R&D

United States

Department of

Agriculture

Forest Service

Fiscal Year 2009

Performance and Accountability Report

Forest Service Research and Development
The Research and Development (R&D) 

mission of the Forest Service,

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

is to develop and deliver knowledge and 

innovative technology to improve the 

health and use of the Nation’s forests and 

grasslands—both public and private.
Fiscal Year 2009 Performance and Accountability Report 1

About This Report

The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 requires all 

Federal agencies to engage in a strategic planning process that aligns 

resources with results and improves the accountability of all Government activities to the American people.

This process focuses on results and includes the development and 

implementation of a 5-year strategic plan. Annual reporting identifies 

specific, measurable targets for performance at the beginning of each 

fiscal year and a year-end assessment of the success of these endeavors.

This Fiscal Year 2009 Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) is the 

year-end progress report of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

Forest Service, Research and Development (R&D) Deputy Area. The data 

that Forest Service R&D used to measure performance are collected 

using standardized methodology that conforms to generally recognized 

principles for reporting.

This report outlines the Forest Service R&D organization, describes how 

it has applied the public’s investments, and provides an accounting of 

budgets and accomplishments. It helps policymakers make informed 

decisions and presents an overview for all Americans interested in the 

workings of their Government and R&D’s ability to manage for results in 

delivering its information, technology, and applications. 

Table of Contents

About This Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Message From the Deputy Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The R&D Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Organizational Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Headquarters Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Strategic Program Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Research Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Foundation Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Our People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Collaboration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Strategic Plan Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Budget and Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Summary of Annual Performance for Strategic Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Measuring Forest Service R&D Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Challenges and Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Accountability Report Fiscal Year 2009
2 Forest Service Research & Development

Message From the Deputy Chief 

I am pleased to present the Forest Service Research and Development Fiscal Year 2009 Performance and Accountability Report. This report presents key budget and financial information and programmatic performance in 

measuring the success of the Research and Development (R&D) mission of the Forest Service, U.S. Department 

of Agriculture. The Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) provides transparency and accountability to 

the American people, highlights areas of demonstrated excellence, identifies areas that need improvement, 

and presents opportunities for building on our core programs, which address emerging issues in such areas as 

climate change, bioenergy, urban stewardship, nanotechnology, and watershed restoration.

Fiscal year (FY) 2009 was a successful one for Forest Service R&D. Funding increased nearly 3 percent from FY 

2008, and R&D’s percentage of the total Forest Service budget increased nearly 6 percent. I believe this increase 

reflects steps taken to increase the relevance, performance, and quality of Forest Service research, and it reflects 

the increased awareness among our constituents of the importance of science in achieving the overall goals of 

the agency. 

Sound scientific information is needed for land management decisions that address problems facing our forests, grasslands, and urban 

environments from invasive pests, pollution, fire, water shortages, and population pressures. Forest Service R&D provides high-quality scientific information and applications that help land managers restore and maintain healthy forests and grasslands for community protection; 

multiple environmental and social benefits, such as clean air and clean and abundant water; a broad array of recreational opportunities; and 

a wide range of ecosystem services. 

Forest Service R&D supports the Forest Service mission of sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands 

to meet the needs of present and future generations through dedicated scientists and technical staff. Their work is recognized worldwide for 

contributions to basic scientific knowledge and cutting-edge applications. Forest Service R&D also offers long-term, established research 

projects; a committed land base (experimental forests and ranges, watersheds, grasslands, demonstration areas, and research natural areas); 

ties to land managers; regional, national, and global perspectives; and a public-service focus on questions of public significance. 

Jimmy L. Reaves 

Deputy Chief for Research and Development
Fiscal Year 2009 Performance and Accountability Report 3

The R&D Mission

The Research and Development (R&D) mission of the Forest Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), is to develop and deliver knowledge 

and innovative technology to improve the health and use of the Nation’s 

forests and grasslands—both public and private. R&D provides this 

information to landowners, managers, policymakers, and the American 

people to help inform their decisions and actions. 

Forest Service R&D scientists conduct research in the 50 States and all 

U.S. territories on both Federal and non-Federal lands. They integrate 

efforts on national, regional, and local research needs and scientific 

issues to address critical problems such as climate change, invasive 

species, and the need for alternative sources of energy in a coordinated 

and strategic manner. Forest Service R&D uses and contributes research 

to the international scientific community to inform policies and natural 

resource practices worldwide and works with scientists from around the 

globe to solve problems of common interest.

The ability to manage public lands for sustainable benefits and to 

promote sustainable management of natural resources on private land 

requires a continuum of both qualitative and quantitative information 

about the health, condition, productivity, and use of forests and grasslands. Forest Service R&D provides land and resource managers with the 

scientific, social, and economic tools they need for achieving the desired 

outcome to care for the land and serve people, now and in the future. 

Forest Service researchers work independently and with a range of partners to provide land managers with information and technology to make 

management and land use decisions on issues such as invasive species, 

healthy watersheds, wildfires, climate change, and traditional and 

alternative forest products. The Forest Service R&D workforce includes 

scientists and technicians in the biological, physical, and social science 

fields, working in partnership with researchers from other agencies, 

academia, nonprofit groups, and industry.

Organizational Structure 

The R&D mission area has been a vital part of the Forest Service since the 

agency’s inception in 1905. The organization consists of seven research 

stations, including the International Institute of Tropical Forestry and the 

Forest Products Laboratory, and 81 experimental forests and ranges. R&D 

interacts with national forests in nine regions and with the State and 

Private Forestry (S&PF) Deputy Area throughout the United States. Forest 

Service R&D is also allied with agencies in the USDA Research, Education, and Economics mission area, including the Agricultural Research Service 

(ARS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture, National Agricultural 

Statistics Service, and ARS’ National Agricultural Library. Forest Service R&D 

also partners with other Federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, 

universities, and the private sector. 

Headquarters Staff

Forest Service R&D is organized into six staff groups that ensure scientific 

and programmatic consistency and synergy among the research stations and 

national headquarters, provide science-based leadership in agency policy 

decisionmaking, and provide strategic leadership and evaluation across broad 

program areas. This structure helps to ensure timely and effective coordination and cooperation with other deputy areas within the Forest Service; with 

USDA, other Federal agencies, the Office of Management and Budget, and 

Congress; and with key non-Federal clients and stakeholders. By disseminating relevant research information and new technologies, this structure also 

helps headquarters make science-based policy and management decisions, 

ensures the consistent application of standards and procedures, and builds 

support for continued investments in research programs, facilities, and 

employees.

The Forest Management Sciences staff provides research oversight and 

leadership in connection with wise natural resource policies and new options 

for protecting and managing forest and rangeland resources. A major focus 

is developing approaches to protect the health, diversity, and productivity of 

the Nation’s forest and rangeland resources from natural and human-caused 

disturbances, such as climate change, fire, and invasive species. 

The Resource Use Sciences staff provides research oversight and leadership 

in connection with improving the sustainable production and utilization of 

goods and services from natural resources and evaluating the potential of 

new and emerging goods and services. Three major foci are (1) new wood 

products and the performance of those products for a wide variety of uses, 

including the harvesting and processing of wood for emerging markets such 

as bioenergy, along with improved performance of traditional products; (2) 

services, including outdoor recreation and ecosystem services; and (3) the 

human dimensions of resource use, including social sciences and cultural 

heritage influences on resource uses. 

