Rooted in Science: Forest Service Research and Natural Inquirer

In its earliest days as an agency, the Forest Service conducts research focused on forest inventories, timber economics, and the impacts of grazing on forested land (like in our cover photo).

• In “On the Fence,” read about a study testing various fencing methods to protect quaking aspen from grazing cattle and wildlife. The publication also includes a “Time Warp” spotlight on earlier research done on fencing to prevent elk from damaging aspens.

The Forest Service conducts the first controlled hydrology studies in the country. They want to understand how water flows through soils and impacts streamflow.

• In “Woolly Bully,” Forest Service researchers on the Coweeta Experimental Forest examine how the loss of hemlock trees (due to the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid) affects streamflow in an important watershed.

Huge fires in the western United States result in big changes to the agency. The Forest Service works to coordinate more with states, and fire research gains prominence.

• In Wildland Fire 2, read about the impacts of the fires of 1910, as well as research on how insects and wildlife are affected by fire, how fire policy is implemented at the local level, and more.

The Forest Service, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin, opens the Forest Products Laboratory. Their mission is to study and test wood, improve logging techniques and efficiency, develop wood products and preservation methods, come up with uses for wood fiber, and more.

• The Forest Products Laboratory is still in operation today. In the Bioenergy edition of Natural Inquirer, read about a variety of studies on wood products – from using lumber scraps to heat buildings to measuring the energy costs of manufacturing doors.

In 1935, a private genetics laboratory is deeded to the Forest Service to continue and grow their research on forest genetics.

• In “Grow Where You’re Planted,” read about how researchers are using tree genetics to select seed stock for replanting at different elevations.

The Forest Service begins conducting long-needed research on forest recreation to help inform forest management strategies and policies at national forests. Social science research continues to gain prominence in the coming decades.

• In “Wilderness 2.0,” scientists conduct a study to determine how people interact with and share their experiences with wilderness areas. Also learn about the Wilderness Act of 1964 that established the National Wilderness Preservation System.

By the 1990s, much of Forest Service research is focused on ecosystems and how elements of an ecosystem interact with each other.

• Read the Ecosystem Services edition of Natural Inquirer to learn more about studies on the relationship between toad populations and flooding in the Rio Grande, how weather patterns affect Carolina bay wetlands, and how we can predict the spread of invasive species.

Today, Forest Service research focuses on wildfire (prediction, planning, fuels treatment), watershed resiliency, forest inventory, and wood innovation. Other research continues, too, on wildlife, pollinators, air quality, and more.

• Read “A Flame Changer” to learn more about a study on how prescribed fire treatments impact pollinators.