • other public = 696,400
  • forest industry = 1,024,200
  • nonindustrial private = 12,096,100


tennessee

forest facts

  • total forest area = 14,404,600
  • total timberland = 13,965,000
    • softwood area = 1,468,900
    • hardwood area = 12,402,000
  • national forest system = 556,800
  • other public = 1,011,400
  • forest industry = 1,393,000
  • nonindustrial private = 11,003,900


south carolina

forest facts

  • total forest area = 12,645,557
  • total timberland = 12,454,900
    • softwood area = 5,561,500
    • hardwood area = 6,893,400
  • national forest system = 560,000
  • other public = 554,000
  • forest industry = 2,394,300
  • nonindustrial private = 8,946,685


oklahoma

forest facts

  • total forest area = 5,418,300
  • total timberland = 4,895,500
    • softwood area = 1,098,600
    • hardwood area = 3,796,900
  • national forest system = 222,700
  • other public = 359,500
  • forest industry = 1,047,300
  • nonindustrial private = 3,266,100


north carolina

forest facts

  • total forest area = 18,268,700
  • total timberland = 17,684,400
    • softwood area = 4,962,800
    • hardwood area = 12,660,500
  • national forest system = 1,105,400
  • other public = 1,246,000
  • forest industry = 1,498,700
  • nonindustrial private = 13,834,400


mississippi

forest facts

  • total forest area = 18,594,500
  • total timberland = 18,587,300
    • softwood area = 5,751,000
    • hardwood area = 12,763,500
  • national forest system = 1,106,600
  • other public = 844,300
  • forest industry = 3,237,600
  • nonindustrial private = 13,398,800


louisiana

forest facts

  • total forest arae = 14,117,181
  • total timberland = 14,031,457
    • softwood area = 5,803,169
    • hardwood area = 8,228,288
  • national forest system = 683,751
  • other public = 965,326
  • forest industry = 4,333,075
  • nonindustrial private = 8,049,305


kentucky

forest facts

  • total forest area = 11,970,400
  • total timberland = 11,647,900
    • softwood area = 571,300
    • hardwood area = 11,076,600
  • national forest system = 590,300
  • other public = 439,700
  • forest industry = 278,800
  • nonindustrial private = 10,339,100


florida

forest facts

  • total forest area = 16,221,197
  • total timberland = 14,650,660
    • softwood area = 7,437,788
    • hardwood area = 7,212,872
  • national forest system = 1,029,522
  • other public = 1,802,250
  • forest industry = 4,601,483
  • nonindustrial private = 7,217,405


georgia

forest facts

  • total forest area = 24,726,400
  • total timberland = 24,151,000
    • softwood area = 10,761,600
    • hardwood area = 13,079,500
  • national forest system = 641,600
  • other public = 1,225,300
  • forest industry = 4,278,600
  • nonindustrial private = 18,005,600


arkansas

forest facts

  • total forest area = 18,818,400
  • total timberland = 18,558,700
    • softwood area = 5,745,600
    • hardwood area = 12,778,800
  • national forest system = 2,403,800
  • other public = 978,200
  • forest industry = 4,262,300
  • nonindustrial private = 10,914,400


alabama

forest facts

  • total forest area = 22,946,659
  • total timberland = 22,823,336
    • softwood area = 9,712,567
    • hardwood area = 13,110,769
  • national forest system = 708,402
  • other public = 652,702
  • forest industry = 3,640,360
  • nonindustrial private = 17,821,872


nebraska

forest facts

  • total forestland area = 1,251,700
  • total timberland area = 1,161,000
    • softwood area = 217,300
    • hardwood area = 715,400
  • national forest system = 352,292
  • private lands = 1,100,000





RWU No./Name/Location States Impacted Continuing Resolution ($)
FY 2008

 

 President’s Budget ($)
FY 2009

 
SRS-4155 - Bottomland Hardwoods,
Stoneville, MS		 MS/AR

 

 4,567,963 4,144,342
SRS-4156 - Center for Forest Disturbance Science,
Athens, GA

 

 GA 917,499 911,082
SRS-4157 - Upland Hardwood Ecology and   Management,
Bent Creek NC

 

 NC/SC/AR/AL/TN 2,772,397 2,752,720
SRS-4158 - Restoring Longleaf Pine Ecosystems,
Auburn, AL

 

 AL/LA/SC 2,126,954 2,111,901
SRS-4159 - Southern Pine Ecology,
Monticello, AR

 

 AR/TX/LA 2,341,378 2,324,803
SRS-4160 - Forest Genetics and Biological  Foundations,
Saucier, MS

 

 MS/NC 3,239,239 3,216,292
SRS-4352 - National Agroforestry Center,
Lincoln, NE

 

 NE/LA/VA 831,777 823,592
SRS-4353 - Forest Watershed Science,
Coweeta (Franklin), NC

 

 NC/SC/VA 3,505,403 3,480,650
SRS-4552 - Insects, Diseases, and Invasive Plants,
Pineville, LA

 

 LA/MS/GA/AL 5,634,344 3,062,377
SRS-4703 - Forest Operations,
Auburn, AL

 

 AL 1,071,574 1,063,971
SRS-4704 - Utilization of Southern  Forest Resources,
Pineville, LA

 

 LA/GA/VA 1,714,099 1,701,946
SRS-4801 - Forest Inventory and Analysis,
Knoxville, TN

 

 TN 14,667,945 15,103,023
SRS-4804 - Forest Economics and Policy,
Research Triangle Park, NC

 

 NC/LA 1,808,041 1,795,132
SRS-4854 - Forest Threats Assessment, NC   Asheville, NC

 

 NC 2,400,969 1,283,822
SRS-4952 - Understanding Changing Social and   Natural Systems,
Gainesville, FL

 

 FL/GA 594,952 590,704
SRS-4953 - Pioneering Research on Changing Forest Values,
Athens, GA

 

 GA 337,211 334,807
Other -
Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, AL    

 

 AL 198,255 196,836
Facilities Maintenance, Asheville NC 707,000 707,000
TOTAL

 

   41,578,853 45,605,000

 

Southern Research Station Budget Impact Fiscal Year 2009

The FY 2009 President’s Budget includes $45,605,000 for the Southern Research Station, a decrease to the Station of $3,832,000 (7.8 percent) from the FY 2008 budget.

$1,010,000 would be redirected from other research for FIA; to annualize inventories in Oklahoma and Mississippi

The resulting $3,832,000 reduction is focused on four areas; invasives, global change, forest health monitoring, and termite research. Specifically in the President’s Budget would:

  • Eliminate research on wood destroying insects, including termites, beetles, ants, and bees including many invasive species in Starkville, MS.
  • Eliminate invasive plant and insect research in Athens, GA, Auburn, AL and Stoneville, MS.
  • Eliminate the National Forest Health Monitoring Program.
  • Reduce the global change research effort by $700,000 (more than 57 percent) and redirect remaining resources toward national evaluations of near-term effects on vegetation.