The Environmental Sciences staff provides research oversight and leadership in connection with wise natural resource policies and new options for 

protecting and managing the ecological components of forests and rangelands other than trees. A major focus is developing approaches to protect and 

manage watersheds for both water and aquatic habitats for fish and other 

creatures; soils to prevent erosion and maintain productivity; air quality; and 

terrestrial habitats for wildlife. 
4 Forest Service Research & Development

The Quantitative Sciences staff provides research oversight and leadership 

in connection with monitoring the conditions of forests and rangelands and 

detecting changes in their health and productivity in time to adapt management activities to avoid detrimental outcomes. The major foci include (1) 

designing and conducting inventory, monitoring, and analysis activities of the 

Nation’s forests and grasslands and related natural resources; (2) establishing 

and monitoring indicators of environmental sustainability; (3) assessing the 

status and condition of renewable resources, such as forests and rangelands, 

timber, water, fish and wildlife, and outdoor recreation; and (4) providing 

liaison and collaboration in the international research community on forest 

science and related policy issues.

The Science Quality Services staff provides leadership, development, and 

oversight of strategic planning and performance accountability; technology 

development and applications; agency patent and licensing activities; science 

education; and information management and technology for Forest Service 

R&D activities.

The Policy Analysis staff provides the Forest Service Chief and staff with 

timely, objective, and high-quality analyses of issues and events important to 

the productivity, health, and sustainability of the Nation’s natural resources 

and agency policies, programs, and practices. 

Strategic Program Areas

Forest Service R&D organizes research under seven Strategic Program Areas 

(SPAs), which support an integrated approach to the study of broad, complex 

environmental and social issues. Within this structure, researchers address 

the Forest Service strategic goals and objectives at the watershed, landscape, 

regional, and national levels to focus research on the large-scale problems 

of national concern identified in the USDA Forest Service Strategic Plan: FY 

2007–2012. SPAs provide consistent and stable, nationally strategic subdivisions of the national Forest Service research program for purposes of program 

development; management of review and oversight; communication to 

national audiences, including national interest organizations, the Administration, Congress, and the general public; budget formulation and presentation; 

and fostering integration and collaboration among research stations and 

between stations and external partners.

The Wildland Fire and Fuels SPA provides the knowledge and tools that 

managers use to reduce negative effects and enhance beneficial effects of fire 

and of fire and fuels management on society and the environment. The SPA 

has five major focus areas: (1) understanding and modeling fundamental fire 

processes, (2) interactions of fire with ecosystems and the environment, (3) 

social and economic aspects of fire, (4) evaluation of integrated management 

strategies and disturbance interactions at multiple scales, and (5) application 

of fire research to address management problems.

The Invasive Species SPA provides scientific information, methods, and 

technology to reduce, minimize, or eliminate the introduction, establishment, 

spread, and effects of invasive species and to restore ecosystems affected by 

invasive species or restore their functions. The SPA focuses on plants, animals, 

fish, insects, diseases, invertebrates, and other species that are not native to 

the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely 

to cause economic or environmental harm.

The Outdoor Recreation SPA provides human and ecological sustainability 

through research directed at understanding and managing outdoor environments, activities, and experiences that connect people with the natural 

world. Research in this SPA is interdisciplinary and focuses on nature-based 

recreation and changing trends in American society; connections among 

recreation visitors, communities, and the environment; human benefits and 

consequences of recreation and nature contact; the effectiveness of recreation 

management and decisionmaking; and sustaining ecosystems affected by 

recreation.

The Water, Air, and Soil SPA enables the sustainable management of these 

essential resources by providing clean air and safe drinking water, protecting lives and property from wildlife fire and smoke, and adapting to climate 

variability and change. The SPA features ecosystem services with a high level 

of integration among water, air, and soil research. It stresses the effects of 

climate variability and change on water budgets, and it focuses on carbon 

sequestration from an ecosystem perspective.

The Inventory and Monitoring SPA provides the resource data, analysis, 

and tools needed to effectively identify current status and trends of forests; 

management options and effects; and threats and effects of fire, invasive 

insects, disease, and other natural processes, enhancing use and value of the 

Nation’s forests and grasslands. Assessing current and potential effects of 

climate change is dependent on monitoring forest ecosystems that are at the 

greatest risk from rapid climate change. Focus areas include the development 

and use of integrated interdisciplinary science, technologies, and remote 

sensing to increase the timeliness and spatial resolution of forest fragmentation caused by land use change; to reduce the incidence of invasive insects, 

disease, and fire; and to reduce the effects caused by extreme weather events.

The Wildlife and Fish SPA relies on interdisciplinary research to inform 

policy initiatives affecting wildlife and fish habitat on private and public lands 

and the recovery of threatened or endangered species. Scientists in this SPA 

investigate the complex interactions among species; ecosystem dynamics 

and processes; land use and management; and emerging broad-scale threats, 

including global climate change, loss of open space, invasive species, and 

disease.
Fiscal Year 2009 Performance and Accountability Report 5

The Resource Management and Use SPA provides the scientific and technological base to sustainably manage and use forest and range resources and 

forest fiber-based products. Focus areas include plant sciences, soil sciences, 

social sciences, silviculture, productivity, forest and range ecology management, harvesting and operations, forest and biomass products and utilization, 

economics, urban forestry, and climate change. 

natural resources stewardship, maintain and enhance forest productivity and 

benefits, and increase production of clean water and air for a growing human 

population. 

The Southern Research Station (SRS), headquartered in Asheville, NC, 

conducts research programs across 13 States (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, 

OK, SC, TN, TX, and VA). The SRS mission is to create the science and technology needed to sustain and enhance southern forest ecosystems and the benefits they provide to the public. The SRS realigned its organizational model 

from 28 research work units into 15 units grouped under 5 science areas that 

clearly define core strengths. These areas include threats to forest health; forest ecosystem restoration and management; forest values, uses, and policies; 

forest watershed science; and forest inventory and monitoring. 

The Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS), headquartered in Fort 

Collins, CO, conducts research programs across 12 States in the Interior West 

(AZ, CO, ID, KS, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, SD, UT, and WY). The RMRS is evolving 

from a system of 30 research work units (including ecosystem management 

units and national programs) into a comprehensive programmatic structure 

consisting of 8 science program areas and several research, development, 

and applications programs. The station’s 92 scientists work collaboratively 

with National Forest System (NFS) managers, universities, State agencies, 

and other Federal agencies to provide high-quality scientific information for 

solving land management and policy development issues related to sustaining natural resources. These issues include watershed and fire research to 

address fuels management and restoration of forests and grasslands, control 

and mitigation of bark beetle invasions, social and economic issues relative to 

fire effects and ecosystem uses, wildlife habitat and population sustainability, 

and controlling the spread of invasive weeds. 

The Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNW), headquartered in Portland, OR, maintains research and development programs in three States (AK, 

OR, and WA). PNW, which provides scientific information to land managers, 

policymakers, and citizens, employs about 500 people. Like the other stations, 

its mission is to generate and communicate scientific knowledge that helps 

people understand and make informed choices about people’s behaviors and 

attitudes, natural resources, and the environment.

The Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW), headquartered in Albany, 

CA, conducts research, development, and applications programs in CA, HI, 

and the U.S.-affiliated territories and nations of the Pacific. The PSW’s primary 

work occurs in California (the most populous State with the eighth largest 

economy in the world) and Hawaii (a strategic location in the Pacific Rim 

economies and tourism industry). The station develops and delivers sciencebased information, technologies, understanding, and applications to help 

people make well-informed decisions about natural resource management, 

conservation, and environmental protection.

