http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
California
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) funds research and employs about 200 people in
California through its Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW). PSW provides research to protect
California’s unique ecosystems which include the lowest, driest desert in the country, the highest elevations
within the 48 contiguous States, and abundant diversity of native plants and animals, including nearly 50
percent of the nation’s threatened and endangered species.
California Funding History
Arcata – Conservation of Biodiversity, Ecosystem Function and
Health
Davis – Conservation of Biodiversity, Ecosystem Function and
Health, Fire and Fuels, Urban Ecosystems & Social Dynamics
Fresno – Conservation of Biodiversity, Ecosystem Function and
Health, Fire and Fuels
Placerville – Conservation of Biodiversity, Ecosystem Function and
Health, Fire and Fuels
Redding – Ecosystem Function and Health, Fire and Fuels
Riverside – Fire and Fuels, Urban Ecosystems & Social Dynamics,
Conservation of Biodiversity, Ecosystem Function and Health
CALIFORNIA TOTAL
FY 2013
Enacted ($)
FY 2014
Enacted ($)
FY 2015
Budget ($)
$2,769,000
$2,994,000
$2,714,000
3,889,000
4,205,000
3,812,000
853,000
922,000
836,000
1,011,000
1,094,000
992,000
2,290,000
2,476,000
2,245,000
5,166,000
5,587,000
5,065,000
$15,978,000
$17,278,000
$15,664,000
and urban and neighborhood green spaces. Our
research results help enhance forest and
watershed health and restoration, improve
wildfire management, and enhance urban
natural resources stewardship.
We deliver
solutions to a broad range of natural resource
problems in collaboration with a diverse suite of
partners.
Fire research plays a critical role in our understanding of fire
ecology and managing complex ecosystems.
Pacific Southwest Research Station Overview
Headquartered in Albany, CA, PSW provides tools
to enhance natural resource stewardship in
forests across the rural-to-urban gradient in
California, Hawaii, and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific
islands. PSW employs about 230 scientists and
support staff at 7 facilities within California and 1
in Hawaii, and conducts long-term research at 12
Experimental Forests and Ranges in California and
one in Hawaii.
PSW research provides benefits to the public’s
water resources, fire threatened communities,
The FY 2015 President’s Budget for PSW is
$18,214,000. Additional funding of $2,690,000 is
provided from the National Fire Plan to address
priority fire research. PSW also receives a
competitive 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 station
decrease of $1,876,000 from the FY 2014
Enacted. The proposed level will sustain many of
the current programs and will support our priority
research on forest disturbance, urban natural
resources, watershed management, and other
key priorities.
FY 2013 Key Accomplishments:
 A PSW-led research team finalized a synthesis
report to promote resilience in the face of
climate change, increases in wildfire severity
and extent, invasive species and pathogens,
demographic changes, and other stressors. The
synthesis serves as an important source of
scientific guidance for revision of the Land and
Resource Management Plans for National
Forests in California. The team emphasized
integrating social well-being; promoting more
natural ecological disturbance regimes under
manageable situations; and adopting an
adaptive
management
framework
that
promotes social learning.
 PSW researchers compared the areas, activities,
individuals, and ozone levels in two Los Angeles
parks: one in a relatively affluent community,
the other in a community of social and
economic concern. The findings offer important
considerations
surrounding
recreation
opportunities and use of urban parks, especially
among vulnerable populations within at risk
communities.
 PSW, in association with multiple partners,
developed new methods based on satellite
data to provide near-real-time fire mapping
and measurement. These advances will greatly
enhance the ability of fire-fighting agencies to
identify and respond to wildland fires, plan for
upcoming fire seasons, and assist tactical fire
operations and strategic fire planning.
Priority Research in California
Urban Natural Resources Stewardship/Community
Sustainability: With most people living in urban
areas, science and new technology that informs
urban natural resources management and policy
is critical for improving environmental health and
community well-being in urban areas. PSW’s
urban forestry researchers investigate the benefits
of urban forests nationwide and create new
methods and strategies to optimize benefits from
community green infrastructure.
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 U.S. PSW is
working to understand where water shortages will
occur, find ways to reduce water pollution, and
learn how to more effectively manage water
resources.
Localized Needs Research in California
Focusing on critical regional and local research
issues,
PSW provides
Research
Needs research results and tools and
technologies including:
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 California include:
Fire and Fuels: California’s Mediterranean climate,
droughts, insects and diseases, and decades of
fire exclusion have increased fuel loading.
Urbanization poses increased risks and hazards in
fire operations. PSW fire management research
helps identify and reduce risks and costs.
Forest Disturbance and Accelerated Restoration:
Management of forest ecosystems requires
knowledge of how forests change over time in
response
to
natural
disturbances
and
management activities. PSW researchers study
California forests to better understand how forest
restoration can be incorporated into land
management activities and the role that forests
can play in carbon management.
Conservation of Biodiversity: National Forests
support the majority of forest-dependent wildlife
in California: species of value for hunting, wildlife
viewing, and ecosystem services such as seed
dispersal and pollination. PSW researchers are
working to understand how to manage and
restore forests to sustain plant and animal habitat.
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.