http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
Delaware
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) delivers research to Delaware through the Northern
Research Station (NRS) and its cooperators. Currently, one employee is located at the University of
Delaware as associate director of the Center for Managed Ecosystems.
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.
Changes in the density of nonnative plants in the understory of
urban forests are affecting how native songbirds like the wood
thrush, pictured above, use habitat.
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
(NFP) Research, although no NFP activity is
planned in Delaware. NRS will also receive 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 $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
FY 2013 Key Accomplishments
 Initiated monitoring of 200 new plots to
understand the diversity and size of Delaware`s
urban forest on public and private lands in
Wilmington and New Castle County, helping
local managers understand the benefits of local
urban forests and the ecosystem services they
provide.
 Continued the long-term study of the effects of
invasive nonnative plants on the overall
ecology of urban forest fragments. Profound
changes have been found in the density of
nonnative plant species in the understory, their
relationship to native songbird habitat use, and
their connection to underlying soil conditions.
. Priority Research in Delaware
Forest Service R&D priority research areas build on
existing local and regional research to solve issues
important to the American people. Priority
research activities in Delaware include:
Forest Disturbance: As climate changes so will our
forests. We need to understand how to manage
our forests to adapt to climate change, including
providing opportunities for new and changing
species mixes, restoring forests and wetlands as
temperatures and rainfall change, controlling
invasive insects and diseases, and reducing
wildfire risk. Delaware forest managers can
access current tree and bird distribution maps
and habitat projections under different climate
change scenarios.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA): The NRS FIA
program conducts an updated annual inventory
of Delaware’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.
Urban Natural Resources Stewardship: With most
people living in urban areas, an emphasis on
science and technology transfer is paramount to
ensure the proper care of natural resources and
the delivery of ecosystem services in urban and
urbanizing landscapes. Communities in Delaware
have improved tools for assessing, protecting,
and managing urban natural resources through iTree software.
Bioenergy and Biobased Products: America’s
forest resources contribute significantly to energy
security, environmental quality, and economic
opportunity. Delaware forest owners benefit from
decision-support tools developed by NRS scientists
for assessing biomass inventory and distribution.
Watershed Management and Restoration: The
availability of clean water is becoming limited in
many parts of the United States, a trend likely to
continue as the population grows. 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.
Localized Needs Research in Delaware
Focusing on critical regional and local research
issues, NRS provides research results and tools and
technologies including:
Delaware River Watershed Protection: NRS
scientists are creating computer models that
support the Delaware River Basin Collaborative
Environmental Monitoring and Research initiative
(CEMRI), which integrates the environmental
monitoring efforts of various agencies to evaluate
health and sustainability of forest and freshwater
aquatic systems in the Delaware River Basin.
Forest Fragments in Managed Ecosystems
(FRAME): NRS, in collaboration with University of
Delaware (UD) scientists and others, is continuing
work that focuses on assessing the conditions of
urban forests and explores ways to improve those
conditions.
The project is a large scale
fragmentation study that builds on a study begun
45 years ago by UD scientists. The goal of the
FRAME project is to better understand the
interactions between soil, water, plants, and the
animals dependent on them within urban and
suburban environments.
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.