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4
Conclusions and Recommendations
The preceding chapters report some of the diverse activities and needs
of forestry research. We have described research on wood as a raw ma-
terial and in basic biology, ecology, sociology, and economics and policy.
Although forestry research is at least as complex as agricultural research,
to which it is closely related, forestry research cannot be subsumed under
what has been traditionally viewed as agricultural research, but must be
viewed as having values for society that are broader than and distinct from
those of traditional agriculture (National Task Force on Basic Research in
Forestry and Renewable Natural Resources, 1983~. In this chapter, we pro-
vide several broad conclusions and attendant recommendations concerning
the nature of forestry research, human resources, ways of maximizing the
benefits from forestry research, and support for forestry research.
THE NATURE OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
More Scientists Should Do Forestry Research
Conclusion. For forestry research to be of sufficient quality and quan-
tity to solve critical societal problems, it must embrace more areas of sci-
ence. These include not only such expected areas as biology, hydrology,
and engineering, but also economics and sociology.
Conclusion. Forestry research is overly fragmented by disciplines that
interact insufficiently. Interaction must not only increase among traditional
50
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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
51
forestry disciplines within colleges of forestry, but also among disciplines
within colleges of agriculture and colleges of arts and sciences. This need
for increased disciplinary interaction coupled with increases in the cost
of research facilities, the specialization of scientists, and the diversity of
sponsors and clients argues for aggregation and integration of forestry
research.
Conclusion. With numerous advisory committees representing orga-
nizational research interests, leadership in forestry research has been frag-
mented. Government agencies and other organizations responsible for
research activities can obtain policy advice from a wide variety of sources,
such as internal advisory committees at various levels within a department's
hierarchy. Research organizations can also draw upon other groups, such
as the National Research Council, for advice. Because of the broad range
of research organizations and clientele of forestry research, none of the
existing forestry advisory committees has adequately met the needs of the
forestry research community in general.
Recommendations:
· Provide a vastly expanded funding mechanism, such as competitive
grants, to support scientists now doing forestry research and to attract
additional ones.
· Strengthen and broaden the teaching of forestry to attract a broader
array of students, especially at the graduate level, and to interest other on-
campus research groups.
.
Establish a National Forestry Research Council (NFEtC) to pro-
vide a forum for deliberations on forestry research and policy issues. The
NFRC should be convened under the auspices of an organization or or-
ganizations that can facilitate discussion and action. Financial support for
the council's activities should come from member organizations and other
interested sponsors. The NFRC should consist of representatives from
major organizations such as government agencies, industry, conservation
organizations, private foundations, and academia- with strong interests in
forests and related renewable natural resources and in agriculture. The
NFRC would commission studies, conduct analyses, and provide advice to
policymakers on issues pertaining to those interests.
· Encourage conservation groups and other nongovernmental orga-
nizations to more actively support basic forestry teaching and research
through the activities of the proposed NFEtC.
Concision. Coordination and integration with other research scien-
tists should be increased. The proposed NFEtC could provide leadership
and a forum for coordination and integration. In addition, integration can
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52
FORESTRY RESEARCH
be achieved by creating centers of emphasis on research in the five areas
of research discussed in this report (biology of forest organisms; ecosystem
function and management; human-forest interactions; wood as a raw mate-
rial; and international trade, competition, and cooperation). The creation
of a center of emphasis does not necessarily require the construction of a
new research facility. It does require, however, a cooperative mechanism
for research that allows scientists to interact in a manner that enhances
their productivity. In addition, Forest Service scientists could be routinely
placed within university academic units, such as departments of botany
and zoology, as well as within schools of forestry. A successful model for
this type of integration is that commonly used by the USDA Agricultural
Research Service.
Recommendation:
.
Create centers of scientific emphasis involving major participants
in forestry research for each of the five research areas discussed in this
report. More than one center could be established for each of the five
research areas, depending on the particular interests and strengths of the
proposed center's participants.
