are then made as to the approaches and resources 

 of money, people, and time required. From this 

 process, basic research, including conceptual de- 

 velopment, model building, and new methods of 

 measurement, are devised to facilitate the larger 

 effort. 



Organization and IManagement Within the 

 Forest Service 



The Forest Service maintains a forestry re- 

 search program to provide the scientific basis for 

 the management, protection, and use of the Na- 

 tion's renewable natural resources. In addition to 

 close support of its own national forest and state 

 and private forestry programs. Forest Service 

 research results also support the needs of other 

 Federal agencies. State agencies, industries, and 

 private individuals — thereby providing a basis for 

 better management of all of the Nation's forest 

 and related range lands. 



Forest Service research provides the knowledge 

 to improve productivity of forest and related 

 range resources, and protects them from fire, in- 

 sects, disease, and other destructive agents. It 

 advances multiple use through research on silvi- 

 culture, wildlife habitat, watershed management, 

 timber harvest engineering, forest products, en- 

 dangered species, range management, environ- 

 mental protection and enhancement, landuse plan- 

 ning, and urban forestry. Research in resource 

 economics keeps supply and demand information 

 current and improves efficiency of forestry and 

 range practices. 



Research is conducted through eight regional 

 experiment stations, the Forest Products Labora- 

 tory, and the Institute of Tropical Forestry. There 

 are about 940 scientists at 81 project locations 

 throughout the United States, including Puerto 

 Rico. Some 78 percent of these project locations 

 are on or near university campuses, and two- 

 thirds of these are in direct affiliation with forest- 

 ry schools. 



The research program of the Forest Service is 

 planned through principles of public participation 

 as called for in the Forest and Rangelands Re- 

 sources Planning Act of 1974, and in conjunction 

 with agriculture research planning of the USDA in 

 close coordination with universities and other for- 

 estry research institutions. 



Forest Service research is carried out by re- 

 search work units, by R&D programs, and in a few 

 instances by pioneering research work units which 

 involve unusually competent scientists of proven 

 excellence. Currently, there are 239 research work 

 units, 6 R&D programs, and 7 pioneering research 



work units. Forest Service research is mission ori- 

 ented with a significant proportion of the program 

 devoted to basic research to provide a fundamental 

 basis for application and development of new" tech- 

 nology. Research is managed to provide a basis for 

 development of sound land management policy 

 and to solve the ever-changing problems faced by 

 resource managers. It provides scientifically valid 

 information and technology to solve current prob- 

 lems, and it conducts basic research to ensure that 

 scientific breakthroughs will continue to allow an 

 ever-improving forest technology in the years 

 ahead. The Forest Service utilizes cooperative re- 

 search agreements, research grants, and research 

 contracts to support the ongoing research mission. 



Competitive Grants Program for Mission- 

 Oriented Basic Research 



Public Law 89-106 is a general authorization for 

 the USDA to fund research through grants to oth- 

 er research performing organizations to further the 

 purposes of the Department. One of the important 

 uses originally visualized for this authority was 

 the funding of mission-oriented basic research; 

 i.e., basic research in areas in which advances are 

 identified as prerequisite to continuing advances 

 in applied agricultural research and development 

 and in agricultural technology. 



In the decade plus since passage of the act, the 

 P.L. 89-106 grants authority has been used to 

 achieve other priority national needs; but a com- 

 petitive grants program for mission-oriented basic 

 research is now being initiated. The Executive 

 budget for fiscal year 1978 provides P.L. 89-106 

 funds for competitive grants for mission-oriented 

 basic research in four high priority areas of re- 

 search to be funded initially. Those areas are photo- 

 synthesis, nitrogen fixation, genetic engineering 

 for plants, and plant protection. The competitive 

 grants will be open to the entire U. S. scientific 

 community. The program has been developed to 

 complement the existing in-house research of the 

 USDA and cooperating State research organiza- 

 tions. 



Specific plans have been developed for adminis- 

 tration and management of the program. 

 Provisions are included for planning and review at 

 the policy level to ensure coordination of the ef- 

 fort with other public and private research pro- 

 grams and to ensure selection of high priority 

 areas to be funded over time. Provisions are also 

 made for peer scientist participation in screening 

 grant proposals and in program planning and de- 

 velopment so as to ensure active interest and par- 

 ticipation by the scientist community and the sci- 

 entific quality of the research. 



AGRICULTURE 



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