U.S. Forest Service Experimental Forests and Ranges
Development of the Network for Addressing the Environmental Challenges of
the Coming Decades
Peter A. StineNational Coordinator for
Experimental Forests and RangesUSDA Forest Service
Research and Development
The Forest Service Experimental Forest and Range Network
• A total of 80, in 32 states and Puerto Rico• Designated through an official “Establishment
Record.” This official designation includes all locations where establishment records have been prepared and approved by the Chief of the Forest Service according to FSM 4062 direction.
• “Cooperating” Experimental Forests and Ranges (four, including Olympic EF)
Origins• 1881 Division of Forestry in USDA• 1886 Bernard Fernow becomes chief of the
Division of Forestry• 1896 National Academy of Sciences appoints
commission to investigate Forest Reserves • 1897 President Cleveland creates 13 Forest
Reserves with about 21 million acres• 1897 Organic Act identifies purposes of
reserves, regulates uses, provides for protection of stream flow, authorizes sale of timber
• 1898 Biltmore Forest School in North Carolina• 1898 Gifford Pinchot succeeds Fernow• 1898 first 4 year program in Forestry, at
Cornell • 1900 Society of American Foresters
established• 1900 Yale School of Forestry established• 1905 U.S. Forest established• 1907 National Forest lands grow to 150 million
acres through Roosevelt “midnight forests” executive order
Historical Context of EFRs1903“I believe that there is no body
of men who have it in their power today to do a greater service to the country than those engaged in the scientific study of, and practical application of, approved methods of forestry for the preservation of the woods of the United States.”
Beginnings of EFRs
1908 … the first “experiment station is established at Fort Valley, Arizona
“… the experiment stations in the West … are now building the scientific foundation upon which the future practice of American forestry is to rest.”
Raphael Zon; 1st Chief of the Bureau of Silvics, U.S. Forest Service
Fort Valley Experimental Forest, Arizona
EFRs Across the United States
• Oldest is Fort Valley EF in Arizona (1908)• Newest is Heen Latinee EF in Alaska (2009)• 62 are on NFS lands, the remainder are
managed solely by Forest Service R&D, state lands, one BLM and one private
• Well represented across the ecological domains of the US, only four of 20 forested ecological domains are underrepresented
Sizes of Experimental Forests and Ranges
EFRs offer some key advantages largely unavailable at other research field sites
• These are permanent facilities dedicated to research activities.
Key Advantages
• Historical environmental records and research data span up to 100 years and provide a wealth of information from which new studies can draw.
“Methods of Cutting” plots, Stanislaus-Tuolomne Exp Forest 1929
Key Advantages• Long term research is
feasible and enabled. • Manipulative field
studies, testing management ideas, are encouraged. This is one of the fundamental reasons for establishing these sites and sets them apart from almost any other field site..
Forest thinning experiments, Teakettle EF
Key Advantages
• New studies, complimenting and conterminous with existing studies, are feasible and enabled.
• Both basic and applied research activities are encouraged and enabled.
H. J. Andrews Experimental ForestNSF Long-term Ecological Research Site
Key Advantages
• Land and Resource managers are typically involved in both articulating the research and monitoring questions as well as enabling the execution of the work through a variety of logistical support activities.
Research on the Desert Experimental Range addresses the needs of range managers
Key Advantages• Many sites provide
demonstration plots or stands to illustrate the results of research findings for educational purposes.
• Logistical support (housing, meeting rooms, laboratories, data, maps, etc.) is available at many EFRs.
Thinning/prescribed fire Demonstration plot at Sagehen Experimental Forest
U.C. Berkeley Field Station at Sagehen Experimental Forest
Primary Research Themes• Silviculture/Forest
Ecology• Water• Fire• Grasslands and ranges• Soil conservation• Wildlife• Atmospheric science and
climate change• Ecological restoration
Hubbard Brook EF New Hampshire
Recent Additions to Focus on EFRs
• Urban ecology and forestry
• Human uses• Social sciences• Humanities, arts
Bonanza Creek EF Alaska
Evaluation Criteria for EFRs
• Scientific Merit• Partnerships • Available Scientific
Infrastructure • Site Management • Research products
generated at EFR• Cross-site, regional, and
international activities
• Access• Data management• Ecological Importance• Education and Outreach
Activities• Support from National
Forest (or other host)
Types of Networks in the EFR System
• Network in name (e.g. MAB locations)
• Environmental Monitoring (e.g. National Phenology Network)
• Experimentation Network (e.g. silviculture experiments)
• Synthesis Networks (e.g. Quantifying Uncertainty in Ecosystem Studies (QUEST))
Current Network Activities• Clim DB Hydro DB • EcoTrends • StreamChem DB • AmeriFlux • Federal Pollinator Network • Forest Service Climate Tower Network • Monitoring Climate Change Impacts on EFRs • Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET) • National Ecological Observatoryu Network
(NEON) • National Atmospheric Depositions Program
(NADP) • Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) • USA National Phenology Network (NPN)• Forest Inventory and Analysis on EFRs• Phenocam • Regional Environmental Sensor Network • EFR Climate Synthesis • Hydroclimatic Effects on Ecosystem Response• Integrating Landscape-scale Forest
Measurements• Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)
• Long-Term Soil Productivity Study (LTSP) • Long-Term Stand Responses to Silviculture• Quantifying Uncertainty in Ecosystem Studies • USFS Management Intensity Demonstration
Plots • Decomposition on the Forest Floor; Soil
Productivity Studies • Vegetation Dynamics across EFRs • International Cooperative Program on
Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests
• Long-Term Intersite Decomposition Experiment Team (LIDET)
• Lotic Intersite Nitrogen eXperiment (LINXII) • Engaging Arts and Humainities • Detritus Input and Removal Treatments (DIRT) • Nutrient Network (NutNet) • SnoTel • Basic meteorological station • Long-Term Ecosystem Productivity Study
Analysis of long term temperature records at Experimental Forests across the U.S.