Research Locations 

Forest Service R&D strives to be recognized as a world leader in innovative science for sustaining global forest resources for future generations. We provide 

the information and solutions to sustain forests and grasslands and the values 

they provide for people. Our research benefits the owners and managers of 

working forests and farms, helps restore healthy forests, and protects communities. Forest Service R&D operates seven research stations, including the 

Forest Products Laboratory and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry 

in Puerto Rico. Forest Service R&D employs approximately 500 scientists and 

hundreds of technical and support personnel, who are located at 77 field sites 

throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S.-affiliated territories 

and nations of the Pacific. 

The Northern Research Station (NRS), headquartered in Newtown 

Square, PA, has research and development programs across 20 States in the 

Midwest and Northeast (CT, DE, IA, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NH, NJ, 

NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, WI, and WV). The NRS was formed in 2006 through the 

consolidation of the former North Central and Northeastern Research Stations. The station’s research products and technologies provide the knowledge and tools to protect people and forest landscapes from the threat of 

undesirable disturbances, improve the quality of life in urban areas through 

2008

2009

Funding to Strategic Program Areas, 

2008–2009 (dollars in millions)

Inventor

Wi

y & Monitoring

ldlife & Fish

Water, Air, & Soil

Resource Management & Use

Outdoor Recreation

Invasive Species

Wildland Fire & Fuels

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90
6 Forest Service Research & Development

The Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), located in Madison, WI, is concerned with the long-term health of the Nation’s forests and how the Nation 

depends on sound conservation practices, including utilization. FPL uses 

science and technology to conserve and extend the Nation’s forest resources 

and to develop innovative wood-related products. FPL’s mission is to promote 

healthy forests and forest-based economies through the efficient, sustainable 

use of wood resources.

The International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF), located in Rio 

Piedras, PR, has one work unit. The mission of this unit is to generate and 

disseminate scientific information in support of the sustainable use of tropical 

forests. The IITF accomplishes its mission by developing and disseminating 

knowledge of scientifically sound practices that contribute to the sustainable use of forest resources, conservation of primary forests, rehabilitation 

of degraded lands, and management of wildlife and watersheds. This work 

is conducted through an extensive network of collaborators at home and 

abroad.

Foundation Programs

Two foundation programs provide the infrastructure to sustain and expand 

Forest Service R&D’s research temporally and spatially. 

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, a congressionally 

mandated census of the resources of U.S. forests, is conducted in partnership 

with the State foresters and S&PF. The program, which operates out of NRS, 

PNW, RMRS, and SRS, is coordinated nationally from the Washington Office. 

The FIA program assesses and reports on the status and trends in tree species, 

size, and health; forest area and location; tree growth, mortality, and removal 

by harvest; wood production and utilization; and forest land ownership. The 

FIA assessments extend to the trust territories and Puerto Rico and include 

reports on changes in carbon budgets and forest health. R&D manages the 

program in cooperation with S&PF and NFS and implements the program in 

cooperation with a variety of partners, including State forestry agencies and 

private landowners, who grant access to their lands for data collection.

The Experimental Forests and Rangelands (EFR) program provides 

the venue for long-term research in which Forest Service R&D scientists can 

address continental-scale environmental change issues in rural and urban 

areas. The 81 experimental forests and ranges comprise lands that have been 

authorized by Congress and designated by the Chiefs of the Forest Service for 

the past 100 years. The EFR network, which has developed progressively since 

its inception in 1908, provides study sites for long-term vegetation and watershed science and management. Many of these sites are more than 50 years 

old and support research in all the major vegetation types and geographical 

areas of the continental United States.

2008

2009

Funding to Research Stations and Washington Oce, 

2008–2009 (dollars in millions)

0

10

FPL IITF NRS PNW PSW RMRS SRS WO

20

30

40

50

60

70

a Includes research and facilities maintenance.

b R&D FIA only; does not include Forest Resource Information and Analysis.

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Other

Appropriated

Research

FIA

Forest Inventory and Analysis Portion of Research 

Appropriation (dollars in thousands)

Fiscal year

Northern

Research

Station

International Institute of Tropical Forestry

Southern

Research Station

Pacic Southwest Research Station

Pacic Northwest

Research Station

Pacic Northwest

Research Station

Pacic Southwest Research Station

Rocky Mountain

Research Station Forest Products Laboratory

Research Stations
Fiscal Year 2009 Performance and Accountability Report 7

Research Scientists, Fiscal Years 1997–2009

Fiscal Year 1997 2001 2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

R&D FTEs 2,379 2,632 2,494 2,730 2,699 2,286 2,283 2,283 2,186

Research scientists 548 524 507 503 486 N/A 547 498 498

N/A = Data not available.

The EFRs are considered living laboratories, where Forest Service R&D can 

demonstrate research projects and results to cooperators and stakeholders. They represent some of the few places where ecological research can 

be maintained over the long term and perpetuate experimental studies far 

beyond the term of any individual scientist’s career.

Our People

In FY 2009, Forest Service R&D had 2,186 full-time employees (FTEs), including research scientists, support personnel, biological and forestry technicians, 

statisticians, and administrative and technical support staff. 

Over the past decade, the number of research scientists in Forest Service 

R&D has declined by nearly 18 percent, at a time when demand for scientific 

knowledge and technology has been increasing. In FY 2009, Forest Service 

R&D had approximately 500 full-time scientists, in line with 2008 but 9 

percent below the level of 2007. This decrease reflects fixed or marginally 

increasing funding levels more than offset by inflation and rising technology 

costs. In response, R&D has adopted a broader, more integrated approach to 

how we study the environment. Our researchers now have wider skill sets 

than the historically more specialized single-discipline scientists. Today’s 

scientists can solve problems of national and regional scope across many 

landscapes. Forest Service R&D facilitates multidisciplinary, integrated programs and work units to focus on larger scale research rather than the more 

narrowly defined work units of the past.

The public’s heightened concerns about climate change, alternative energy, 

clean and abundant water, and loss of open space from urban expansion have 

given the Forest Service R&D community a greater role in providing science 

for policy decisionmaking. Hiring programs, such as the Scientist Recruitment 

Initiative, have been successful in attracting entry-level scientists to Forest 

Service R&D who will be positioned to research the current environmental 

and social issues facing the Nation’s forests and grasslands. Upon completion 

of their doctoral degrees, the students in the program will fill permanent 

scientist positions identified by program, research, workforce, and diversity 

needs.

Collaboration

Forest Service R&D’s enterprise consists of high-quality scientific research, 

applying findings to NFS lands and making these findings available to others 

for application to their lands. Forest Service R&D distributes information and 

technology to land managers and land use planners through a variety of 

mechanisms, including publications, videos, training, and demonstrations. 

R&D’s ability to interact with users of its research and transfer technology is 

substantially enhanced through partnerships, particularly those with other 

research organizations, land management practitioners, State agencies, 

urban planners, private forest owners, private organizations, and horticultural 

and agricultural interests. 

These partners of Forest Service R&D include Federal and State agencies, 

universities, industry, nongovernmental organizations, tribal governments, 

and foreign government research cooperators.

Forest Service R&D has a long history of supporting extramural research 

through grants and agreements with colleges and universities; State, local, 

and tribal governments; nonprofit organizations; industry; and individuals. 

FY 2009 saw an increase in both number of grants and the percent of appropriated dollars spent on grants. This is due, in part, to an increased R&D 

budget and a recognition by scientists of the added value of leveraging our 

resources through extramural collaboration. 

