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.