Result. Benefits derived from a broader definition of forest research
and the inclusion of nontraditional research pursuits will include increased
relevance to society as a whole, higher intellectual achievement resulting
from broader spheres of influence, enhanced attractiveness of the profession
to talented scientists, and increased political support for research programs.
The consequences of failing to incorporate these pursuits and personnel
into the forest research establishment will be great: They will include not
only the decreased quality of forestry science and technology, but also
further erosion of public confidence in the relevance of forestry to society.
Adopt a New Approach to Forestry Research
Conclusion. 1b help overcome a deficiency in knowledge, a new re-
search paradigm will need to be adopted an environmental paradigm. Past
approaches to forestry research employing the conservation and preserva-
tion paradigms have proven inadequate.
Conclusion. Many issues such as biological diversity, cumulative ef-
fects of pollutants, and land use or land management must be addressed
at very large spatial scales and over long periods of time. Research at the
scale of landscapes and regions will involve changes in the way forestry re
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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
53
search is performed, including new mapping technology, collaboration with
managers and user groups, creative experimental approaches, and evalua-
tion procedures that differ dramatically from those of traditional forestry
research.
Conclusion. Most of the research needs highlighted in this report are
as relevant to tropical as they are to temperate forestry. Research related
to deforestation and loss of biological diversity are especially relevant to
the tropics, but forestry research should derive principles that apply across
bioclimatic zones.
Recommendations:
o Establish research-management collaborations at large spatial
scales with an environmental perspective. This will require multidisciplinary
activities on large tracts of land.
· Establish long-term forestry research (LTFEt) grants to provide
a peer-reviewed, competitive funding mechanism for long-term research
support (longer than one forest rotation).
Result. Scientists and managers will collaborate to develop, install,
test, and revise practices on large blocks of land, each block unique in its
set of environmental and social conditions.
HUMAN RESOURCES
Conclusion. A critical need exists for the forestry research and policy
community to open its ranks to participation by scientists who are often not
now considered forest scientists. Contemporary issues, such as sustainable
development, the role of forests in global carbon balance and global warm-
ing, acid rain, and the preservation of biological diversity, illustrate the
need for scientific expertise inadequately represented by traditional forest
science.
Conclusion. 16 meet future demands for research and education, a
large number of well-educated scientists, technicians, extension specialists,
and educators are needed. To help meet the future need for talented
scientists, significantly more women and members of minority groups must
be recruited into forestry research.
Conclusion. Forestry education should be restructured to place more
emphasis on fundamental research tools.
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54
Recommendations:
.
FORESTRY RESEARCH
Enhance the quality of forestry research by opening it to the
broader scientific community and encourage increased participation by
scientists currently within the community.
· Establish a program to provide doctoral fellowships on a competi-
tive basis for all areas of forest and environmental sciences. The program
should be designed to attract the highest caliber of students possible and
to provide numbers of scientists with appropriate skills to meet impending
needs. This program should be supported at a rate of $5 million per year,
which will support a total of 200 doctoral fellows per year for 5 years (40
new fellowships awarded each year).
.
Develop a cadre of forest and related scientists that reflect the
national and global population composition and that are equipped to solve
domestic, international, and global problems. A recruitment program for
women and members of minority groups should be directed toward high
school, undergraduate, and graduate levels and should provide internships
and fellowships (as part of the doctoral fellowship program).
Result. With the addition of scientists from broader cultural and
scientific backgrounds, forestry research will become more relevant to the
needs of society, more interactive with other scientific disciplines, and more
productive in developing the needed base of information for making better
decisions on natural resource policies.
MAXIMIZE THE BENEFITS FROM
INCREASED FORESTRY RESEARCH
Conclusion. The demand for scientifically based information and ex-
pert opinion on environmental issues and human-forest interactions will
continue to increase. Forest scientists are responsible for keeping the pub-
lic informed about the status of forests and global environmental issues.
Forest scientists need (1) to improve their communication of research re-
sults to the public and natural resource professionals and (2) to increase
their assistance and involvement in the formulation of policy.
Recommendations:
.
