U S Government Accountability Office

Forest Service Research and Development U S Government Accountability Office

"recent decades, managing the nation's public and private forests and rangelands has become increasingly complex, requiring a sound understanding of science and science-based tools to address these complexities. The Department of Agriculture's Forest Service maintains a research and development program (FS R& D) to help provide scientific information and tools. GAO was asked to examine (1) the scope of research and development carried out by FS R& D and some of its resulting accomplishments, (2) trends in resources used in performing FS R& D work and the effects of those trends on its research efforts and priorities, and (3) recent steps FS R& D has taken to improve its ability to fulfill its mission and challenges it faces in doing so. In conducting this review, GAO analyzed FS R& D funding data for fiscal years 2000 to 2009 and staffing data for fiscal years 2006 to 2009 and interviewed officials from FS R& D, other federal agencies, and nonfederal entities. "