Pacific Southwest Research Station

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Science that makes a difference.

The Pacific Southwest Research Station is a world leader in natural resources research through our scientific excellence and responsiveness to the needs of current and future generations.

We represent the research and development branch of the USDA Forest Service in the states of California and Hawaii and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands. Our primary work occurs in California (the most populous state with the fifth largest economy in the world) and Hawaii (a strategic location in the Pacific Rim economies and tourism). Our mission is to develop and communicate science needed to sustain forest ecosystems and their benefits to society.

New Web Site Shares Information About Deadly Tree Pathogens - Sudden oak death, Port-Orford-cedar root disease and other deadly tree diseases caused by Phytophthora species (pronounced fy-TOF-ther-uh) are threatening forest ecosystems worldwide. These microorganisms, which are related to algae and diatoms, spend part of their life cycle in soil or water but once they infect trees, they can kill them. A new web site, developed jointly by the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station and Oregon State University, hopes to put knowledge and resources in the hands of scientists and land managers as they look for ways to fight these deadly diseases. [read the full news release.]

High-Tech Models Help Guide Restoration Efforts to Save Threatened Plants - A team of scientists from the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) and two universities will begin research using sophisticated topographic models to identify areas within dry forests that have the most potential for ecological restoration. [read the full news release.]

New Research Helps Predict Bat Presence at Wind Energy Facilities - An interactive tool developed by researchers from the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) will help wind energy facility operators make informed decisions on efficient ways to reduce impacts on migratory bats. [read the full news release.]

Sources and Science: A Guide to Experts at the Pacific Southwest Research Station

The Pacific Southwest (PSW) Research Station carries out the research and development mission of the USDA Forest Service in California, Hawaii, and the U.S.- affiliated Pacific Islands. From the southern chaparral, montane Sierra Nevada, and coastal redwood ecosystems of California, across the ocean to the tropical wet and dry forests of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, our scientists and professionals are dedicated to enhancing knowledge of complex natural resource issues and communicating this knowledge to society.

Browse this inaugural edition of our "experts guide" to meet our researchers, discover the diversity of the scientific work that we do, and see how our science is making a difference—today and tomorrow.

Missed it when it was new? We've started a What's New archive.

Cover image: PSW Research Station Accomplishments 2010 2010 Research Accomplishments Report
Read the report

Cover image Kliejunas, John T. 2010. Sudden oak death and Phytophthora ramorum: a summary of the literature. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-234. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 181 p.

Morelli, Toni Lyn; Carr, Susan C. 2011. A review of the potential effects of climate change on quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) in the Western United States and a new tool for surveying sudden aspen decline. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-235. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 31 p.

Global Climate Change

Pacific Southwest Global Change - Learn about climate change research and related activities conducted by scientists at the PSW Research Station.
Scientists talking about climate change - Video topics emphasize information of interest to wildland managers and others who want an understanding of the interaction among climate change, forests, wildfire, water supplies, fish and wildlife, and associated values, and the implications for wildland management.
Pacific Southwest Research Station and Region 5 Sustainable Operations Survey Report - Read the results of our sustainable operations survey. Current participation in sustainable operations efforts and ideas for increasing success are presented. For more information contact Pat Winter pwinter@fs.fed.us.

PSW Station participates in MillionTreesLA initiative - The Pacific Southwest Research Station is pleased to be able to provide a simple tree selection tool to assist the City of Los Angeles in meeting their goal to plant a million trees. See how to pick a one-in-a-million tree! at our Center for Urban Forestry area. Also visit http://www.milliontreesla.org to learn more about the effort.