The Southern Research Station (SRS) is one component of seven units that provide the framework for the US Forest Service (USFS) Research and Development organization. Forest Service R&D is described as "...the most extensive natural resources research organization in the world".

Mission

The mission of the Southern Research Station is:

History

The R&D organization has been part of the USFS mission since the agency was created in 1905. As one of seven units in the USFS R&D organization, the Southern Research Station had its beginnings as two separate entities – the Southern Forest Experiment Station and the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station. During their formative years, major areas of research in these two experiment stations included: * Mensuration * Growth & yield * Harvest and reproduction cutting methods * Gum

naval stores Naval stores are all liquid products derived from conifers. These materials include rosin, tall oil, pine oil, and terpentine. The term ''naval stores'' originally applied to the organic compounds used in building and maintaining wooden sailing ...

production *

Thinning Thinning is a term used in agricultural sciences to mean the removal of some plants, or parts of plants, to make room for the growth of others. Selective removal of parts of a plant such as branches, buds, or roots is typically known as pruning. ...

research in even-aged,

second-growth A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...

loblolly and shortleaf pine stands *

Forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

research

Southern Forest Experiment Station (SFES)

Initiated in 1921, the SFES was responsible for research in southern pine types within the states of

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

East Texas East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that comprises most of 41 counties. It is primarily divided into Northeast and Southeast Texas. Most of the region consi ...

and southern

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. The SFES was headquartered in

New Orleans, LA New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

with its research scope being generally limited to mountain hardwood types. States within the Appalachian Station included

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, South Carolina, northern Georgia, Virginia,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, eastern

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, and eastern

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Appalachian Station was redesignated as the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, and research was expanded to include both pine and hardwood types from Florida through

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Headquarters for the Appalachian Station and SEFES were in Asheville, NC.

Southern Research Station (SRS)

In 1995, the Southern and Southeastern Forest Experiment Stations merged to form the Southern Research Station with headquarters in Asheville, NC. Research was expanded into new fields to address "...how climate change, human population growth, invasive plants, pathogens, and fire affect the provision of timber, wildlife, clean air and water, and recreation, as well as other ecosystem services." Thirteen US states are located within the boundary of the Southern Research Station. Southeastern US State Map

SRS Science Centers and Research Work Units

As of 2022, SRS research activities were being conducted within 15 Research Work Units located throughout the southeastern US and were categorized under four scientific objectives or science centers.

SRS Experimental Forests

Within the SRS, there are 20

Experimental forest An experimental forest, or experimental range, as defined by the United States Forest Service, is "an area administered ... 'to provide for the research necessary for the management of the land.'" Size and relation to other areas According to the ...

s and/or

Rangelands Rangelands are grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savann ...

located in nine southeastern states. These experimental forests and rangelands provide a network for conducting long-term research studies and are a treasure trove of accumulated historical sampling data that span a time period of up to 100 years. Experimental forests also serve as education and demonstration sites where researchers interact with students, forest landowners, and forest managers.

Research Natural Areas

In 2022, there were 33 established

Research Natural Area Research Natural Area is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States. Research Natural Areas (RNAs) are part of a nationwide network of ecological areas set aside for both research and education. The network includes areas man ...

s (RNA) located within 12 southeastern US states, excluding Tennessee. At least two Research Natural Areas are located within the boundaries of the Southern Research Station's Experimental Forests: *The Harrison Research Natural Area is located within the Harrison Experimental Forest. This portion of the experimental forest contains that were designated as a RNA in 1989. When assessed in 1991, the overstory component within this RNA was 90% longleaf pines (''

Pinus palustris The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...

'') that established naturally from seeds after the virgin pine forests were clearcut in the 1920s. *The R. R. Reynolds Research Natural Area is located within the

Crossett Experimental Forest Crossett Experimental Forest is an experimental forest operated by the Southern Research Station (SRS) of the United States Forest Service in Ashley County, Arkansas. It is managed out of the SRS office in Monticello, Arkansas, with onsite facil ...

. Other than fire protection, the R.R. Reynolds RNA was set aside from active forest management in 1943 to provide a contrast to managed stands. Based on a 1993 tree inventory, the RRRRNA was described as "... a closed–canopy, mature loblolly pine (''

Pinus taeda ''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pine. ...

'')–hardwood forest", with oaks (''

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

'' spp.) being the predominant overstory hardwood component. This forest area was designated as a RNA in 2005.

Gallery

SRS Crossett Experimental Forest headquarters timeline

This 60-year pictorial timeline is indicative of the USFS commitment to maintaining the infrastructure needed to support long-term forest research. File:Crossett Experimental Forest Headquarters Building 1936.jpg, File:Crossett Experimental Forest Headquarters Building 1959.jpg, File:Crossett Experimental Forest Headquarters Building 1979.jpg, File:Crossett Experimental Forest HQ Building in 2000.jpg,

References

External links

Publications of the Southern Forest Experiment Station: 1921 – 1954

Publications of the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station: 1921–1958

USDA Forest Service TREESEARCH
{{Authority control United States Forest Service Nature conservation organizations based in the United States Forestry research Research and development in the United States Government agencies established in 1921 United States Forest Service protected areas