Number of Grants and Agreements

and Percent of Forest Service R&D Budget

Fiscal Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Number of grants and 

agreements 697 734 729 541 749

Percent of R&D budget 11% 12% 14% 12% 15%
8 Forest Service Research & Development

Strategic Plan Overview

The USDA Forest Service Strategic Plan: FY 2007–2012 provides the strategic 

direction that guides the agency in delivering its mission and identifies major 

current issues important to natural resource management. The direction and 

issues are addressed in seven strategic goals:

Strategic Goal 1: Restore, Sustain, and Enhance the Nation’s Forests and 

Grasslands.

Strategic Goal 2: Provide and Sustain Benefits to the American People.

Strategic Goal 3: Conserve Open Space.

Strategic Goal 4: Sustain and Enhance Outdoor Recreation Opportunities.

Strategic Goal 5: Maintain Basic Management Capabilities of the Forest 

Service.

Strategic Goal 6: Engage Urban America With Forest Service Programs.

Strategic Goal 7: Provide Science-Based Applications and Tools for Sustainable Natural Resources Management.

Forest Service R&D targets its research and development activities and 

develops the means and strategies that contribute to achieving the outcomes 

of the Forest Service Strategic Plan.

Summary of Budget Changes for Fiscal Years 2005–2009 (dollars in millions)

Funding Sources 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Forest Service appropriation 4,820 4,378 4,698 5,039 4,959

Research appropriation (FRRE) 276.4 277.7 280.5 285.9 296.4

National Fire Plan (FRFR/FRF2) 21.7 22.8 22.8 23.5 23.9

Joint Fire Science Program (WFSU)a 7.9 7.9 7.9 7.9 8.0

Total Research (FRFR)b 306.0 308.4 311.2 317.3 328.3

Forest Resource Information & Analysis (SPIA) 5.0 4.6 4.6 4.5 5.0

Facilities, Construction & Deferred Maintenance (CMFC/CMII) 18.5 13.2 22.0 21.2 24.6

Grand Total Sources 329.5 326.2 337.8 343.0 357.9

Funding Uses

Other than FIA research 250.1 245.8 248.6 253.5 264.1

FIA 55.9 59.4 59.4 60.4 60.8

Forest Resource Information and Analysis 5.0 4.6 4.6 4.5 5.0

Total inventory and analysis 60.9 64.0 64.0 64.9 65.8

Facilities construction and maintenancec 18.5 16.4 25.2 24.6 28.0

Grand Total Uses 329.5 326.2 337.8 343.0 357.9

a

 Annually reprogrammed to FRRE.

b

 FY 2004–09 includes FIA; FY 2006–08 includes facilities maintenance.

c

 FY 2006–09 includes Facilities Maintenance Fund (CP09).

2008

2009

R&D Funding to Strategic Goals, Fiscal Years 2008–2009 

(dollars in millions)

0

20

Goal 1 Goal 2 Goal 3 Goal 4 Goal 6 Goal 7

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Although R&D supports Goal 5 through cost pool assessments on the R&D appropriation, we do not track the extent of this 

support as an R&D activity. The facilities maintenance, information systems, and landownership management support is displayed 

elsewhere in the agency where the pooled funds are aggregated and managed centrally.
Fiscal Year 2009 Performance and Accountability Report 9

Budget and Finance

Forest Service R&D focuses its resources on the agency’s mission, the priorities 

identified in the USDA Forest Service Strategic Plan: FY 2007–2012, direction 

from Congress, and Executive Branch priorities. The base Forest Service R&D 

program is formulated using input from the research stations, including FPL 

and IITF, which prioritize efforts needed to address the nature and magnitude 

of current and anticipated future resource problems and information requirements of resource managers. 

Station directors communicate frequently with users of research products and 

technologies to ensure they consider local, State, and regional resource issues. 

The directors then request budget levels that best serve the science and 

technology needs of their clients, including other Forest Service deputy areas. 

These field requests are reviewed, coordinated with strategic priorities, and 

merged into a national research program. Funds are allocated to support the 

priorities and needs aggregated into the seven SPAs. 

Forest Service R&D places a high priority on accountability and is committed 

to making the best use of taxpayers’ dollars. Financial accounting is consolidated at the agency-level Agency Financial Report. 

In FY 2009, Forest Service R&D was appropriated $296.4 million, an increase 

of nearly 3 percent from FY 2008. This amount includes $60.8 million for FIA 

and $3.4 million for a facility maintenance fund. In addition, Forest Service 

R&D received $23.9 million for the National Fire Plan and $8 million for the 

Joint Fire Science Program. The total funding to R&D represents 7.2 percent of 

the FY 2009 Forest Service appropriation, an increase of nearly 6 percent from 

2008.

Summary of Annual Performance 

for Strategic Goals

Strategic Goal 1 

Restore, Sustain, and Enhance the Nation’s Forests 

and Grasslands

The national forests and grasslands were established to protect the land, 

secure favorable water flows, and provide a sustainable supply of goods and 

services to the American people. The Forest Service provides land management assistance to the States and private forest landowners and to the 

national forests. In recent years, the increasing extent and frequency of 

uncharacteristically severe wildland fires and insect and disease outbreaks, 

along with the effects of climate change, have been of particular concern to 

the public, the Administration, Congress, and land management agencies. 

In FY 2009, Forest Service R&D contributed to achieving Goal 1 by conducting research in fire, soil, water and air, fish and wildlife, invasive species, 

landscape ecology, global change, wilderness, and range. Performance for 

this goal is summarized by three major themes: fire, invasive species, and 

healthy watersheds. A key component of this research is long-range research 

conducted at experimental forests and rangelands and research natural areas.

Goal 1.—Resource Investments (dollars in thousands) 

Strategic Program Area FY 2008 ($) FY 2009* ($)

Wildland Fire and Fuels 20,162 23,305

Invasive Species 23,988 26,067

Outdoor Recreation 857 1,009

Resource Management and Use 44,288 44,956

Water, Air, and Soil 26,802 27,570

Wildlife and Fish 19,120 19,783

Inventory and Monitoring 981 946

FIA 6,115 6,154

Total Goal 1 142,313 149,790

* Funding levels to SPAs are approximate and represent investments planned. 

Selected Accomplishments: Wildland Fire 

Forest Service scientists projected the trends in global wildfire potential 

under climate change using the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI). The 

index is calculated for present and future climate conditions and shows that 

future wildfire potential increases significantly in the United States, South 

America, central Asia, southern Europe, southern Africa, and Australia. The 

increased fire potential is mainly caused by warming in the United States, 

South America, and Australia, and by the combination of warming and drying 

6.4%

6.2%

6.0%

5.8%

5.6%

5.4%

5.2%

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Fiscal year

R&D Appropriation as Percent

of Forest Service Appropriation
10 Forest Service Research & Development

in other regions. The results of this study suggest dramatic increases in wildfire potential that will require additional future resources and management 

efforts for disaster prevention and recovery. Fire ecologists, climatologists, 

and environmental researchers can use these results to design mitigating 

strategies, and policymakers can use the results to develop climate change 

legislation.

In FY 2009 researchers from the PSW Station contributed chapters on 

post-fire seeding protocols and restoration treatments used in California in 

a book titled Fire Effects on Soils and Restoration Strategies. The information 

presented in this volume will be useful for Burned Area Emergency Response 

(BAER) teams for designing strategies that stabilize burned areas in the physically diverse State.

Housing density near wilderness areas is projected to at least double by 2030, 

thereby increasing the threat to human lives and property from wildfires. 

Research at RMRS has shown that fire seasons are starting earlier in the year 

and becoming longer in many regions. These findings allow fire management 

agencies to better respond to the workload pressures from the increase in 

fire frequency, size, and severity, and to plan actions that can be taken in the 

interest of wilderness stewardship. 

