http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
Mississippi
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) delivers research to Mississippi through the Southern
Research Station (SRS), which is headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, and has field offices in Oxford,
Saucier, Starkville, and Stoneville. SRS has 66 employees in the four Mississippi locations. Mississippi has 19.8
million acres of forested lands accounting for 65% of the total land base. There are three Experimental
Forests in Mississippi – the Delta, Harrison, and Tallahatchie.
Mississippi Funding History
SAUCIER -- SRS-4160 Forest Genetics and Ecosystems
Biology
STARKVILLE -- SRS-4552 Insects, Diseases, and Invasive
Plants, SRS-4801 Forest Inventory and Analysis
STONEVILLE -- SRS-4155 Center for Bottomland Hardwood
Research a/
MISSISSIPPI TOTAL
FY 2013
Enacted ($)
FY 2014
Enacted ($)
FY 2015
Budget ($)
$1,370,921
$1,402,735
$1,360,494
1,206,071
1,291,282
1,197,520
4,337,493
4,452,717
4,305,120
$6,914,485
$7,146,734
$6,863,134
a/ see Arkansas for additional funding
share of the national amount of $6,914,000 for the
Joint Fire Science Program.
FY 2015 Program Changes
The President’s Budget includes a decrease of
$3,493,000 from the FY 2014 Enacted for SRS.
Funds will be used to address regional and
national priorities, such as invasive species
research
and
watershed
management.
Important ongoing research, including work
addressing climate change, forest restoration,
and forest inventory and monitoring will continue.
SRS scientists are helping minimize impacts of fire on bats.
Southern Research Station Overview
SRS serves 13 Southern States: Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Staffs are
organized into Research Work Units at locations
throughout the region. SRS employs over 103
scientists and many more technicians and
administrative personnel covering a diversity of
disciplines.
The FY 2015 President’s Budget for SRS is
$44,785,000, of which $14,629,000 is for annualized
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA). In addition,
$2,282,000 is provided for National Fire Plan
research. SRS will also receive a competitive
FY 2013 Key Accomplishments
 Longleaf pine woodlands of the southeastern
U.S. are fire dependent ecosystems. Overstory
structure determines fuel distribution and fire
behavior, and influences development of a
rich
understory
plant
community.
By
identifying the mechanisms that drive patterns
of plant communities, SRS scientists help
managers develop restoration practices that
promote ecosystem diversity.
 Phosphorus is widely deficient in the southern
pine region, so fertilization is common. SRS
scientists studied tree response to various
fertilizer application rates, and concluded
that higher rates in a first rotation may reduce
the need for additional fertilization, and
exceptionally high rates do not increase
biomass more than normal rates.
This
research will save money by encouraging



appropriate rates of phosphorus fertilization in
tree production.
Bats provide important ecosystem services by
reducing the number of insect pests in
agricultural lands and forests. SRS has
compiled a synthesis of science regarding
effects of fire on bats. Studies suggest fire
generally has beneficial effects on bat habitat
by creating snags, more open forests, and
increasing the abundance of flying insects.
Fire has direct negative effects on bats
through heat and smoke. Intense fires may
pose a risk to tree-roosting bats during the
reproductive season of summer, while burning
on cold winter days could impact litterroosting species. This synthesis helps managers
improve habitat while minimizing direct
impacts to bats.
SRS, Auburn University, University of Florida,
and the Florida Forest Service evaluated the
Pro-B (proportional-basal area) silviculture
treatments for managing longleaf pine
ecosystems. Pro-B is a method of unevenaged
management
that
is
readily
implemented in southern forests, and an
alternative to even-aged management.
Results indicate that Pro-B is suitable for
sustainably providing ecological values and
forest products.
Using wood for energy raises issues for nearly
every aspect of forest management. SRS,
North Carolina State University, the Swedish
Agricultural Institute, and Virginia Tech
University evaluated economic impacts of
using wood for energy. Results show that this
technology could have financial benefits for
private landowners and the forest products
industry. Sustainability of wood for energy will
depend upon the extent of land acreage
used and the amount of logging residue left
on site. Timber supply responses to the
potentially large and rapid expansion of the
wood bioenergy sector in the U.S. will be
crucial to ensuring sustainable forests.
Priority Research in Mississippi
Forest Service R&D priority research areas build on
existing local and regional research to solve issues
important to the American people. Priority
research activities in Mississippi include:
Watershed Management and Restoration: With a
growing population competing for a finite supply
of freshwater, sustaining healthy watersheds to
protect the nation’s water supply is critical to the
social and economic well-being of the U.S. SRS
researchers in Mississippi are refining a hardwood
forest management system that could greatly
improve hardwood management in the U.S. The
system focuses on management of stand quality
rather than stand density. Researchers are
testing and refining the system on plots in
Louisiana and Mississippi.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA): FIA is providing
information about current conditions and trends
in public and private forest health across the U.S.
Researchers in FIA have been conducting annual
inventories in cooperation with Mississippi and
other southern states. Results are being used by
forest industry to determine economic options for
treatment in various areas across the state.
Localized Research Needs in Mississippi
Focusing on critical regional and local research
issues, SRS provides research results and tools and
technologies including:
Decreasing the Cost of Delivering Woody
Biomass: SRS scientists are evaluating supply
systems to deliver high tonnage feedstocks for
biofuels production.
A harvesting system was
developed and is currently being tested by
comparing four different machines. The results will
allow managers to select the most efficient
system and machinery based on production rates
and costs, as compared with conventional
systems.
FOREST SERVICE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (FS R&D) is a world leader in innovative science for sustaining global forest resources for future
generations. Research findings and products benefit forest and rangeland managers, and everyone who uses goods or services from
forests. We operate five research stations that encompass all 50 states, the Forest Products Laboratory located in Madison, Wisconsin, and
the International Institute of Tropical Forestry located in Puerto Rico. Our researchers and support personnel are located at 67 field sites
throughout the United States. We also maintain 80 experimental forests and ranges across the Nation. Our unique ability to integrate
science and decision making and to work across boundaries between public, private, and tribal lands through strong partnerships
advances the Agency’s three core themes of restoration, communities, and fire.
The FS R&D program has two components: Priority Research Areas and Strategic Program Areas. The Priority Research Areas address
urgent needs in seven areas: Forest Disturbance, Forest Inventory and Analysis, Watershed Management and Restoration, Bioenergy and
Biobased Products, Urban Natural Resources Stewardship, Nanotechnology, and Localized Needs Research (region-specific needs). The
Strategic Program Areas (SPAs) are the long-term programs from which Priority Research Areas are funded. The seven SPAs are: Wildland
Fire and Fuels; Invasive Species; Recreation; Resource Management and Use; Water, Air, and Soil; Wildlife and Fish; and Inventory and
Monitoring.
The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes $275,315,000 for Forest and Rangeland Research, $19,795,000 for the FS R&D National Fire Plan, and
$6,914,000 for the Joint Fire Science Program.