http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
Maryland
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) delivers research to Maryland through the Northern
Research Station (NRS) and its field office in Baltimore that houses seven employees. Forest Service
research in Maryland focuses on the Baltimore Ecosystems Study, documenting the strong interactions
among social, ecological, and hydrological systems in urban and surrounding areas.
Maryland Funding History
Baltimore-NRS-8 Urban Forests, Human Health and
Environmental Quality (Baltimore Ecosystems Study) and NRS-9
People and their Environments
MARYLAND TOTAL
FY 2013
Enacted ($)
FY 2014
Enacted ($)
FY 2015
Budget ($)
$707,000
$779,000
$779,000
$707,000
$779,000
$779,000
Research. NRS will also receive a competitive
share of the national amount of $6,914,000 for
the Joint Fire Science Program.
.
Maryland’s urban forests helps reduce air pollution, making
cities healthier.
Northern Research Station Overview
Headquartered at Newtown Square, PA, NRS
develops and delivers leading-edge science
and technology that helps people ensure the
long-term 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
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 decision makers on 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
 Developed high-resolution remote sensing
approaches to inventorying tree canopy
cover. The usefulness of this technique
catalyzed a 2013 law that amends Maryland’s
forest conservation policy to maintain the
state’s current 40% tree canopy.
 Analyzed data collected by the citizen
science group Project FeederWatch and
found that bird predation on the emerald ash
borer is supporting a population boom of
hairy, downy, and red-bellied woodpeckers
and
white-breasted
nuthatch,
helping
mitigate the ash borer’s spread in Maryland.
 Modeled urban air quality in Baltimore and
nine other cities, finding that trees in cities
lowered fine particulate pollution and
consequently improved human health and
reduced human mortality.
Priority Research in Maryland
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 Maryland include:
Forest Disturbance: As climate changes so will
our forests. We need to understand how to
manage 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 the risk of wildfire. Maryland forest
managers can access current tree and bird
distribution maps and habitat projections under
different climate change scenarios.
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 advancement of ecosystem services in
urban and urbanizing landscapes. Urban land
planners in Baltimore, Annapolis, and other
cities have established tree canopy goals using
tools developed by the NRS.
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. In Baltimore,
urban stream research is looking at how storm
water management and green infrastructure
practices influence water pollution levels.
Forest Inventory and Analysis: The NRS Forest
Inventory and Analysis program conducts an
updated annual inventory of Maryland’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 Maryland
Focusing on critical regional and local research
issues, NRS provides research results and tools
and technologies including:
Urban Tree Canopy Assessments: NRS scientists
are completing assessments of the urban tree
canopy in Maryland counties to increase
decisionmakers’ understanding of the current
and potential extent of tree canopy.
Baltimore Ecosystem Study: NRS researchers
participate in the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, a
National Science Foundation project that takes
a long-term and in-depth look at the many
factors that affect the urban environment of
Baltimore and other cities around the world. NRS
contributions to the project have focused on
vegetation, demographics, watersheds, parks,
and environmental justice issues.
Urban
Waters
Federal
Partnership:
NRS
researchers contribute ecological and social
science expertise as on-site partners in the
Baltimore pilot project of the Urban Waters
Federal
Partnership,
connecting
urban
communities with their waterways through
coordination and collaboration.
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.