Incorporate an outreach component into research projects to com-
municate results to a broader range of clients.
· Establish a professional reward system to acknowledge the validity
of efforts of scientists involved in outreach.
· Scientists should assume a leadership role in communicating their
knowledge to those involved in poligy-making.
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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
55
Conclusion. A strengthened program in forestry research requires a
greatly strengthened and reorganized companion extension outreach effort.
The broadening of program directions into areas as diverse as urban forestry
and molecular biology will require additional support and a larger and more
diverse cadre of extension specialists capable of communicating ideas as well
as techniques. Extension forestry is an important mechanism for technolog r
transfer and education, particularly to nonindustrial forest landowners,
natural resource professionals, policymakers, city planners, and the public.
The present extension forestry infrastructure is inadequate to serve current
or future needs. For example, the Renewable Resources Extension Act
(RREA), passed in 1978, has been funded at only about 20 percent of its
authorization level.
Recommendations:
· Double the base level of funding and number of full-time equiv-
alents (Fobs) devoted to forestry extension in cooperation with state and
local partners.
Increase RREA funding to the appropriation authorization level
of $15 million dollars annually.
· Integrate extension specialists with their research counterparts at
colleges and universities in those instances where interaction between ex-
tension specialists and research scientists is inadequate.
Result. With adequate knowledge and technology transfer mecha-
nisms, the results of forestry research can inform and instruct a broader
clientele, including natural resource professionals, youth, policymakers,
urban dwellers, conservation organizations, and the public.
SUPPORT FOR FORESTRY RESEARCH
lathe recommendations contained in this section are based on the com-
mittee's own study and knowledge of the U.S. forestry research system,
on interviews with additional scientists, and on documents the commit-
tee received from forestry-associated research organizations. The funding
increases recommended in this report reflect the committee's experience
in and concern about the current status and future prospects of forestry
research in the United States.
Equipment and Facilities
Conclusion. The committee believes that the physical facilities and
research equipment at many forestry research stations and forestry colleges
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FORESTRY RESEARCH
are inadequate. Other reports assessing the status of equipment in biology
(NIH, 1985) and agriculture (Biggs et al., 1989) have drawn similar conclu-
sions. Laboratories lack essential resources to carry out state-of-the-art re-
search in the forest sciences. For example, facilities and equipment needed
include electron and video-enhanced microscopes, computers, geographic
information systems, greenhouses, and plant-growth facilities. Funding has
been inadequate to keep pace with changing technology; therefore research
and teaching are not up to date.
Recommendation:
· Conduct a national assessment of the current status of equipment
and facilities needed to carry out the research described in this report.
Funding
Conclusion. Recommendations for increases in funding for forestry
research come at a time of overall fiscal constraint for the nation. Govern-
ment officials must both reduce the national debt and set priorities among
competing federal expenditures to enact programs that maintain the wel-
fare, infrastructure, security, and continued economic growth of the United
States. As a part of that endeavor, they must also address public concerns
for maintaining global competitiveness and environmental resources. The
goal of reducing expenditures while allocating funds for essential programs
thus requires fiscal prudence.
The committee recognizes that current federal budgetary constraints
make new funds for research support exceedingly difficult to obtain. Mean-
ingful increases in research support for forestry and forestry-related re-
search will likely be realized only as a result of changes in funding priorities
within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Depart-
ment of the Interior. As outlined in this report, the need to make these
changes in funding priorities is urgent if future forests and related renew-
able natural resources are to be protected from misuse and environmental
degradation and if productivity is to be enhanced.
Conclusion. The largest centrally administered forestry research bud-
get is that of the USDA Forest Service. Therefore, if forestry research is
to be reshaped and augmented as described above, changes in this budget
are imperative. Additional changes in other forest research funding mech-
anisms, such as McIntire-Stennis and USDA competitive grants, are also
imperative. Funds available through such programs as McIntire-Stennis
should be used in creative new ways and to a greater extent to attract
relevant scientists from outside forestry schools and colleges. Competitive
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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
57
grants should allow for research flexibility to fund both short-term (2 to
5 years) and long-term (7 to 10 years, or longer than one forest rotation)
research programs.