It is generally assumed that external pressures from politicians and local 

communities leave little flexibility for managers to implement fire fighting 

strategies other than full suppression. Two studies assessed how communityagency interaction before and during fires influences firefighting strategies 

chosen and what interventions could alleviate obstacles to more flexible approaches. In FY 2009 research findings by NRS scientists were presented at the 

National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) and Regions 2 and 6 Fire 

Manager meetings supporting the hypothesis that proactive communication 

before and during a wildland fire facilitates more flexible fire management. 

Forest Service scientists developed a comprehensive fuel map for all of 

Mexico to understand the effects of fires in Mexico on regional air quality 

and climate. Study results provide the most comprehensive databases to 

quantitatively assess fuel consumption in Mexico. This research is critical in 

understanding the contributions of fires, compared to industrial biogenic 

sources, to regional air pollution and climate.

Selected Accomplishments: Invasive Species

Invasive species research produced many significant findings in FY 2009 with 

application to a number of the Nation’s most devastating problems. A team of 

scientists discovered a new beetle and linked its infestation to the considerable oak mortality in San Diego County. The team proposed the common 

name “goldspotted oak borer,” Agrilus coxalis, to the Entomological Society of 

America. The scientists have begun the research needed to implement a pest 

quarantine effort and an integrated pest management program.

The Forest Service’s Southern Region Task Force for Assessing Nonnative 

Invasive Species (NNIS) assembled to prioritize NNIS that pose the greatest 

threats to forest and grassland ecosystems in the southern region. The task 

force compiled a list of the most potentially damaging invasive species across 

all life forms. The compilation of three databases produced a priority ranking 

of the NNIS that damage or have the potential to damage forests, waterways, 

wetlands, and grasslands, among other environments.

Joint research from the Forest Service and the USDA Agricultural Research 

Service, published in the Journal of Economic Entomology in 2009, found that 

the hybrid crosses of two eastern hemlocks are highly susceptible to the nonnative insect, hemlock woolly adelgid (Tsuga Canadensis and T.caroliniana) 

and were, on average, five times more resistant to hemlock woolly adelgid 

than the Carolina hemlock.

The African tulip tree, the most invasive tree in Puerto Rico, is forming novel 

forest types on abandoned farmlands. A study by scientists at the International Institute of Tropical Forestry found that these forests are very productive and do not conflict with the accumulation of native tree species on these 

abandoned lands. In fact, the African tulip tree may be necessary for nursing 

native species back into highly degraded and deforested lands, and may provide government agencies, nongovernment agencies, and private consultants 

the alternatives they need to restore native species on deforested lands.

Selected Accomplishments: Healthy Watersheds

The CarbonPlus Calculator developed by NRS and its partners helps people 

estimate their carbon dioxide (CO2

) emissions (sometimes referred to as 

the carbon footprint), provides tips on how to reduce that carbon footprint, 

and provides information about the many benefits trees provide in addition 

to absorbing carbon. Each participating city or location can customize the 

calculations to improve the accuracy of estimates compared to national averages. Designed originally for the general public, the new 2009 version of the 

calculator adds features specifically for businesses and government agencies 

to identify ways to reduce their emissions.

Scientists at SRS developed a field guide that promotes multifunctional 

landscape management through a concise yet comprehensive synthesis of 

science-based guidelines for planning and designing conservation buffers, 

corridors, and greenways in both rural and urban settings. The guidebook 

includes more than 80 illustrated design guidelines developed from a review 

of 1,400 research publications. The guidebook presents rules-of-thumb for 

applying buffers to protect soil, improve air and water quality, enhance fish 

and wildlife habitat, provide recreation opportunities, and improve economic 

returns.
Fiscal Year 2009 Performance and Accountability Report 11

The new Forest Soil Disturbance Monitoring Protocol from RMRS gives soil 

scientists the information they need to design site-appropriate mitigation, 

develop prescriptions to meet multiple resource objectives, and help achieve 

sustainable forest management by identifying areas at risk from certain types 

of land management. 

Strategic Goal 2 

Provide and Sustain Benefits to the American People

This goal focuses on sustaining the productivity of the Nation’s forests and 

grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. Forests and 

grasslands contain abundant natural resources and opportunities that help 

meet the demands and needs of the American people. Sustainable management of these resources ensures that the availability of goods and services 

continues into the future and that land productivity is maintained.

The Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 directed that the national 

forests be administered for outdoor recreation, rangeland, timber, watershed, 

and wildlife and fish. National forest management provides a variety of use 

opportunities while maintaining wildlife diversity, supplies of wood products, 

energy sources and transmission infrastructure, wildlife and domestic livestock forage, water supplies, and other goods and services.

Forest Service research provides a solid scientific foundation for the sustainable management of forests and grasslands and improvements in the use 

and marketing of forest products and services. The FIA and Forest Health 

Monitoring programs continually gathered baseline information to assess the 

effectiveness of land management practices and to help guide the development of new research. A major emphasis of the research under Goal 2 was 

on developing new technologies for forest products and energy and on 

understanding global economic influences on the forest sector.

Goal 2.—Resource Investments (dollars in thousands)

Strategic Program Area FY 2008 ($) FY 2009 ($)

Wildland Fire and Fuels 789 660

Invasive Species 2,069 2,126

Outdoor Recreation 579 702

Resource Management and Use 21,968 26,189

Water, Air, and Soil 2,391 2,171

Wildlife and Fish 1,134 1,175

Inventory and Monitoring 502 711

FIA 4,326 4,355

Total Goal 2 33,758 38,089

Selected Accomplishments

Natural resource managers need to understand the cultures and concerns 

of ethnic minorities to serve them effectively. Social scientists from NRS 

conducted a series of five focus groups with the Hmong people, who came to 

the United States from Southeast Asia as refugees from the Vietnam War and 

settled in Minnesota and Wisconsin. They originated from mountainous areas 

and have continued their cultural involvement in hunting and fishing in their 

new home. The scientists were exploring their experiences and perspectives 

on public lands in an effort to find ways to diffuse the tensions and problems 

between the Hmong Americans and longtime residents. Several valuable 

suggestions were proposed by participants in the focus groups to improve 

relations with public land managers, recreationists, and private landowners.

Family-owned forest lands provide a range of goods and services that benefit 

both owners and society. To encourage landowners to undertake stewardship practices and to protect and sustain their forest resources, government 

agencies use a variety of approaches, including incentives, tax relief, technical 

assistance, and educational programs. Researchers at NRS examined the 

usefulness of paying landowners to practice forest stewardship. The study 

determined that landowner interest in enrolling in Minnesota’s Sustainable 

Forest Incentives Act (SFIA) was significantly influenced by incentive payment 

amount, the acres of forest land owned, the landowner’s intention to obtain 

a forest management plan, and other factors. Increased compensation would 

probably increase enrollment, but agencies should consider whether the 

higher incentive levels are feasible or warranted.

A joint study, including scientists from FPL, developed a process that helps 

overcome the natural resistance of biomass to enzymatic decomposition. It 

is difficult to efficiently convert woody biomass to ethanol, but scientists developed a process that uses a sulfite pretreatment to overcome recalcitrance 

of lingnocellulose. This is only the second known pretreatment process for 

efficiently converting softwoods to ethanol.

The Southern Research Station released a tax planning guide titled Estate 

Planning for Forest Landowners: What Will Become of Your Timberland. This 

publication is an update of one of the most widely used tax guides for family 

forest owners and for the legal, accounting, financial, insurance, and forestry 

professionals who serve them. 

