http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
Oregon
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) funds research and employs over 190 people in
Oregon through its Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNW). Staffs are located in four locations: Corvallis,
La Grande, Portland, and Prineville. PNW research informs the management of Oregon’s large and diverse
forest resource which ranges from west-side Douglas-fir forests to the east-side pine/fir forests and hardwood
species in valleys and slopes. Long-term research in Oregon is conducted on four experimental forests: H.J.
Andrews, Cascade Head, Pringle Falls, and the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range.
Oregon Funding History
Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory. Programs include Ecological
Process and Function; Land and Watershed Management; Goods,
Services, and Values; Focused Science Delivery; Resource
Monitoring and Assessment; and Threat Characterization and
Management.
La Grande Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory. Programs
include Ecological Process and Function; Land and Watershed
Management; Resource Monitoring and Assessment; and Threat
Characterization and Management.
Portland Forestry Sciences Laboratory. Programs include Ecological
Process and Function; Land and Watershed Management; Goods,
Services, and Values; Focused Science Delivery; and Resource
Monitoring and Assessment.
Prineville (Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment
Center).
OREGON TOTAL
FY 2015
Budget ($)
FY 2013
Enacted ($)
FY 2014
Enacted ($)
$8,537,630
$9,015,399
$8,542,330
1,989,742
2,101,089
1,990,837
12,354,755
13,046,131
12,361,555
736,436
777,647
736,841
$23,618,563
$24,940,266
$23,631,563
collaboration with a suite of partners, we deliver
interdisciplinary solutions to critical natural
resource problems.
The FY 2015 President’s Budget is $38,173,000 of
which $13,107,000 is for annualized Forest
Inventory and Analysis. In addition, $4,082,000 is
provided for National Fire Plan research. PNW will
also receive a competitive share of the national
amount of $6,914,000 for the Joint Fire Science
Program.
Woody byproducts can be converted to biofuel or used to
generate electricity. Photo by Eini Lowell.
Pacific Northwest Research Station Overview
Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, PNW’s
mission is to generate and communicate scientific
knowledge that helps solve problems and inform
choices about challenging natural resource
management issues. The station is organized into
five science programs with personnel in the three
Pacific Northwest states we serve.
In
FY 2015 Program Changes
The President’s Budget includes a station
decrease of $2,114,000 from the FY 2014
Enacted. The proposed level will sustain many of
the current programs.
FY 2013 Key Accomplishments:
 Accelerating restoration treatments on forests
with high crown fire potential in eastern
Oregon will restore ecosystem health, create
jobs, and generate additional revenue. This
finding was part of a broader study

commissioned by the Oregon governor. PNW
scientists contributed landscape-wide analysis
of forest conditions, potential biomass supply,
and transportation of forest products to
lumber mills and biomass plants in eastern
Oregon.
Visually striking fungal mats, which cover up to
40 percent of the forest floor in some Douglasfir forests, contribute significantly to the
availability of nutrients for plant growth.
Research spanning more than 20 years shows
fungal mats are common features of
coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest and
serve a vital role in forest function and
productivity.
Priority Research in Oregon
Forest Service R&D priority research areas build on
existing local and regional research to solve
problems important to the American people.
Priority research activities in Oregon include:
Watershed Management and Restoration: With a
growing population competing for a finite supply
of fresh water, sustaining healthy watersheds to
protect the nation’s water supply is critical to the
social and economic well-being of the United
States. Research on the likely effects of climate
change on stream temperatures suggests that
future changes can be mitigated through
managing the height and density of riparian
vegetation.
This
information
could
help
stakeholders working to restore spawning habitat
for spring Chinook salmon, such as the State of
Oregon’s
Intensively
Managed
Watershed
Program, The Nature Conservancy, and the
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
Bioenergy and Biobased Products: America’s
forest resources significantly contribute to energy
security, environmental quality, and economic
opportunity. PNW is helping the Northwest
Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) turn one
of the region’s most abundant resources—woody
biomass—into jet fuel. This five-year research and
outreach project forms regional alliances and
identifies communities in Oregon and elsewhere
that may fit into a sustainable biofuels supply
chain. Working with stakeholders, NARA will
eventually identify sites in every state that could
serve as biorefineries for aviation biofuels or coproducts.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA):
The FIA
program provides current conditions and recent
trends on public and private forest land in the
United States. Forest inventory allows America to
see how its forests are changing over time, which
has direct bearing on the availability of forest
resources for commodity production, carbon
management and climate change, and a variety
of ecosystem services including species habitats
and water availability.
Localized Needs Research in Oregon
Focusing on critical regional and local research
issues,
PNWNeeds
provides research results and tools
Research
and technologies including:
Endangered Species: Conserving habitat for
endangered species is a legal requirement
(Endangered Species Act (1973)) and is a
significant consideration in Forest Management
Plans. Marbled murrelet and northern spotted owl
habitat modeling helped inform management
options for lands managed under the Northwest
Forest Plan in Oregon. State and county leaders
convened an advisory board to examine how
proposed land allocations might affect the
endangered marbled murrelet and northern
spotted owl. PNW scientists helped inform the
board by developing detailed “wall-to-wall”
maps of current marbled murrelet and northern
spotted owl habitat and projected habitat 50
years into the future under the proposed land
management scenarios.
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.