http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
New York
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) delivers research to New York through the Northern
Research Station (NRS), its field office in Syracuse, and the New York City Field Station. Seventeen
employees work in the state. The research here quantifies urban forest ecosystem structure and the effects
of change due to urbanization. The resulting tools and models help improve urban forest management.
FY 2013
Enacted ($)
New York Funding History
Syracuse-NRS-8 Urban Forests, Human Health and Environmental
Quality and NRS-15 Strategic Foresight Group
FY 2014
Enacted ($)
FY 2015
Budget ($)
$1,257,000
$1,553,000
$1,553,000
New York City-NRS-9 People and their Environments
382,000
404,000
404,000
Northeastern States Research Cooperative (NSRC)
216,000
175,000
0
$1,855,000
$2,132,000,
$1,957,000
NEW YORK TOTAL
New York’s urban trees store carbon, helping to offset
fossil fuel emissions and reduce air pollution.
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 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
 Described how collaborative planning and
stewardship of natural resources can support
recovery from disasters and disturbances such
as superstorm Sandy.
 Modeled urban air quality in New York City,
Syracuse, and eight other cities, finding that
trees in cities lowered fine particulate pollution
and consequently improved human health
and reduced human mortality.
 Quantified the value of the annual carbon
sequestration by urban trees at $2 billion
annually, a significant contribution to the 18%
of the nation’s fossil fuel emissions that are
offset by U.S. forests and forest products.
Priority Research in New York
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 New York includes:
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. New York forest managers can access
maps of current tree and bird distribution 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 delivery of ecosystem services in urban and
urbanizing landscapes. Cities in New York now
have critical urban and community forestry
information including tree canopy and impervious
surface cover characteristics, and priority areas
for tree planting.
snowfall, and find ways to reduce water pollution
and effectively manage and protect water
sources. The headwater forests that supply New
York City’s drinking water are protected by a
forest management plan based on software
developed by NRS.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA): The NRS FIA
program conducts an updated annual inventory
of New York’s forest resources in cooperation with
the State Forester. 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 New York
Focusing on critical regional and local research
issues,
NRS provides
Research
Needs research results and tools and
technologies including:
Urban Natural Resources Stewardship: NRS
researchers are developing tools to help urban
forest managers and citizens manage their
natural resources. NRS scientists are also
supporting city planners' efforts to create more
sustainable communities, such as Plan NYC and
the MillionTrees NYC tree planting campaign.
Bioenergy and Biobased Products: America’s
forest resources contribute significantly to energy
security, environmental quality, and economic
opportunity. New York forest owners benefit from
land management decision-support tools for
assessing biomass inventory.
Community Health: NRS social scientists are
identifying the important connections between
the urban natural environment and its human
residents.
They shared perspectives through
conferences and have developed an online
portal that maps stewardship networks and
projects in NYC.
Watershed Management and Restoration: The
availability of clean water 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
Collaboration on Urban Ecology: The NYC Field
Station serves as both a physical place to
conduct research and a network of relationships
among a growing number of scientists,
practitioners, and university cooperators.
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.