http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
Virginia
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) delivers research to Virginia through the Southern
Research Station (SRS), which is headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, and has a field office in
Blacksburg housing 10 employees. Virginia has 15.8 million acres of forestland covering 62 percent of the
Virginia land area.
Virginia Funding History
BLACKSBURG -- SRS-4353 Forest Watershed Science, SRS4704 Utilization of Southern Forest Resources, and SRS4801 Forestry Inventory and Analysis
VIRGINIA TOTAL
FY 2013
Enacted ($)
FY 2014
Enacted ($)
FY 2015
Budget ($)
$994,702
$988,433
$987,651
$994,702
$988,433
$987,651
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 is working with partners across the region to
evaluate impacts of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid on forest
ecosystems and watersheds.
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. Staff is 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 $12,629,000 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
share of the national amount of $6,914,000 for the
Joint Fire Science Program.
FY 2013 Key Accomplishments:
 Eastern hemlocks are facing widespread
mortality due to hemlock woolly adelgid
(HWA), an invasive insect pest. Because
hemlock is concentrated in riparian habitats
and maintains a dense, evergreen canopy, its
loss is expected to have a major impact on
forest processes, including transpiration
(Et). SRS estimated changes in Et by
monitoring tree water use and changes in
forest composition. From 2004 to 2011,
hemlock mortality reduced annual Et by 22%
and winter Et by 74%. However, deciduous
trees are replacing hemlock, and as they
grow Et will increase above that seen in
unaffected hemlock forest, which could
reduce stream flow, raising concerns about
water availability in the future.
 Bats provide important ecosystem services by
reducing the number of insect pests in
agricultural lands and forests. Climate models
forecast that the distribution of Indiana bats
during the summer pup rearing season could
be greatly reduced and shift from the
Midwest to the Northeast and southern
Appalachians. Summer temperature was the
most important climatic variable explaining
the distribution of Indiana bat maternity
colonies. SRS scientists are identifying ways to


sustain Indiana bat populations over time. In
the short term, bats will seek cooler roosts
under shade in the summer. As they shift
regionally, managers will need to ensure
adequate roosting habitat is available in the
remaining suitable areas.
In 2010, Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) was
discovered in urban areas within the native
range of the eastern black walnut tree.
Concerned that TCD may have spread into
the surrounding forests, SRS researchers
examined data collected between 2000 and
2010 from the FIA program for evidence of
TCD in the eastern U.S. They found that black
walnut crown conditions and mortality levels
were within normal ranges and concluded
that TCD does not appear to be present in the
forested landscape at this time.
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 if this
technology is achieved, this policy could
have significant impacts on forests, forest
landowners, and the forest products industry.
Factors that will impact forests include
responses of forest landowners, land use
change, and the level of logging residue
recovery achieved. 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 Virginia
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 Virginia include:
Forest Disturbance: Managing forest ecosystems
to sustain and enhance desired benefits requires
knowledge of how forests change over time in
response
to
natural
disturbances
and
management activities. SRS scientists are
advancing the Template for Assessing Climate
Change Impacts and Management Options – to
provide land managers with the best available
scientific information for developing strategies to
sustain and enhance forest resources over time.
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.
Several factors suggest that the South will be
faced with significant water resource challenges
in the 21st century. SRS scientists are helping
managers better understand disturbance impacts
on ecosystems, and how to manage these
systems for water quality and quantity.
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 Virginia 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 for Virginia
Focusing on critical regional and local research
issues, SRS provides research results and tools and
technologies including:
Oak Regeneration: Oak forests in the region are
threatened by widespread oak decline and
regeneration failure. SRS scientists are working to
provide land managers guidelines for sustainable
oak management to ensure that upland
hardwood forests continue to provide valuable
economic and ecological services.
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.