USDA Forest Service Global Change Research Program Introduction Global Change Research in the USDA Forest Service Assessment and Modeling Results from experimental studies, monitoring, and modeling research are essential for guiding future resource management decisions.
Periodic assessments provide information to administrators for consideration in policy making.
Improve the understanding of carbon cycling in trees, forest soils, and wood in service. Evaluate alternative response strategies and options for mitigation and adaptation by predicting system responses to both global change stresses and management actions. Aid in the synthesis and integration of research results and help identify weaknesses in system understanding. The RPA assessments follow a longstanding Forest Service tradition of assessing the past, current, and future state of forests. A substantial body of expertise, information management, and modeling systems are in place to support the assessment process.