Forest Service scientists led an interdisciplinary team to assess the methods 

used to define the effects of invasive species in U.S. forests. Meaningful policy 

decisions rely on sound assessments of the economic costs and losses induced 

by nonnative forest pests. Research found that the greatest effects are due 

to the loss of nonmarket values such as the willingness to pay for healthy 

forests. Results also indicate that the most effective policies to reduce effects 

may be those that shift the burden of cost from taxpayers to forest landowners and parties responsible for introducing or spreading the invasive species.
12 Forest Service Research & Development

Strategic Goal 3

Conserve Open Space

Open space provides many environmental, social, and economic benefits 

to rural and urban communities. Undeveloped forests and grasslands help 

protect water quality; conserve native wildlife; and provide renewable timber 

and nontimber products, recreational opportunities, and quality-of-life 

benefits. These green spaces enhance home values and generate jobs and 

economic vitality. Current population growth trends show a steady loss of 

these vital open spaces to developed uses.

The Forest Service helps communities develop sustainable urban and community forestry programs. In FY 2009, research activities provided the economic, 

social, and ecological information that communities use for urban forest 

management. Urban managers used this research information to develop 

strategies to help mitigate the effects of existing and new developments on 

open space, to understand the effects of fragmentation on animal and plant 

populations, and to generate revenue from ecosystem services.

Goal 3.—Resource Investments (dollars in thousands)

Strategic Program Area FY 2008 ($) FY 2009 ($)

Wildland Fire and Fuels 789 329

Invasive Species 2,069 533

Outdoor Recreation 579 74

Resource Management and Use 21,968 749

Water, Air, and Soil 2,391 243

Wildlife and Fish 1,134 235

Inventory and Monitoring 502 0

FIA 4,326 0

Total Goal 3 33,758 2,163

Selected Accomplishments

A study in Puerto Rico synthesized information for the 1,175-hectare Cabo 

Rojo and Cartagena Lagoon Fish and Wildlife Service refuges, which receive 

nearly 27,000 visitors annually. These refuges and six other protected areas 

provide critical wildlife habitat in southeastern Puerto Rico, an area that is experiencing a rapid increase in human population. The results of this synthesis 

provide authoritative information in support of the use of management of 

these public lands and will help visitors to better understand their values.

Riparian forests in complex tropical montane environments were described 

systematically and in relation to distance to streams. A list was generated of 

tree species organized by their preferred distance from water. This list is a key 

tool for restoration of riparian zones and watersheds in the Caribbean tropics 

because these zones are often the only available open space for the people.

Large spatial scale is needed to develop wildlife conservation and management practices. In the book, Models for Planning Wildlife Conservation in Large 

Landscapes, published in 2009, NRS scientists presented a consolidated conceptual basis and practical approaches to modeling and conserving wildlife in 

large landscapes. 

Landscape models developed by scientists at PNW found that maintaining working forests would likely, in relatively low levels of landscape fuels, 

provide suitable winter range for mule deer and generate sustainable open 

old forest. Researchers also projected housing development to 2030 for the 

upper Deschutes area of Oregon, showing the most pressure for development 

around existing developed areas, such as the city of Bend, OR.

Strategic Goal 4 

Sustain and Enhance Outdoor Recreation Opportunities

The public demand for high-quality outdoor recreational experiences places 

pressure on the ecological integrity of national forests and grasslands. The 

combination of increasing U.S. populations and declining public access to 

privately owned forest land creates demand for public lands to provide more 

recreational opportunities.

If public lands are to provide additional recreational benefits without 

unacceptable resource effects, we must emphasize effective management 

solutions that have a solid scientific foundation. Forest Service R&D studied 

the effects of changing demographics and people’s perceptions of the value, 

importance, and opportunities created by healthy forests and rangelands. Our 

research helped communities understand the relationship between the quality of the recreation experience and the importance of ecological integrity to 

maintain recreational opportunities into the future.

Goal 4.—Resource Investments (dollars in thousands)

Strategic Program Area FY 2008 ($) FY 2009 ($)

Wildland Fire and Fuels 522 371

Invasive Species 775 1,330

Outdoor Recreation 2,015 2,436

Resource Management and Use 1,292 1,496

Water, Air, and Soil 1,329 1,207

Wildlife and Fish 1,134 1,175

Inventory and Monitoring 0 0

FIA 0 0

Total Goal 4 7,067 8,015
Fiscal Year 2009 Performance and Accountability Report 13

Selected Accomplishments

There has been a national concern that today’s youth are not getting outside 

enough and learning about nature. A study was conducted at SRS, called 

the National Kids Survey, in the form of a general population random-digitdialed household telephone survey. Sixty-one percent of kids 6 to 19 years 

old reported spending 2 or more hours outdoors on a typical weekday, while 

more than three-fourths reported spending 2 or more hours outdoors on a 

typical weekend day. By furnishing a database that describes these results 

and the kinds of activities kids engage in, agencies have a better foundation 

for building recreational and educational programs for kids of different ages.

Scientists at PSW coauthored multiple papers and oversaw the compilation of 

the general technical report, Recreation Visitor Research: Studies of Diversity. 

The 16 papers in this document are grouped around international studies, 

syntheses studies, management studies, environmental belief studies, and 

others. Some of these studies showed how cultural values produce significant differences on visitor constraints and use of public lands. Other studies 

indicate the importance of managing natural areas for both regulatory and 

cultural ecosystem services. Recreation managers will find this compilation 

highly valuable for managing public lands and for better understanding the 

diverse perceptions of visitors.

Researchers at RMRS studied all-terrain vehicles resource damage and published results on techniques to estimate resource damage and management 

strategies to reduce damage while allowing for multiple uses of public lands.

RMRS provided indepth, qualitative, expert interview data on the Valles 

Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) user group and surrounding community 

views and preferences concerning use, access, and fire and fuels management 

within the preserve. This project provides managers with important information concerning public desires and concerns for management of the VCNP to 

help them develop public understanding and support for fuels reduction and 

restoration initiatives.

Strategic Goal 5 

Maintain Basic Management Capabilities of the Forest Service

Reliable information, good-quality facilities, and land protection are necessary to effectively manage natural resources in a perpetual state of change. 

Forest Service R&D must maintain investments in research laboratories, experimental forests and ranges, information systems, and a skilled workforce 

to support the research necessary to inform natural resource management 

decisions and activities.

Forest Service R&D contributed to Goal 5 by making strategic and careful 

investments in buildings and facilities and by taking the actions necessary to 

protect and prolong the life of valuable and sensitive laboratory equipment. 

We continued to manage our workforce needs through recruitment and 

retention programs and to develop a diverse workforce with the skills needed 

to address complex research problems and emerging issues. 

Facilities

Assessment and Allocation

Forest Service R&D maintains a fund for facility maintenance as directed by 

Congress (Title III, Administrative Provisions, P.L. 109-54). Funding is obtained 

from an annual assessment of program funds, providing an incentive to 

dispose of unneeded buildings and to refrain from any new construction.

In FY 2009 the facilities assessment was $1.48 per sq. ft., distributed across 

approximately 2.3 million total gross square feet based on the previous year’s 

direct labor hourly charges for each program.

Goal 5

Resources Invested (dollars in thousands)

Fiscal Year 2009 Facilities Maintenance Assessment and 

Allocation for the Forest Service R&D Facilities

Unit Name

Total

(gross sq. ft.)

