Forest Service Research & Development (R&D) conducts highly integrated research at all scales — watershed, landscape, regional, and national — in order to address problems of national environmental and social concern. R&D scientists aim to provide knowledge and tools to managers and decision-makers to assist in the sustainable management and use of our Nation’s natural resources.
R&D meets these needs through fundamental research in seven primary topics listed below. This basic and applied research informs the work in the R&D Priority Areas.
The success of Forest Service research relies on two foundational elements: an expanded Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and a network of Experimental Forests & Ranges (EFR).
- FIA – a congressionaly mandated census of all US forests currently active in all 50 states.
- EFRs – an integrated network of long-term research locations addressing continental-scale environmental change in both rural and urban areas.
Invasive Species: Reduces, minimizes, or eliminates
the introduction, establishment, spread, and effects of invasive
species.
Inventory, Monitoring & Analysis:
Identifies current status
and trends of forests; management options and effects; and
threats and their effects on the Nation’s forests and grasslands
species.
Outdoor Recreation:
Examines to understand and manage
outdoor environments, activities, and experiences that connect
people with the natural world.
Resource Management & Use:
Explores forest and range
resources and products, including
Agroforestry,
Forest Products,
Landscape Science,
Management & Operations,
and
Urban Research.
Water, Air & Soil:
Enables clear air and safe
drinking water, protection of lives and property from wildfire and
smoke, and adapting to climate variability and change.
Wildland Fire & Fuel:
Focuses on reducing the negative
and enhancing the beneficial effects of fire.
Wildlife & Fish:
Investigates the complex interactions among
species, ecocsystem dynamics and processes, land use and
management, and emerging threats.