Over its long history, the collection of now more than 80 Forest Service
Experimental Forests and Ranges (EFRs) has produced studies involving several EFRs
and also participated in other monitoring and research networks. This legacy of networked
science involving EFRs has included participation in environmental monitoring
networks, cross-site experiments and syntheses, and multiagency research communities,
such as National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)
Network. Participation in these networks has produced significant benefits, but has been
limited to a small number of EFR sites and Forest Service scientists. A culture of idea
and data sharing is a necessary, but not sufficient, ingredient for fostering a highlyfunctional,
well-integrated EFR Network. Additional requirements include sustained
leadership and technical, financial, and administrative support for network scientific
activities. Some of the EFRs have
high quality records of climate, hydrology, vegetation,
and biogeochemistry spanning many decades, providing a rare opportunity to examine
effects of environmental change on vital ecological services. Several pioneering syntheses
on topics such as climate, streamflow, and streamwater chemistry have come from
EFR and allied environmental research networks, and demonstrate the potential contributions
of these networks for fruitful scientific work of importance to society.
Keywords Research network · Environmental monitoring network · Research
syntheses · Cross-site experiments · Data sharing