Total Assessment/ 

Allocation ($)

Forest Products Laboratory 401,896 595,000

International Institute

of Tropical Forestry 27,045 40,000

Rocky Mountain

Research Station 414,247 613,000

Northern Research Station 492,047 729,000

Pacific Northwest Station 280,326 415,000

Pacific Southwest Station 220,031 326,000

Southern Research Station 459,027 680,000

Research Total 2,294,619 3,398,000

Strategic Goal 6

Engage Urban America With Forest Service Programs 

The Forest Service maintains an integrated program of natural resource 

stewardship designed to inform and educate urban residents on the value of 

well-managed public and private forested lands and to improve their quality 

of life. A vital part of the work with communities is in conservation education, 

urban greening efforts, and natural resources programs for youth. The Forest 

Service coordinates with Federal, State, and local partners to provide urban 

residents with the benefits they seek from local parks, nearby woodlands, and 

national forests. 

Forest Service R&D scientists studied the effects of urbanization on public 

lands and provided the science needed to make decisions on how to best 

manage private lands and maintain working forests within urbanizing 
14 Forest Service Research & Development

landscapes. This work included studying the effects of transportation expansion and fragmentation on streams, wildlife, and invasive species. Decision 

support tools provided include remote sensing, analysis, computer models, 

and expert systems to address issues such as wildland fire in the wildlandurban interface. 

Goal 6.—Resource Investments (dollars in thousands)

Strategic Program Area FY 2008 ($) FY 2009 ($)

Wildland Fire and Fuels 1,973 1,907

Invasive Species 2,069 2,126

Outdoor Recreation 244 295

Resource Management and Use 646 749

Water, Air, and Soil 265 243

Wildlife and Fish 0 0

Inventory and Monitoring 0 0

FIA 0 0

Total Goal 6 5,197 5,320

Selected Accomplishments

Scientists from PSW released the Tree Carbon Calculator, a free Microsoft 

Excel spreadsheet that provides carbon-related information for individual 

trees in one of 16 U.S. climate zones. This is the only tool approved by the 

California Climate Action Registry for quantifying CO2

 sequestration from tree 

planting projects. The calculator estimates the amount of CO2

 trees sequester 

in a year and in their lifetime, and quantifies annual per-tree energy savings 

for planted trees. The city of Santa Monica is using this tool in its pilot greenhouse gas tree project and with the Sacramento Tree Foundation to estimate 

greenhouse gas reductions associated with tree planting.

In Kane County, IL, on the outskirts of Chicago, planners are concerned about 

the needs of grassland birds, which are vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation. NRS scientists analyzed land acquisition and restoration strategies 

and identified the desirable areas of grassland habitat that could be protected 

for a relatively low cost.

As populations are increasing in urban areas it becomes increasingly more 

important to find ways to make urban life more livable and healthy. In 2009, 

NRS published the proceedings of a conference entitled Restorative Commons: 

Creating Health and Wellbeing Through Urban Landscapes. The conference 

brought together urban natural resource managers and designers with 

policymakers, the public, and other practitioners. The publication includes 18 

articles by researchers in the fields of medical history, evolutionary psychology, and urban planning.

Strategic Goal 7

Provide Science-Based Applications and Tools for Sustainable 

Natural Resources Management

The Forest Service provides science and technology solutions for clients’ and 

partners’ priority issues in ways they find effective and useful for sustainably 

managing forests and grasslands.

In FY 2009, Forest Service R&D conducted research to evaluate the effectiveness of organizations, both public and private, in managing natural resources. 

This research includes developing applications of organizational behavior, 

public administration, and social science to respond to changes in climate, 

improve inventory and monitoring activities, adapt to landscape changes, 

and better manage fire incidents and watershed conditions.

Goal 7.—Resource Investments (dollars in thousands) 

Strategic Program Area FY 2008 ($) FY 2009 ($)

Wildland Fire and Fuels 3,319 2,074

Invasive Species 4,979 3,282

Outdoor Recreation 357 424

Resource Management and Use 16,917 14,739

Water, Air, and Soil 4,327 5,008

Wildlife and Fish 8,927 9,241

Inventory and Monitoring 6,891 7,974

FIA 49,931 50,261

Total Goal 7 95,648 93,003

Selected Accomplishments

NRS FIA personnel updated the U.S. forest resources statistics from the 2000 

Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment to provide current information on 

the Nation’s forests. Tables include estimates of forest area, volume mortality, 

growth, removals, and timber products output by ownership, region, and 

State. A mini-atlas of map plates includes national displays of forest type, 

ownership, biomass, fragmentation, and other key spatial elements. These 

data will be an invaluable tool to land managers, planners, users, owners, 

and policymakers.

Nanomaterials, such as nanometals, often exhibit novel properties that offer 

the potential to improve the durability of treated wood products. Copper and 

zinc have played an integral part in the development of wood preservatives 

that are responsible for extending the service life of wood products against 

biodegrading organisms. At issue are the environmental effects of wood 

preservatives leaching into water supplies. Scientists from FPL and the University of Istanbul found that nanopreparations of copper and zinc, compared 
Fiscal Year 2009 Performance and Accountability Report 15

to their soluble metal oxides, resisted leaching and inhibited biodegrading 

organisms. These results suggest that lower amounts of preservatives can 

effectively protect wood from degradation while reducing leaching and 

environmental effects from wood treatments.

New techniques were developed at IITF to use remote sensing for mapping 

and analyzing tropical forests in Amazonia. Scientists were able to determine 

from space forest biomass differences between old growth and tropical forests. This is of critical societal importance at national and international levels 

because of the significant role of Amazonia on the global carbon cycle and 

the determination of the effects of deforestation and land cover change on 

that role. These results make it possible to improve the resolution of carbon 

budget analyses and improve accuracy of models by reducing uncertainty in 

the data used in the models.

Forest operations work is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, 

with operators suffering high numbers of fatalities and injuries. Adequate 

safety and design standards for equipment are key to workplace safety. 

Scientists at SRS worked with the U.S. Forest Equipment Standards Committee in the Society of Automotive Engineers and the International Organization 

for Standardization to study materials that protect machine operators from 

thrown object hazards. Their results were translated into a new standard for 

testing and classifying window materials that protect operators. This will 

have a worldwide effect on improvements to forest equipment design and to 

safety in forest operations.

Measuring Forest Service 

R&D Performance

Science and technology are critically important for keeping the Nation’s 

economy competitive and for addressing challenges in the environment. 

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy identified three 

key indicators of research and development success: relevance, quality, and 

performance (M-03-15, June 5, 2003). 

Relevance

Customer Satisfaction Survey

In FY 2006, Forest Service R&D contracted with the Federal Consulting Group, 

now a part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, to design and conduct a 

survey every 3 years of the various people and groups who use our research 

information and products. The survey uses econometric models, developed 

collaboratively with Forest Service R&D staff and customized for our products 

and services. The results are presented as a score based on the American 

Customer Satisfaction Index methodology, which enables users to make 

comparisons with the scores of other Federal R&D agencies. 

The model included three main components: relevant activities in each area 

that drive customer satisfaction, satisfaction itself, and desirable customer 

behaviors and outcomes. The FY 2009 survey scored 75, exceeding its target 

and scoring significantly better than the average for Federal agencies. It also 

identified ways to improve satisfaction by making products easier to use and 

by making information more accessible. 

Results from this survey were incorporated into Forest Service R&D program 

planning to ensure that the work we do is relevant to customers’ needs. The 

survey will be repeated in FY 2012.

Quality

Forest Service R&D Quality Assurance Reviews

Forest Service R&D places a high value on conducting sound science that 

customers and the scientific community view as being of the highest quality. 

