Biscuit fire salvage will harm forest

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original

September 24, 2004

Guest Viewpoint: Biscuit fire salvage will harm forest

By James Strittholt
and Dominick DellaSala

As scientists with extensive experience in forest ecology and direct knowledge of the Siskiyou region both before and after the Biscuit fire, we are troubled by the misrepresentation of science by Sen. Gordon Smith(R) in his Sept. 19 guest viewpoint.

The senator proposes legislation that would mandate widespread salvage logging and tree planting on the Biscuit. We believe this bill would forever change a landscape considered to be the Yellowstone of the West Coast.

The Biscuit fire burned through the Siskiyou Wild Rivers area of Southwest Oregon, home to an astonishing array of rare plants, wild salmon and the largest expanse of unprotected roadless areas along the Pacific Coast. For thousands of years, fire has shaped the region's unique ecology.
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Let's be clear: No scientific evidence supports the position that salvage logging benefits forest ecosystem health. In fact, existing studies show that such activities virtually always damage recovering soils, native plants and salmon. Salvage has everything to do with economics for a few, and little or nothing to do with forest health.
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Our duty is not to streamline the system so a few profit from wildfire, as the senator proposes. Our duty is to ensure the long-term sustainability and health of Oregon forests guided by sound science.

more at original
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James Strittholt, Ph.D., is founder and executive director of the Conservation Biology Institute in Corvallis. Dominick DellaSala, Ph.D., is a forest ecologist and director for World Wildlife Fund's Klamath-Siskiyou Program. Both have studied the Biscuit fire region for many years.

Copyright 2004 The Register-Guard

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