Linking invasive species research with societal needs: Caring for the land and serving the people

The Bureau of Forestry, renamed the U.S. Forest Service in 1905, was created to manage public lands in national forests and grasslands "to provide the greatest good for the greatest number in the long run" (Gifford Pinchot). Research responsibilities were included in the agency’s original mission. Our link with the >77 million hectares of national forests and grasslands is unique among research organizations and prioritizes our research goals on assisting managers in making decisions about managing to meet diverse demands in a way that sustains forests and rangelands for future generations. Like all science programs, we face the challenge of informing debates without engaging in advocacy, which is sometimes a difficult task because we care deeply about the land and about using the best science to make decisions. Research is often driven by the needs of land managers and policy makers and can contribute to societal outcomes through influence on federal policies, national and regional priorities, and local land management activities. In the invasive species realm, concerns raised by ranchers, managers, scientists and others led to the issuance of Executive Order 13112 in 1999, which required federal agencies to among other things conduct research on prevention and remediation technologies against invasive species. In keeping with the intent of this executive order, invasive species are now recognized as one of four major threats to Forest Service lands, and national and station-level strategic plans have been developed for invasive species research. Research results and synthesis of information often inspire other researchers and inform land management decisions at local levels as well. In this manner, research addresses societal needs by developing studies to address priority knowledge gaps of users, and often informs policy development, national and regional research and management priorities, and local land management guidelines.