Science Centers and Work Units

The Southern Research Station spans the 13 southern states, from Virginia through the coastal plain to Florida, west to Texas, up to Kentucky, Arkansas, and Oklahoma through the central hardwoods region.  

This area includes longleaf pine forests, bottomland hardwoods, the southern Appalachians, and many other unique and diverse ecosystems. Millions of people make their homes on this land and rely on it for drinking water, forest resources, cultural values, and more.  

Our people and projects are organized into five Science Centers:  

• Forest Assessment and Synthesis  
• Forest Economics and Social Science
• Forest Health and Disturbance
• Forest Inventory and Analysis
• Forest Restoration and Management

Specific research activities are centered in our fifteen Research Work Units (RWUs). These units are located throughout the South, often near experimental forests or universities. Each RWU has a unique focus and a charter that guides the research conducted there.