America’s forests and grasslands are integral to global efforts to address current and future impacts of climate change. Healthy forest and grassland ecosystems are vital to the well-being and livelihoods of all Americans. These ecosystems provide drinking water for millions of people, influence the global carbon balance, supply food, support rural and urban jobs, provide places to recreate, and are home to diverse fish and wildlife populations. Climate change is already having substantial impacts on these systems, which are increasingly stressed by severe wildfires, invasive species, diseases, drought, and other climate-driven disturbances.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Research and Development (R&D) helps the Department and the Nation move closer to achieving its climate and carbon goals. Specifically, Forest Service R&D contributes in the following areas:
Investing in Natural Climate Solutions on Working Lands. Carbon sequestration by forests
is a vital mitigation tool. The most cost-effective way to boost carbon storage is to enhance
reforestation efforts, which can increase carbon storage by as much as 20 percent. Forest Service research is the Nation’s authoritative source on practices for increasing and tracking forest and grassland carbon sequestration.
Wildfire Decision Support. Climate change has altered fire regimes, increasing the frequency and severity of wildfire. Forest Service R&D is a world leader in wildfire research. Scientists have pioneered fire behavior and prediction technology, improved firefighter safety, developed novel spatial planning and risk management tools, and worked with communities to improve protections against catastrophic fire.
Managing for Forest and Grassland Resilience to Climate Change. As the climate changes, many forests and grasslands are expected to shift in composition. Forest Service research identifies the key attributes of resilient natural systems that can withstand and recover from climate-caused disturbances. From landscape-scale experiments like the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change Project, to forecasting drought and floods, to providing the scientific basis for fuels management and prescribed fires, Forest Service researchers are generating knowledge and solutions for managing and restoring climate-impacted landscapes.
Innovation in Science and Science Delivery. Over the last decade, Forest Service R&D assembled interdisciplinary teams to respond to the expected, accelerated, and unprecedented changes associated with climate change. As active leaders and participants in the USDA Climate Hubs, Forest Service researchers help create and deliver proactive, practical climate-informed knowledge and tools. Forest Service R&D wood products research delivers groundbreaking technologies and solutions for using forest-based products, such as cross-laminated timber, nanotechnology, biocomposites, biochar, and bioenergy.
Read the full paper at https://www.fs.fed.us/research/publications/fs/fs_1175.pdf