Conclusion. Both the Forest Service and the Cooperative State Re-
search Service of the USDA need to compensate for losses in research
support caused by budget cuts and inflation and should play leading roles
in establishing centers of emphasis. Industry, state, and private sources of
support should also contribute to this effort.
Recommendations:
· Increase USDA competitive grants for the five major research areas
discussed in this report with a provision for LTF~ grants. 1b cover the five
areas (the biology of forest organisms; ecosystem function and management;
human-forest interactions; wood as a raw material; and international trade,
competition, and cooperation), approximately $100 million annually will
be necessary. A logical basis for this type of competitive financial support
is through the current research funding initiative proposed by the NRC's
Board on Agriculture (NRC, 1989c). The Board on Agriculture report
defines agriculture to include forestry and related areas. As proposed, this
initiative identifies natural resources and the environment as one of six
program areas that need increased funding. Four other identified program
areas (plant systems; animal systems; engineering, products, and processes;
and trade, marketing, and policy) are directly related to the forestry research
described in this report. The total amount requested in the Board on
Agriculture research initiative for USDA competitive grants is $500 million
annually. Traditionally, however, forestry research has not been granted
proper status in the USDA competitive grants programs. Therefore, for
forestry and forestry-related research to be adequately supported by the
results of the Board on Agriculture research initiative, changes in funding
philosophy must take place within the USDA.
· Increase the USDA Forest Service research budget by 10 percent
each year for the next five years. These new funds should be allocated
among the five research program areas discussed in the report. With these
five successive annual increments, the Forest Service research budget will
expand from its 1988 level of $135 million lo $218 million after five years.
· Increase McIntire-Stennis funds over the next five years to the
full authorization level of 50 percent of the Forest Service budget. These
new funds should also be allocated among the same five research program
areas discussed in the present report. With these five successive annual
increments, McIntire-Stennis funding will expand from its 1988 level of
$17.5 million to $109 million after five years.
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FORESTRY RESEARCH
Result. These three recommendations for increased federal support
for forestry research will provide for orderly growth from the present
$187 million annually to a total after five years of $427 million annually.
After five years, this will mean that annual investments in forestry research
will have reached about 20 percent of the total of about $2.5 billion
for all agricultural research, after addition of the $500 million competitive
grants program recommended in the Board on Agriculture funding initiative
(NRC, 1989c).
If these modifications in the forestry research funding are made, forest
scientists will be able to provide better advice to the American public on
the management of our nation's forests; industry will have a far greater
data base from which to improve wood production practices and new
forest products; and society in general will benefit from improved global
environmental management.
SUMMARY
Forestry research must change radically if it is to help meet national
and global needs. It must become broader in its clients, participants, and
the problems it examines, and at the same time it must conduct more
in-depth research and become more rigorous in utilizing all of science and
technology. The number of scientists and amount of resources devoted
to forestry research are declining, even as needs increase. To meet the
challenge of rapid change, new approaches and new resources of the kind
described in this report are required. The educational and fiscal systems that
support forestry research must be restructured and revitalized; integrated
research facilities must be created where public and private resources can be
concentrated on basic questions, new technologies, and effective outreach
and extension activities. These changes will be expensive, difficult, and
painful for many. They will be painful in that research resources will need
lo be redirected and certain research facilities may need to be closed. The
consequence of failing to make the changes, however, would be even more
painful: a national and global society increasingly unable to presence and
manage forest resources for its own benefit and for the benefit of future
generations.
We emphasize here that both the misuse and the wise use of forests
are consequences of human activity. In the absence of policy alternatives
provided by a large increment of knowledge resulting from forestry research,
the misuse exemplified by deforestation, destroyed productive potential, and
lost biological diversity will prevail. Knowledge gained from an improved
system of forestry research will enable society to choose wise use and thus
to secure the environmental, economic, and spiritual benefits of forests.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
competitive grants
