Forest Disturbance Research Program
The Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) forest disturbance research
program provides long term research, scientific information, and tools used by managers
and policymakers to address climate change impacts to forest, rangeland, and urban
ecosystems. Approximately 150 FS R&D scientists study aspects of forest disturbance
and conduct carbon cycle research.
The program strategy focuses on predicting impacts on ecosystems and providing the
research that will lead to: enhanced ecosystem sustainability (adaptation); increased
carbon sequestration, reduced emissions, and product substitution, including biofuels
and wood products (mitigation); developing decision support tools; and establishing
collaborations that will enhance the delivery of the science needed to manage forest and
rangeland ecosystems.
Working with other agency deputy areas (State and Private Forestry and National Forest
System) and USDA agencies (Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Agricultural
Research Service), FS R&D is taking the lead to establish seven Regional Hubs for Risk
Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change. The Hubs will provide coordinated
technical support to supplement USDA agriculture and land management program
delivery, especially to underserved and vulnerable communities, Tribes, and individuals.
They will be responsive to the information and technical needs of public and private
forest landowners.
Recent Forest Service R&D accomplishments include:
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FS R&D sponsored an international symposium on fire economics, planning, and
policy, which focused on climate change and wildfires. We brought together 125
scientists, academicians, fire and fuel managers, and fire practitioners from
agencies with fire protection responsibilities in 18 countries.
Researchers developed a framework for assessing global change risks to U.S. forest
carbon stocks. Study results suggest that a risk framework can be useful in
focusing attention on short- and long-term risk to forest carbon stocks; however due
to inherent knowledge gaps, an operational forest carbon risk matrix remains
elusive.
Researchers combined satellite-based maps with FIA plot data and other resources
to develop the Forest Carbon Management Framework (ForCaMF). ForCaMF
measures the relative impact of disturbance and management patterns on carbon
storage, providing important contest as fore management plans are revised over the
next several years.
FS R&D continues to upgrade and expand its suite of tools for carbon inventory and
accounting. These tools support official national reporting of GHG emissions and
carbon management (sequestration) decisions on forests across all ownerships.
In FY 2015, FS R&D will continue a base science program, with forest disturbance as one of
the priority research areas.