http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) delivers research to South Carolina through the
Southern Research Station (SRS), which is headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, and has field offices in
Aiken, Clemson, and Cordesville housing 27 employees. The Santee and John C. Calhoun Experimental
Forests are located in South Carolina. South Carolina has 12.9 million acres of forestland on 67% of the state’s total land area. FS R&D along with South Carolina universities and the South Carolina Forestry
Commission work closely in the collaboration of forest related research in the State.
South Carolina Funding History
FY 2013
Enacted ($)
FY 2014
Enacted ($)
FY 2015
Budget ($)
CHARLESTON -- SRS-4353 Forest Watershed Science
CLEMSON -SRS-4157 Upland Hardwood Ecology and
Management, SRS-4158 Restoring and Managing Longleaf
Pine
SOUTH CAROLINA TOTAL
SRS scientists are helping minimize impacts of fire on bats.
Southern Research Station Overview
SRS serves 13 Southern States: Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Staff is organized into Research Work Units at locations throughout the region. SRS employs over 103 scientists and many more technicians and administrative personnel covering a diversity of disciplines.
The FY 2015 President’s Budget for SRS is
$44,785,000, of which $14,629,000 is for annualized
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA). In addition,
$2,282,000 is provided for National Fire Plan research. SRS will also receive a competitive share of the national amount of $6,914,000 for the Joint
Fire Science Program.
$873,964
648,235
$1,522,199
$811,036
673,361
$867,768
643,639
$1,484,397 $1,511,407
FY 2015 Program Changes
The President’s Budget includes a decrease of
$3,493,000 from the FY 2014 Enacted for SRS.
Funds will be used to address some emerging regional and national priorities, such as invasive species research and watershed management.
Important ongoing research, including work addressing climate change, forest restoration, and forest inventory and monitoring will continue.
FY 2013 Key Accomplishments:
 Bats provide important ecosystem services by reducing the number of insect pests in agricultural lands and forests. SRS compiled a synthesis of science regarding effects of fire on bats. Studies suggest fire generally has beneficial effects on bat habitat by creating snags, more open forests, and increasing the abundance of flying insects. Fire also has direct negative effects on bats through heat and smoke. Intense fires may pose a risk to treeroosting bats during the reproductive season of summer, while burning on cold winter days could impact litter-roosting species. This synthesis helps managers improve habitat while minimizing direct impacts to bats.
 Eucalyptus is increasingly considered as a source for bioenergy production. However, several Eucalyptus species are known to be invasive in other parts of the world, and there is concern regarding their impact on natural communities in the U.S. SRS scientists evaluated the frequency of seedlings escaping plantation boundaries. Findings indicate there is little evidence to suggest that
Eucalyptus poses a significant risk of moving

into surrounding landscapes under current climatic and environmental conditions.
Although considerable uncertainty exists regarding the effects of larger-scale plantings, current findings suggest that Eucalyptus may be a viable source of feedstock for bioenergy production.
 SRS, Auburn University, University of Florida, and the Florida Forest Service evaluated the Pro-B
(proportional-basal area) silviculture treatments for managing longleaf pine ecosystems. Pro-B is a method of uneven-aged management and an alternative to even-aged management. Results indicate that Pro-B is suitable for sustainably providing ecological values and forest products.
 Using wood for energy raises issues for nearly every aspect of forest management. SRS, North
Carolina State University, the Swedish
Agricultural Institute, and Virginia Tech
University evaluated economic impacts of using wood for energy. Results show that if this technology is achieved, this policy could have significant impacts on forests, forest landowners, and the forest products industry.
Factors that impact forests include responses of forest landowners, land use change, and the level of logging residue recovery achieved.
Timber supply responses to the potentially large and rapid expansion of the wood bioenergy sector in the U.S. will be crucial to ensuring sustainable forests.
Priority Research for South Carolina
Forest Service R&D priority research areas build on
Research Needs important to the American people. Priority research activities in South Carolina include:
Forest Disturbance: Managing forest ecosystems to sustain desired benefits requires knowledge of how forests change over time in response to natural disturbances and management activities.
SRS scientists have developed a Template for
Assessing Climate Change Impacts and
Management Options – a web-based tool that provides forest managers with the best available scientific information for managing under changing conditions.
Watershed Management and Restoration: With a growing population competing for a finite supply of freshwater, sustaining healthy watersheds to protect the nation’s water supply is critical to the social and economic well-being of the U.S.
Southern forests are highly valued for wood products, wildlife, recreation, and rich biological diversity. SRS is using interdisciplinary approaches to identify how future climate will affect these ecosystems and how to manage them to deliver needed goods and services in the future.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA): The FIA program provides current conditions and recent trends in the area of public and private forest land in the U.S. In addition to continuing inventories on forest lands in South Carolina, SRS
FIA participates in the National Woodland Owners
Survey (NWOS). NWOS results are used to address what services landowners intend to derive, manage, or provide from their forested acreage.
Localized Research in South Carolina
Focusing on critical regional and local research issues, SRS provides research results and tools and
Research Needs technologies including:
Resource Management and Use: Over the last decade, the area of longleaf pine forest has increased from about 298 thousand to over 400 thousand acres in SC. SRS scientists with SC partners are developing methods and tools to help landowners manage and restore their longleaf pine forests to meet multiple-use objectives, including forest products, wildlife habitat, and hunting heritage values.
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.