Page 343 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE STORY

Fighting over Fire relative to unlogged sites (FIGURE 2).

and Forests The research team suggested that the
best strategy after fire may be to leave
the site alone and leave dead trees
It’s not often that a scientific paper
throws an entire college into turmoil standing, so that seedlings regenerate
and lands a graduate student in a safely.
Congressional hearing to face hostile These conclusions directly con-
questioning from federal lawmakers. OSU graduate student Daniel Donato tradicted what some OSU forestry
But such is the political sensitivity of testifies in a Congressional hearing professors had argued following the
salvage logging. 2002 fire. When they learned that
When a fire burns a forest, should other OSU researchers were setting the prestigious journal Science had
the killed trees be cut and sold for up research plots in areas burned by accepted the Donato team’s paper
timber? Proponents of salvage logging the Biscuit Fire to test whether salvage for publication, they took the unusual
say yes: we should not let economically logging really does reduce fire risk step of asking the journal’s editors to
valuable wood go to waste. Oppo- and help seedlings regenerate. They reconsider their decision. Claiming that
nents of salvage logging counter that measured seedling growth and survival Science’s peer review process had
the burned wood is more valuable left and the amount of woody debris in a failed, Professor John Sessions and
in place—for erosion control, wildlife number of study plots on burned land others tried through back channels to
habitat (snags provide holes for cavity- before (2004) and after (2005) salvage
dwelling animals and food for insects logging took place and on burned land
and birds), and organic material to that was not logged. 1200
enhance the soil and nurse future trees. The researchers found that conifer
Proponents of salvage logging seedlings sprouted naturally in the
argue that forests regenerate best after burned areas at densities exceed- 800
a fire if they are logged and replanted ing what foresters aim for when they Conifer regeneration (seedlings/ha)
with seedlings. Moreover, they main- replant sites manually. This suggested
tain, salvage logging reduces fire risk that manual planting of seedlings may 400
by removing woody debris that could be unnecessary. In contrast, natural
fuel the next fire. When the Biscuit Fire seedling densities in logged areas
consumed 200,000 ha (500,000 acres) were only 29% as high (FIGURE 1). This 0 Burned Burned &
in Oregon in 2002, foresters from the indicated that salvage logging was only logged
College of Forestry at Oregon State hindering seedling survival, presumably FIGURE 1 Natural growth of conifer seed-
University (OSU) made these argu- because logging disturbs the soil and lings was lower in areas that underwent
ments in support of plans to log por- crushes many seedlings. salvage logging. Data from Donato, D.C., et al.,
tions of the burned area. Donato’s team also found that 2006. Post-wildfire logging hinders regeneration
Meanwhile, OSU forestry gradu- salvage logging more than tripled the and increases fire risk. Science 311: 352, Fig 1A.
ate student Daniel Donato and five amount of woody debris on the ground Reprinted with permission from AAAS.

new Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument des- but managers increasingly consider non-game species, work
ignated in 2009 that stretches northwest from Hawaii. There at the habitat and ecosystem levels, and restore marshes and
are wildlife refuges within an easy drive of nearly every major grasslands.
American city.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the Wilderness areas are established
national wildlife refuges, which serve as havens for wildlife on federal lands
but also in many cases encourage hunting, fishing, wildlife
observation, photography, environmental education, and other In response to the public’s desire for undeveloped areas of
public uses. Some wildlife advocates find it ironic that hunting land, in 1964 the U.S. Congress passed the Wilderness Act,
is allowed at many refuges, but hunters have long been in the which allowed some areas of existing federal lands to be
forefront of the conservation movement and have traditionally designated as wilderness areas. These areas are off-limits to
supplied the bulk of funding for land acquisition and habi- development but are open to hiking, nature study, and other
342 tat management. Many refuges are managed for waterfowl, low-impact public recreation (FIGURE 12.22).

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