To ensure that this work meets stringent standards for ensuring scientific 

integrity, Forest Service R&D routinely invites panels of internal and external 

reviewers to evaluate its performance. Such reviews include the following:

• Refereed reviews of publications.

• Statistical reviews and quality assurance and quality control procedures.

• Research grade evaluation process.

• Research performance accountability reviews.

• Strategic Program Area reviews.

Peer Review of Strategic Program Areas

Peer review is a recognized and effective tool for evaluating research 

programs and designing future research. It provides managers with a basis 

on which they can (1) select, continue, modify, or redirect research program 

areas; (2) assess alignment of ongoing research activities with strategic 

planning documents; (3) assess research program area performance and 

productivity; (4) identify new opportunities or termination points for ongoing 

projects; and (5) provide important information to a research program area 

that is under particularly close external scrutiny.

Every National Strategic Program Area peer review in the past 5 years, including two programs in FY 2009, has recommended a rating of satisfactory or 

excellent.

Performance

Annual Outcome Measures

Forest Service R&D reports targets for the number of annual outcome measures in the Forest Service Budget Justification. In FY 2009, Forest Service R&D 

met or exceeded all of its targets. 
16 Forest Service Research & Development

Trends in Forest Service R&D Performance Outcomes

Performance Measure FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009

Customer satisfaction index score 72 72 72 75

Number of patent applications filed (3-year average) 11 11 6 8

Percent of R&D program areas that have been externally peer reviewed within the past 5 years 25% 50% 75% 100%

Percent of R&D program areas that achieved a rating of satisfactory or excellent during the past 5 years 100% 100% 100% 100%

Percent of Nation with accessible FIA data 84% 88% 90% 92%

Quality fire science index—Wildland fire PART performance measure calculated as the number of peerreviewed fire science publications per scientist year on a 3-year rolling average3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5

Fire output efficiency index—Wildland fire PART performance measure calculated as the total number 

of fire science products per scientist year on a 3-year rolling average

5.1 5.1 5.0 5.0

Number of invasive species tools developed, delivered, and used is an invasive species PART performance 

measure calculated as the number of invasive species tools on a 5-year rolling average

171 170 142 177

Cost per invasive species tool—Invasive species PART metric calculated as the cost of producing tools on 

a 5-year running average adjusted for budgets

$242 $238 $426 $198

Forest Service R&D is also responsible to the USDA for a number of accomplishments reported in the USDA Performance and Accountability Report.

Additional Accomplishments Reported to USDA

Accomplishment

FY 

2006

FY 

2007

FY 

2008

FY 

2009

New interagency agreements and contracts 54 41 40 57

Interagency agreements and contracts 

continued

15 17 12 12

Articles published in journals 1,691 1,336 1,903 2,294

Articles published in all other publications 1,817 1,846 1,487 921

Patents granted 7 3 6 3

Patent licenses executed 1 0 1 0

Science Citations

Citation analysis is the analysis of data derived from references cited in 

footnotes or bibliographies of scholarly publications. The basic assumption 

behind citation analysis is that influential research or scientists are cited more 

often than others. In this sense, citations reflect the relative effect and utility 

of a work. Citation analysis can serve as a useful and powerful method of 

examining the intellectual effect of scientists and their research projects. It 

can be used for research policymaking, monitoring scientific developments, 

and grant decisions.

Over the 10-year period from FY 2000 through FY 2009, Forest Service publications were cited in formally peer-reviewed publications more than 61,000 

times. The average number of Forest Service publications cited 20 or more 

times and 50 or more times were 841 and 295, respectively.

PART = Performance Assessment Rating Tool.

16,000

14,000

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

0

2006 2007 2008 2009

Annual Citations

Fiscal Years 2006–2009

Fiscal year
Fiscal Year 2009 Performance and Accountability Report 17

Challenges and Opportunities

FY 2009 was a productive year for Forest Service R&D, yet a number of challenges continue to loom. Concern about climate change and its effects on 

forests and rangelands has prompted legislators to ask for scientific solutions 

that help them adapt to these effects, and to find ways forests and rangelands can help mitigate the effects. Scientists have found that higher temperatures have shortened western mountain snow accumulations, thereby 

reducing peak snow pack and hastening spring melt. Less stable water 

supplies coupled with increased demand in urban areas means regional water 

shortages. Nationwide, scientists have observed recent severe forest diebacks 

as a result of drought and an increased susceptibility of forests to insect and 

disease. They have also recorded an increase in large, destructive wildfires 

that threaten biodiversity, watershed stability, water supply, and human 

lives and property. Solving problems from climate change effects will require 

sound science directed at social, economic, and natural resource issues.

Social, economic, and ecological disturbances remain among the most difficult challenges to overcome for Forest Service R&D, especially as populations 

continue to grow and become more urbanized. The 21st century is the first 

century in recent human history in which most people live in urban areas. The 

demands of conflicting interest groups continue to test the agency’s ability 

to ensure the long-term sustainability of U.S. forests and rangelands through 

development and application of truly science-based management practices. 

The economic downturn of the past couple of years has left municipalities 

facing serious financial pressures. Cities and towns have had to cut back 

on many urban services, including urban forestry and other environmental 

programs. Forest Service R&D will be challenged to offer innovative and 

cost-effective, science-based solutions that will help cash-constrained cities 

and towns maintain urban natural resource-based programs and help provide 

urban residents valuable benefits from nearby healthy rural forests. 

Emerging Research Areas

As the world’s preeminent natural resources science organization, the Forest 

Service R&D program seeks to increase national awareness of its valuable 

accomplishments in the field of forestry and natural resource management 

and make strategic investments in critical arenas of research. With decades 

of groundbreaking scientific research, the Forest Service is well positioned 

to achieve significant results from an investment in emerging research areas 

(ERAs).

The ERAs rest on a science foundation structured around R&D’s SPAs that 

reflect the scope of Forest Service research capabilities. The ERAs set priorities 

for the next 3 to 5 years. R&D will continue to build upon our core programs, 

which include SPAs.

The five ERAs are as follows:

1. Climate Change—Adaptation research to improve the resiliency of 

forests, rangelands, and aquatic areas and to mitigate the adverse effects 

of climate change through trees, forests, and forest ecosystems. 

2. Biomass and Bioenergy—Alternative energy sources and new markets 

that contribute to energy security and independence while reducing 

greenhouse gases. 

3. Urban Natural Resources Stewardship—The management, protection, and stewardship of urban natural resources to improve people’s lives. 

4. Nanotechnology—Leading-edge innovations in the development of 

wood products. 

5. Water Management and Restoration—Best management practices 

designed to protect and restore watersheds that enhance water quantity 

and quality. 

The ERAs demonstrate R&D’s commitment to remaining an interactive, 

vibrant, and visionary partner in solving today’s critical problems with science 

and technology. This science and leadership service is a highly important 

investment for a world struggling with environmental change. 

Even in the face of resource constraints, Forest Service R&D scientists have the 

skills, public support, and commitment to research the multitude of problems 

and to provide land managers throughout the United States and internationally with the information and tools they need to ensure success in providing 

the resources and experiences that people desire. Forest Service R&D plans to 

continue to recruit and train a diverse workforce capable of meeting current 

and future challenges, while building on partnership opportunities and 

judiciously employing graduate students, postdoctoral students, temporary 

scientists, and term-limited scientists. 
18 Forest Service Research & Development

November 2010

FS-964

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, 

disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political 

beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to 

all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, 

etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250–9410, or call (800) 795–3272 (voice) or (202) 720–6382 (TDD). 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.