U.S. Forest Service; Assessment of Research & Development Function

The Research and Development (R&D) Washington Office provides national oversight and overall strategic direction for United States Forest Service (USFS) R&D programs. The Washington Office oversees research programs spread over five regional research stations, a national research lab, and an international research institute. This presents challenges for both research coordination and communication.

Congress and others have asked R&D to minimize redundancy and maximize cost effectiveness while doing a better job of communicating the importance of its research to both internal and external customers. An internal review by R&D in response to a USFS Executive Leadership Team request in 2015 found that improved coordination between the regional research stations and Washington Office R&D was needed to better align research activities with the management needs of internal customers, National Forest Systems and State and Private Forestry. In 2018, House and Senate reports directed USFS to take action to strengthen its research enterprise.