http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
Wisconsin
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) delivers research to Wisconsin through the Northern
Research Station (NRS) and its field offices in Madison and Rhinelander. Thirty-six employees work in the
state. The Madison location houses the Center for Forest Mycology Research and the Rhinelander location
develops and translates forest science and technology to policy-relevant scales. Long-term research in
Wisconsin is conducted on three experimental forests: Argonne, Coulee, and Harshaw Experimental Forests.
Wisconsin Funding History
Madison- NRS-15 Strategic Foresight Group and NRS-16
Restoration and Conservation of Urban and Rural Forests
Rhinelander-NRS-13 Institute for Applied Ecosystem Studies;
Theory and Application of Scaling Science in Forestry
WISCONSIN TOTAL
An uncommon sight in the Western Great Lakes region: A
structurally complex and diverse red pine forest. Photo by U.S.
Forest Service.
Northern Research Station Overview
Headquartered at Newtown Square, PA, NRS
develops and delivers leading-edge science and
technology that helps people ensure the longterm health and productivity of rural and urban
landscapes. NRS maintains 24 field locations and
24 experimental forests across 20 states in the
Midwest and Northeast: Connecticut, Delaware,
Illinois,
Indiana,
Iowa,
Maine,
Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West
Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The FY 2015 President’s Budget is $50,495,000 of
which $15,718,000 is for annualized Forest
Inventory and Analysis (FIA). In addition,
$2,944,000 is provided for the National Fire Plan
Research. NRS will also receive a competitive
share of the national amount of $6,914,000 for the
Joint Fire Science Program.
FY 2013
Enacted ($)
FY 2014
Enacted ($)
FY 2015
Budget ($)
$881,000
$960,000
$112,000
1,661,000
1,828,000
1,828,000
$2,542,000
$2,788,000
$1,940,000
FY 2015 Program Changes
The President’s Budget includes a station
decrease of $4,126,000 from the FY 2014 Enacted
level. At this level, the NRS will continue to
provide cutting edge research in urban forestry
and forest disturbance processes as well as
develop practical tools to enhance forest
productivity and increase production of clean air
and water. The FIA program will continue to
monitor and inventory the nation’s forests to
better inform forest policy development and
provide valuable data to enhance accelerated
forest restoration. NRS will focus on the highest
priority research by eliminating the Northeastern
States Research Cooperative; research on
mycology, long term soil productivity, and riparian
research critical to water quality; and the invasive
species program in MI and CT.
FY 2013 Key Accomplishments:
 Supported land managers in Wisconsin with
development of the Climate Change Response
Framework, an integrated set of tools,
partnerships, and actions for climate-smart
conservation and forest management.
 Scaled up results from a high-profile, 11-year
ecosystem experiment (Aspen-FACE) to assess
how elevated carbon dioxide and ozone might
impact forests many decades into the future.
Found that managers may have considerable
control over forest outcomes by managing
disturbance and landscape spatial patterns.
 Initiated a large-scale experiment to restore
structural complexity and tree species diversity
in mixed-pine forests of the western Great Lakes
region.
 Linked forest inventory and satellite data to
predict water quality measured in river mouths
on Lakes Superior and Michigan, making it
possible to easily rank and prioritize watersheds
for restoration investments.
 Helped design a nationally consistent, objective,
and transparent method of monitoring best
management
practices
effectiveness
on
national forests and grasslands and developed
an interim database to store the information.
Priority Research in Wisconsin
Forest Service R&D priority research areas build on
existing local and regional research to solve issues
important to the American people. Priority
research in Wisconsin includes:
Forest Disturbance: Management of forest
ecosystems to sustain desired benefits requires
knowledge of how forests change over time in
response
to
natural
disturbances
and
management activities. In Wisconsin, forest
managers have a better understanding of shortand long-term ecosystem responses to natural
disturbances and forest management practices,
helping them maintain and enhance the longterm health and productivity of forests and
aquatic ecosystems. A new climate change
assessment will help identify issues most important
to managers.
Bioenergy and Biobased Products: America’s
forest resources contribute significantly to energy
security, environmental quality and economic
opportunity. The potential for poplar energy
plantations in Wisconsin has been field tested and
the data is currently being evaluated.
Watershed Management and Restoration: Clean
water availability is becoming limited in many
parts of the U.S. It is important to understand
where water shortages will occur, identify how
future climate will affect rainfall and snowfall, and
find ways to reduce water pollution and
effectively manage and protect water sources.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA): The NRS FIA
program conducts an updated annual inventory
of Wisconsin’s forest resources in cooperation with
the State Forester and other state organizations.
FIA provides the science-based information
needed by the nation’s leaders to make sound
forest policy decisions and to better understand
forest processes and associated threats to
ecosystem health.
Localized Needs Research in Wisconsin
Focusing on critical regional and local research
issues, NRS provides research results and tools and
technologies including:
Climate Change Effects: NRS researchers are
exploring how climate change will affect northern
forests in Wisconsin and internationally. This
knowledge provides managers tools to sustain the
benefits of healthy forests under changing
climate scenarios.
Poplar Trees for Bioenergy: NRS researchers are
helping determine the potential of poplar trees as
an energy crop, to inform decisions about the
economic and social feasibility of establishing
poplar plantations.
White-nose Syndrome (WNS): NRS researchers in
Madison developed a DNA-based tool for
detecting the presence or absence of the fungus
in cave sediments that causes WNS, a disease
killing bats in the eastern U.S., including some
threatened and endangered species.
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.