http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
Ohio
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) delivers research to Ohio through the Northern
Research Station (NRS) and its field office in Delaware. Twenty-seven employees work in the state. The
research here focuses on using prescribed fire in oak regeneration, American elm restoration, and the
effects of stresses, like climate change, on wildlife and the health of various tree species. Research also
addresses management of invasive pests and pathogens. Long-term research in Ohio is conducted on
Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest.
Ohio Funding History
Delaware-NRS-2 Sustaining Forests in a Changing Environment
and NRS-16 Restoration and Conservation of Urban and Rural
Forests
OHIO TOTAL
FY 2013
Enacted ($)
FY 2014
Enacted($)
FY 2015
Budget ($)
$2,542,000
$2,606,000
$2,606,000
$2,542,000
$2,606,000
$2,606,000
Research. NRS will also receive a competitive
share of the national amount of $6,914,000 for the
Joint Fire Science Program.
Researchers in Ohio test a beech tree for its resistance to
beech bark disease.
Northern Research Station Overview
Headquartered at Newtown Square, PA, NRS
develops and delivers leading-edge science and
technology that helps people ensure the longterm health and productivity of rural and urban
landscapes. NRS maintains 24 field locations and
24 experimental forests across 20 states in the
Midwest and Northeast: Connecticut, Delaware,
Illinois,
Indiana,
Iowa,
Maine,
Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West
Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The FY 2015 President’s Budget is $50,495,000 of
which $15,718,000 is for annualized Forest
Inventory and Analysis (FIA). In addition,
$2,944,000 is provided for the National Fire Plan
FY 2015 Program Changes
The President’s Budget includes a station
decrease of $4,126,000 from the FY 2014 Enacted
level. At this level, the NRS will continue to
provide cutting edge research in urban forestry
and forest disturbance processes as well as
develop practical tools to enhance forest
productivity and increase production of clean air
and water. The FIA program will continue to
monitor and inventory the nation’s forests to
better inform forest policy development and
provide valuable data to enhance accelerated
forest restoration. NRS will focus on the highest
priority research by eliminating the Northeastern
States Research Cooperative; research on
mycology, long term soil productivity, and riparian
research critical to water quality; and the invasive
species program in MI and CT.
FY 2013 Key Accomplishments
 Developed a test for identifying American
beech trees resistant to the invasive beech
scale insect responsible for beech bark disease.
 Helped Ohio forest managers determine the
public safety risk from emerald ash borer-killed
trees, aiding managers in prioritizing removal of
dead and dying trees.
 Tested vulnerability of native Ohio tree species
to a fungus that may help control the nonnative
invasive Ailanthus tree, which threatens native
trees in Ohio and 29 other states.
 Introduced a tool for predicting the tree injury or
mortality caused by heating of the bark during
wildland fires. Understanding how different
species and sizes of trees are affected helps fire
managers to better plan the use of prescribed
fire as a forest management tool.
Priority Research in Ohio
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 Ohio include:
Forest Disturbance: Management of forest
ecosystems to sustain desired benefits requires
knowledge of how forests change over time in
response
to
natural
disturbances
and
management activities. In Ohio, forest managers
have a better understanding of ecosystem
responses to natural disturbances and forest
management practices, helping them maintain
and enhance the long-term health and
productivity of forests and aquatic ecosystems.
Ohio forest managers can also access current
tree and bird distribution maps and habitat
projections under different climate change
scenarios.
Urban Natural Resources Stewardship: With most
people living in urban areas, an emphasis on
science and technology transfer is paramount to
ensure the proper care of natural resources and
the delivery of ecosystem services in urban and
urbanizing landscapes. Communities in Ohio have
improved tools for assessing, protecting, and
managing urban natural resources through i-Tree
software.
Watershed Management and Restoration: The
availability of clean water is becoming limited in
many parts of the U.S. NRS research will help to
identify where water shortages will occur, how
future climate will affect rainfall and snowfall, and
find ways to reduce water pollution and
effectively manage and protect water sources.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA): The NRS FIA
program conducts an updated annual inventory
of Ohio’s forest resources in cooperation with the
State Forester and other state organizations. FIA
provides the science-based information needed
by the nation’s leaders to make sound forest
policy decisions and to better understand forest
processes and associated threats to ecosystem
health.
Localized Needs Research in Ohio
Focusing on critical regional and local research
issues,
NRS provides
Research
Needs research results and tools and
technologies including:
Ash Genetic Conservation: In the face of an
increasing threat from emerald ash borer, NRS
scientists help ensure the future survival of North
American ash species through the preservation
and propagation of genetic material from native
ash trees that show resistance to the emerald ash
borer.
American Elm Restoration: NRS scientists have
helped restore the American elm to Ohio’s forests
by developing new strains of the American elm
with greater levels of tolerance to Dutch elm
disease and by test-planting seedlings.
Furniture
Industry
Competitiveness:
NRS
researchers are analyzing the impact of
globalization on the performance of the
Appalachian forest products industry and
identifying successful strategies to mitigate this
competition. These results can be useful to Ohio’s
Amish
community
furniture
manufacturing
activities that employ 2,700 people and use 43
million board feet of hardwood lumber annually.
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.