http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
Missouri
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) delivers research to Missouri through the Northern
Research Station (NRS) and its field office in Columbia. The thirteen employees in Missouri conduct research
that focuses on resource use and effects on wildlife, increasing knowledge and developing tools to better
manage central hardwood ecosystems. Long-term research in Missouri is conducted on the Sinkin
Experimental Forest.
Missouri Funding History
Columbia-NRS-11 Sustainable Management of Central
Hardwood Ecosystems and Landscapes and NRS 16 Strategic
Foresight Group
MISSOURI TOTAL
The prairie warbler is a neotropical migrant that returns to nest
in early successional habitats. Photo by Deanna K. Dawson,
Patuxent Bird InfoCenter, used with permission.
NRS 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
Research. NRS will also receive a competitive
share of the national amount of $6,914,000 for the
Joint Fire Science Program.
FY 2013
Enacted ($)
FY 2014
Enacted ($)
FY 2015
Budget ($)
$1,501,000
$1,928,000
$1,528,000
$1,501,000
$1,928,000
$1,528,000
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
 Guided Mark Twain National Forest managers in
restoration of Missouri Ozark Highland natural
communities by documenting the change from
historic conditions, as found in General Land
Office surveys (1815-1850), and comparing it
with current FIA results.
 Demonstrated the power of population viability
models by evaluating responses of prairie
warbler and wood thrush populations to
different
landscape-scale
conservation
scenarios. Relying on randomly placed habitat
conservation was found to be ineffective and
potentially
counterproductive,
whereas
strategic
conservation
focused
around
concentrations of public land and highly
forested
landscapes
reversed
regional
population declines.
Priority Research in Missouri
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 Missouri 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 Missouri, forest
managers have a better understanding of shortand long-term ecosystem responses to natural
disturbances and forest management practices.
This information will ultimately help managers
maintain and enhance the long-term health and
productivity of forests and aquatic ecosystems.
Missouri forest managers can 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 Missouri
have improved tools for assessing, protecting,
and managing urban natural resources through iTree software.
Bioenergy and Biobased Products: America’s
forest resources contribute significantly to energy
security, environmental quality, and economic
opportunity. Missouri forest owners benefit from
land management decision-support tools for
assessing biomass inventory and distribution.
Watershed Management and Restoration: The
availability of clean water is becoming limited in
many parts of the U.S. It is important to
understand where water shortages will occur,
identify how future climate will affect rainfall and
snowfall, and find ways to reduce water pollution
and effectively manage and protect water
sources. Management guidelines on the Sinkin
Experimental Forest are being updated to
enhance Missouri’s water quality.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA): The NRS FIA
program conducts an updated annual inventory
of Missouri’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 Missouri
Focusing on critical regional and local research
issues, NRS provides research results and tools and
technologies including:
White-nose Syndrome: NRS researchers, in
collaboration with State, Federal, and Tribal
wildlife management agencies, are leading FS
efforts to find the cause of and methods for
managing white-nose syndrome, which is
decimating eastern bat populations.
Wildlife Conservation: NRS researchers developed
spatially explicit, landscape-scale models that
enable various nongovernmental conservation
organizations to evaluate and plan for wildlife at
regional ecosystem scales.
Bottomland Forest Restoration: NRS researchers
developed improved planting strategies for
reforesting flooded Missouri River bottomlands,
using larger planting stock and fertilization to
improve survival rates and growth of common
native oak species.
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.