Research &Development
Ann M. Bartuska, Deputy Chief
Barbara Weber, Associate Deputy chief
Bov Eav, Associate Deputy Chief
Hao Tran, Staff Assistant
About Forest Service Research & Development
We are the largest forestry research organization in the world
and the national and international leader in forest conservation.
As part of the Forest Service, the largest agency in the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA), our research contributes to the advancement
of science and the conservation of many of our Nation's most valuable
natural resources.
Forest Service Research and Development (R&D) scientists carry
out basic and applied research to study biological, physical, and
social sciences related to very diverse forests and rangelands.
Public lands that make up the National Forest system comprise 1/20
of the entire land base in the United States. Our research promotes
ecologically sound management of these vast natural resources. We
also serve the Nation's private forest landowners, and we investigate
new ways to process and recycle wood into products.
Our scientists work throughout the United States, from Florida
to Alaska and from Maine to Hawaii. They perform research on university
campuses, as well as in our own laboratories. Much of their research
is outdoors, in forests and watersheds, on mountain tops and in
grasslands.
Research and Development is made up of 4 major areas. They are:
- Resource
Valuation and Use Research, Staff Director
- Science Policy, Planning,
Inventory and Information, Staff Director
- Vegetation
Management and Protection Research, Staff Director
- Wildlife,
Fish, Water, and Air Research,
Vacant, Staff Director
Forest Inventory & Analysis
Forest Inventory and Analysis reports on status and trends in forest
area and location; in the species, size, and health of trees; in
total tree growth, mortality, and removals by harvest; in wood production
and utilization rates by various products; and in forest land ownership.
The enhanced FIA program will include information relating to tree
crown condition, lichen community composition, soils, ozone indicator
plants, complete vegetative diversity, and coarse woody debris.
The program is managed by the Research & Development organization
within the USDA Forest Service in cooperation with State and Private
Forestry and National Forest System. FIA has been in operation under
various names (Forest Survey and Forest Inventory and Analysis)
for some 70 years. The program covers forests on all forest lands
within the U.S. The program is implemented in cooperation with a
variety of partners including State Forestry Agencies and private
landowners who grant access to their lands for data collection purposes.
Visit the FIA site at:
http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/
Other Forest Service Research & Development Topics:
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