EFRs enable evaluation of long-term changes in climate from local to continental scales.
• Long history/breadth of distribution across ecosystem types.
• Consistency of data collection• Relatively stable landscapes• Linkages between changes in
climate and changes in ecosystem structure and function.
• Regional differences; local differences (e.g. cold air drainages)
• Studies can provide critical guidance on how climate change interacts with management activities, develop options for mitigation and adaptation.
Some Key Questions (Fleishman et al. 2010)
• What quantity and quality of surface and groundwater will be necessary to sustain US human populations and ecosystem resilience during the next 100 years?
• How do different strategies for ecosystem management across the gradient of development intensities affect human health in urban areas?
• How do different strategies for growing and harvesting biomass or biofuel affect ecosystems and associated social and economic systems?
• How do different strategies for managing forests, grasslands, and agricultural systems affect carbon storage, ecosystem resilience, and other desired benefits?
Key Questions (cont.)
• What are the ecological and economic effects of different methods of restoring forests, wetlands, and streams?
• What are the reliable scientific metrics for detecting chronic, long-term changes in ecosystems?
• What are the relative ecological effects of increasing the intensity versus spatial extent of agriculture and timber production?
Data Management Challenges
Data Assets:– Historical data– Modern data– Administrative data– Web presence
Historical data are both an invaluable asset and a tremendous challenge
Research data – historical: Unlocking the value in the file cabinets
• Catalog holdings; includes assembly of basic metadata (data creators, field and lab methods, site descriptions, etc.)
• Prioritize catalog entries conversion to digital format• Convert from paper to digital; includes organizing data into
consistent file structures• Develop complete metadata compliant with an appropriate
standard and EFR/Data Archive best practices; create supplementary content for understanding the data set
• Package components and disseminate on the web via R&D Data Archive
Experimental Forests and Ranges across the United States:
low to high precipitation
Desert Experimental Range, UtahCascade Head Experimental Forest, Oregon
Experimental Forests and Ranges across the United States:Tropical Sites
Hawaii Experimental Tropical Forest
Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico
Experimental Forests and Ranges across the United States:Boreal Sites
Heen Latinee Experimental Forest, Alaska Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest, Alaska
Experimental Forests and Ranges across the United States:Northeastern U.S.
Silas Little Experimental Forest, New Jersey
Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire
Experimental Forests and Ranges across the United States:Southeastern U.S.
Palustris Experimental Forest, LouisianaCoweeta Hydrological Lab, North Carolina
Experimental Forests and Ranges across the United States:Rocky Mountain Region
Glacier Lakes Experimental Ecosystem Sites, Wyoming Boise Basin Experimental
Forest, Idaho
Experimental Forests and Ranges across the United States:Pacific Region
Caspar Creek Experimental Watershed,California
Starkey Experimental Forest and Range, Oregon
Experimental Forests and Ranges across the United States:In California
San Joaquin Experimental Range, California Sagehen Creek Experimental Forest, California
EFR Strategic Business Plan• Winter 2011-12• It is strategic in the sense that
it will address and recommend the array of scientific research and monitoring options suited to our collection of EFRs.
• It is a business plan in the sense that it will provide a comprehensive evaluation of our current investments and assets and lay out the business requirements for how we achieve our vision for the future.
Wind River EF Washington
EFR Strategic Business Plan• Intended to
provide FS R&D Leadership with a menu of options from which to choose
• Each option will offer a trajectory for us to move forward on to fulfill a corresponding set of expectations for the network
Priest River Experimental Forest, IdahoCelebrating its Centennial in 2011
Priest River Experimental Forest, IdahoHeadquarters Office in 1912
