FORT Science

FORT science activities support the research priorities of U.S. Department of the Interior resource management bureaus as well as other federal and state agencies, Native American tribes, academic institutions, and nongovernmental organizations. Currently at FORT, interdisciplinary teams integrate research projects across the following high-priority science areas (branches):

Aquatic Systems (ASB)

Provides research, modeling and decision-support systems related to water quality and quantity, as well as invasive and at-risk species assessments in riverine, riparian, and wetland ecosystems.

Ecosystem Dynamics (ED)

Conducts landscape- and systems-level investigations of natural resource problems related to energy development and changing land uses, ecosystem responses to climate change and atmospheric deposition, and herbivore-ecosystem interactions.

Information Science Branch (ISB)

Enables discovery, analysis, and management of data about our natural world through development of Web-based applications, GIS products, high-throughput computing, and data management systems.

Invasive Species Science (ISS)

Researches and models nonnative invasive species ecology and occurrence to track distribution, forecast spread, and develop control methods for more effective prevention, management, and interdiction.

Policy Analysis & Science Assistance (PASA)

Performs and integrates social, economic, and institutional analyses of conservation policies and management practices to help resource managers make informed decisions and resolve resource management conflicts.

Trust Species and Habitats (TSH)

Conducts research and provides technical assistance on the ecology, habitat requirements, distribution, and abundance of trust species that are designated with or facing threatened or endangered status, or are otherwise of conservation concern to resource management agencies.