Search

The article presents information on the criticism faced by Dean Hal Salwasser of the College of Forestry at Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis, Oregon, for his leadership during the controversy over research by graduate student Dan Donato and colleagues on the ecological effects of salvage logging. Salvage logging is the practice of removing timber after a major forest fire. The forest industry sees salvage logging as a good way to encourage regrowth and reduce fire risk. However, the paper found that the heavy equipment used to remove dead frees in one southern Oregon forest had killed seedlings and left woody debris that increased fire hazard. The paper attracted national attention when other OSU researchers claimed that the work was deeply flawed and asked the journal "Science," to delay its print publication. The conflagration exposed a deep divide between departments with different perspectives on forest management. Colleges of forestry, including OSU, have been historically dominated by departments that favor active management to increase harvests and spur regeneration after fires, including salvage logging. OSU derives 12% of its budget from taxes on the logging industry.

The article reports on the research conducted by Robert Dunn, Carlos Peres and colleagues on preserving the rainforests where Daniel Ludwig built his paper mill in Belgium. When Ludwig purchased the property in 1967, what he had in mind is to boost his revenue but due to the rising energy cost and business setback, the business failed. Such failure is a blessing to the science industry because it provided a chance for them to preserve and regenerate the forest that once lost. Researchers first look at the biodiversity of the secondary forests and assess the right place to regrow the forests and plantations.