http://www.fs.fed.us/research/
Hawaii
Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D) funds research and employs 33 people in Hawaii
through the Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW). Staff is housed at the Institute of Pacific Islands
Forestry (IPIF) in Hilo, HI. The Hawaii Experimental Tropical Forest (HETF), the first of its kind in the U.S. Pacific
Islands, provides unique research opportunities in both a dry forest unit and a wetter forest unit, which is
among the wettest tropical forests in the world. PSW research informs conservation and restoration of
Hawaii’s abundant diversity of native plants and animals, including many of the nation’s threatened and
endangered species.
State Funding History
Hilo – Programs include Conservation of Biodiversity, Ecosystem
Function and Health, Fire and Fuels, and Urban Ecosystems and
Social Dynamics
HAWAII Total
FY 2013
Enacted ($)
FY 2014
Enacted ($)
FY 2015
Budget ($)
$2,601,000
$2,812,000
$2,550,000
$2,601,000
$2,812,000
$2,550,000
problems in collaboration with a diverse suite of
partners.
The FY 2015 President’s Budget for PSW is
$18,214,000. Additional funding of $2,690,000 is
provided from the National Fire Plan to address
priority fire research. PSW also receives a
competitive share of the national amount of
$6,914,000 for the Joint Fire Science Program.
Researchers studying invasive species impact in Hawaii
Experimental Tropical Forest.
Pacific Southwest Research Station Overview
Headquartered in Albany, CA, PSW provides tools
to enhance natural resource stewardship in
forests across the rural-to-urban gradient in
California, Hawaii, and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific
Islands. PSW employs about 230 scientists and
support staff at 7 facilities within California and 1
in Hawaii, and conducts long-term research at 12
Experimental Forests and Ranges in California and
one in Hawaii.
PSW research provides benefits to the public’s
water resources, fire threatened communities,
and urban and neighborhood green spaces. Our
research results help enhance forest and
watershed health and restoration, improve
wildfire management, and enhance urban
natural resources stewardship.
We deliver
solutions to a broad range of natural resource
FY 2015 Program Changes
The President’s Budget includes a station
decrease of $1,876,000 from the FY 2014
Enacted. The proposed level will sustain many of
the current programs and will support our priority
research on forest disturbance, urban natural
resources, watershed management, and other
key priorities.
FY 2013 Key Accomplishments:
 A permanent director of the Institute of Pacific
Island Forestry (IPIF) was hired and the IPIF was
established as a work unit within PSW. The local
staff and facilities operate under the direction
of IPIF’s director, and all research is guided by
the director in conjunction with FS strategic
goals and coordinated with the four PSW
programs.
 A team led by PSW discovered that forests
dominated by non-native species had higher
above-ground carbon density than forests
composed of native Hawaiian species. The
team determined that this increased carbon
storage comes at the cost of dramatically
reduced native species diversity. These results
illustrate the complex trade-offs in managing
Hawaii’s native ecosystems.
 PSW scientists in Hawaii continued to develop
and deploy a watershed decision support tool
specifically
addressing
climate
change,
biological diversity, and hydrologic functions in
forests and near-shore environments of the
Hawaiian Islands. Over 60 key participants,
including resource managers and policy
makers, participated in stakeholder workshops,
training community members to use the tool
and seeking their input for its continuing
calibration.
 PSW scientists developed a three-pronged
approach to address the serious and growing
fire threat to natural resources in the Republic of
Palau. Actions include developing and
delivering: a cost effective and low tech
restoration treatment for increasing forest cover
and biodiversity recovery in fire prone savanna;
a process and associated training for mapping
the incidence and amount of human-caused
fire; and educational materials and an
outreach strategy for fire prevention for
communities in Palau, a global biodiversity
hotspot.
 Progress continues with the development of two
HETF science and education sites on Hawaii
Island. The HETF is the first experimental forest in
the Pacific Islands and directly contributes to a
better understanding and conveyance of
information about climate change, biological
diversity, and ecosystem processes in the
Pacific region and tropical ecosystems
worldwide.
Priority Research in Hawaii
Forest Service R&D priority research areas build on
existing local and regional research to solve
problems important to the communities we serve.
Priority research activities in Hawaii include:
Forest Disturbance: Managing forest ecosystems
requires knowledge of how forests change over
time in response to natural disturbances and
management activities. HETF encompasses
remarkable gradients of climate, forests, soils, and
resource history that allow PSW researchers and
collaborators to address critical natural resource
and conservation questions fundamental to
effectively managing tropical forests to maintain
and enhance important ecosystem services in a
changing climate.
Watershed Management and Restoration: With a
growing population competing for a finite supply
of fresh water, sustaining healthy watersheds to
protect the nation’s water supply is critical to
social and economic well-being. PSW researchers
in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands are assessing
water quality, food web structure, and fish and
invertebrate assemblages in a number of
watersheds to improve protection, management,
and restoration of forested wetlands and water
resources.
Localized Needs Research in Hawaii
Focusing on critical regional and local research
issues,
PSW provides
Research
Needs research results and tools and
technologies including:
Invasive
Species:
Invasive
species
pose
considerable threats to commerce, ecosystems,
and jobs. PSW scientists are working to better
understand invasive species interactions with
factors including fire, disturbance, watershed
management, and recreation. In partnership with
the U.S. Army’s Pohakaloa Training Area, PSW
researchers are quantifying the potential of native
species restoration to reduce fuel buildup and
reduce risks associated with extensive fires and
subsequent invasion by non-native 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.