Overview

Research has been part of the Forest Service mission since the agency’s inception in 1905. The Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) is an integral component of USDA Forest Service Research and Development (R&D). 

RMRS researchers work in a range of biological, physical and social science fields to promote sustainable management of the Nation's diverse forests and rangelands. The Station develops and delivers scientific knowledge and innovative technologies with a focus on informing policy and land-management decisions. Our researchers work in collaboration with a range of partners, including other agencies, academia, nonprofit groups, and industry. The Rocky Mountain Research Station serves the Forest Service as well as other federal and state agencies, international organizations, Tribes, academia, non-profit groups and the public.

RMRS maintains 14 research laboratories throughout a 12-state territory encompassing the Great Basin, Southwest, Rocky Mountains, and parts of the Great Plains. The Station employs over 400 permanent full-time employees, including roughly 100 research scientists. Our research spans from local to global. The RMRS footprint includes four Forest Service Regions: Northern Region, Rocky Mountain Region, Southwest Region, and Intermountain Region. 

We also oversee activities on several hundred Research Natural Areas, a network of ecosystems set aside to conserve biological diversity. These areas represent a wide variety of habitats and ecosystems from alpine ecosystems to lowlands; and from coniferous forests of the Northern Rockies to semiarid deserts of the Southwest and prairie ecosystems of the Great Plains.