Pacific Southwest Research Station

Our organization consists of 12 Research Programs and Projects -- 11 in California and 1 in Hawaii -- that are grouped into 8 research centers in 9 geographic locations.

• Restore and sustain forested wetlands
• Reduce the impacst of invasive alien species
• Conserve endangered species and native biodiversity
• Restore ecosytem processes

• Improve understanding and forest management practices to maintain water quality and aquatic resources
• Improve our ability to manage forested environments to enhance and conserve biological diversity
• Refine understanding of population viability and habitat requirements of sensitive wildlife species

• Enhance urban and community forests to conserve water and energy
• Mitigate urban air pollution
• Identify benefits and costs of urban forests

• Identify genes and describe the genetic structure of forest trees
• Conserve genetic diversity of rare tree species
• Understand the genetic basis of disease resistance in trees and the role of fungal pathogens in forest ecosystems

• Link science to management in the area of forest genetics
• Support land management in tree improvement, conservation and restoration, and evaluating effects of management on genetic resources

• Understand interaction and responses of wildlife, plant, aquatic, and human populations and communities to natural and human-caused disturbances
• Interact with the public and land managers to transfer this understanding for management and management decision making
• Conserve wildlife and fisheries diversity and ecosystem health in Sierra Nevada forests and high-elevation meadows and lakes

• Develop models to predict wildfire behavior based on weather patterns
• Provide understanding of prescribed fire and fire effects in southwestern forests and range lands
• Improve fire management resources and strategies
• Mitigate impacts of air pollution on forest ecoystems
• Reduce impacts and improve experiences of urban recreationists in wildland settings

• Improve forest ecoysytem health and diversity through silviculture
• Understand the effects of forest management on long-term site productivity
• Develop decision support systems to better integrate science into land and forest management
• Develop forest management strategeis to reduce fire hazard and improve forest health while conserving wildlife and fish habitat

• Develop methods and understanding to manage insect outbreaks in forests
• Reduce loss of wood in structures to termite damage, thus extending the life of wood in use and reducing the use of insecticides for wood protection
• Manage research emphasis on Sudden Oak Death in the forests of California and the nation