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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2006)
16 APRIL 13, 2006 LESLIE ADAMS seemed more about academic freedom and conflicts of interest at the CoF than on post- fire logging in the Siskiyous. “These people have inserted themselves into the editorial process at a journal, and that is unacceptable,” said CoF emeritus professor Robert Beschta, a forest hydrologist. “I was dumbfounded when I found out what was going on.” “In general, we are a very professional and civil group, but the way this has played out has been very unprofessional,” said CoF asso- ciate professor Beverly Law, the senior author of Donato’s report. “The internal environment has not been healthy, and it may need some time to repair.” On Feb. 24, Walden held a congressional hearing in Medford to review the Donato report. FERRA co-sponsor Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) was particularly aggressive, chal- lenging Donato’s academic integrity as much as his scientific methods. But Salwasser had his own turn to sweat on April 7, when state Sens. Charlie Ringo and Frank Shields held a hearing in Salem to examine questions of aca- demic freedom at CoF. “The flap over the Dan Donato paper highlights how close the college works with the industry,” Ringo said. “In many ways, [the college] seems designed to carry out the wish- es of the industry in a way that I think is unhealthy.” Salwasser made a public apology for allowing Sessions and his colleagues to send the incendiary letter to Science. He said he’s now concerned that the controversy over the Donato paper could hurt the CoF’s reputation. “Looking back, I had no idea this thing was gonna blow up the way it did. I thought I A Douglas fir seedling grows in the post-fire forest. was just doing a little bit of coaching,” Salwasser said. “The issue up until that point was a matter of difference of scientific method and interpretation, and all of a sudden it became an issue of infringing on academ- ic freedom. It should not have gotten to that.” The tipping point The national debate over post-disturbance forest management is in volatile limbo, with political weight in Sessions’ corner and scien- tific momentum in Donato’s. In the short term, the Battle of Biscuit may be decided by the fate of FERRA. DeFazio recently pro- posed an amendment that would restrict the bill’s reach and require the Forest Service to craft action plans under the regular NEPA process before natural disturbances occur. DeFazio expects FERRA to pass in the House “like a hot knife through butter,” but FSEEE Director Stahl thinks the Donato report scandal has tarnished the bill’s chances. “I have never seen a legislative campaign shoot itself in the foot as often as the Walden bill has done,” Stahl said. “By all rights, it should have sailed through Congress by now, but it’s in desperate waters. It’s because these idiots tried to shoot the messenger, and every- body said, ‘What do they have to hide?’ What they have to hide is that forests can take care of themselves. Forests don’t need managers.” Meanwhile, the Forest Service has pro- posed upcoming timber sales in the roadless forests around the Siskiyou’s Klamath Wilderness, marking the agency’s first attempt to log in a federal roadless area. Gov. Ted Kulongoski protested the move, asking the agency to postpone sales until he can peti- tion to permanently protect Oregon’s 1.9 bil- lion roadless acres. Oregon has joined seven other states in a lawsuit challenging the Bush administration’s repeal of the Clinton-era Roadless Rule, which protected roadless fed- eral lands from logging. In the longer term, the winning perspec- tive on post-fire logging may emerge in the pages of journals such as Science. If history is any example, paradigm shifts begin with sci- entists and scholars, then trickle down through their students. Then the tide of public understanding changes, and that shift is reflected in the halls of Congress. The stakes on FERRA are higher than Biscuit — hotter, faster, bigger. The stakes are no less than all of America’s old and roadless federal forests, which will likely be hit with more and bigger fires, floods, storms, ava- lanches, mudslides, droughts and infestations as global warming reshuffles our climatic deck. It’s open season on America’s old and roadless forests. And everybody wants a piece. ew The Oxygen Collective, a group opposing the post- Biscuit Fire logging plan, will offer a free multi-media presentation reviewing the ongoing Biscuit saga at 7 pm on April 17 at 100 Willamette Hall on the UO campus.
