http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
Kansas
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) conducts research relevant to Kansas through the
Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS), headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado.
FY 2015 Program Changes
The FY 2015 President's Budget includes a station
decrease of $3,038,000 from the FY 2014 Enacted.
The proposed funding will enable RMRS to continue
producing the scientific information and tools
needed to sustain and restore the productivity and
resilience of western ecosystems. It will allow RMRS to
sustain investment in high priority research
established in its 2014 Strategic Business Plan, by
deferring investments in less urgent research priorities.
FY 2013 Key Accomplishments
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Rocky Mountain Research Station
The RMRS mission is to develop and deliver scientific
information and technology to sustain the health and
productivity of the nation’s forest, rangeland,
grassland, and desert ecosystems throughout the
Interior West. RMRS research provides the scientific
foundation to understand and adapt to the dynamic
conditions associated with ecosystem health and
sustainability: human use of land and resources,
climate
change,
wildland
fire
and
fuels
management, native and non-native insects and
diseases, and watershed productivity and resilience.
The RMRS is organized into seven science programs
with research labs in nine of the twelve states within
its territory. The RMRS conducts research and delivers
science products in collaboration with a variety of
partners to maximize the relevance and reach of
RMRS science.
The FY 2015 President’s Budget for RMRS is
$37,687,000, of which $13,142,000 is for annualized
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA). In addition,
$6,911,000 is provided for National Fire Plan research.
RMRS will also receive a competitive share of the
national amount of $6,914,000 for the Joint Fire
Science Program.
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Forest Service RMRS researchers are developing
techniques
to
evaluate
wildlife
habitat
connectivity for a substantial number of native
species across large regions.
Researchers
identified species at risk of habitat fragmentation,
as well as the sufficiency of protected habitat.
Results will inform and guide conservation,
restoration, and mitigation strategies.
RMRS scientists collaborated with the Nebraska
National Forest and Grasslands, and South
Dakota State University to develop management
models that will help land managers prevent the
introduction and spread of a newly introduced
non-native plant species (Falcaria vulgaris) in the
Northern Great Plains Grasslands.
RMRS scientists, in collaboration with the Forest
Service Remote Sensing Application Center,
developed modeling methods to produce the
National Land Cover Dataset Tree Canopy Cover
layer for the conterminous US, which is the
baseline tree canopy cover information for the
nation.
Researchers from the Forest Service, ARS and
collaborating universities found that the ability of
plant communities to use water efficiently is
compromised as precipitation patterns become
more extreme. Because of this effect, scientists
expect that grasslands will act as early indicators
of drought-induced losses.
RMRS scientists are collaborating with the USDA
National Agroforestry Center and South Dakota
State University to evaluate the potential of
applying silvopasture concepts and techniques
to simultaneously enhance livestock and timber
production.
Priority Research
Forest Service R&D Priority Research Areas build on
local and regional research to solve issues important
to the American people. Examples of priority
research conducted by the RMRS include:
Forest Disturbance: Managing forests to sustain
ecosystem health requires knowledge of how forests
change over time in response to natural disturbances
and
management
actions.
RMRS
scientists
developed geospatial tools to help land managers
anticipate future conditions, spot ecological trends,
and design effective adaptive strategies.
Watershed Management and Restoration: Sustaining
healthy watersheds is fundamental to ensure a safe
and reliable water supply. RMRS scientists developed
the GRAIP tool, a data driven road inventory method
and model which assesses the risks to aquatic
resources from road related sediment discharge. This
tool enables land managers to prioritize mitigation on
open roads and de-commission roads most at risk of
delivering sediment to the stream. This research was
cited in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)
rule to regulate runoff from forest roads, and figured
prominently in the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to
uphold the EPA's policy on forest road runoff as a
nonpoint source.
Bioenergy and Bio-Based Products: RMRS researchers
are exploring biomass utilization by mobile fast-
pyrolysis to convert residual forest biomass into
biochar (black carbon) and biofuel near harvest
sites. These carbon-rich biochar amendments return
nutrients to the soil, supplement long-resident soil
carbon pools, and improve water retention,
microbial biomass, and nutrient cycling.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA): The FIA program
provides data on conditions and trends for public
and private forest lands in the United States. The
RMRS Inventory & Monitoring program completed
the first-ever high-resolution analysis of climatic
patterns using tree-ring data from the FIA plot grid.
This technique will enable fine-scale reconstruction of
El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influence on
forest growth across large areas.
Localized Needs Research
The RMRS invests in research and science delivery
specific to issues of local and regional importance.
Examples include:
Prescribed Fire Use: RMRS is partnering with the USDA
Agricultural Research Service on the long-term
implications of prescribed fire in the western Great
Plains by comparing existing studies at the Pawnee
National Grassland/Central Plains Experimental
Range (ARS Rangeland Resources Research Unit)
with a RMRS Kiowa National Grassland fire study, to
provide land managers with a more robust scientific
basis for the use of prescribed fire as a management
tool in shortgrass steppe.
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.