Another building block.

Byline: The Register-Guard

This is the way science is supposed to work: One building block of knowledge followed by another, creating a foundation that leads to deeper understanding and ever more scientific inquiry.

A new study by Oregon State University scientists indicates many forests burned in wildfires will grow back on their own without salvage logging and replanting. The findings echo some of the conclusions of a study published last year by OSU graduate student Daniel Donato and other researchers. But the new study examined a broader geographic region and longer time span than the Donato study, which was limited to a relatively small region burned in the 2002 Biscuit Fire.

Block upon block. Evidence added to evidence. Old contradictions and questions resolved and replaced by new ones. The inexorable pro- gress of sound science.

But when Donato issued his peer-reviewed study last year, the response was anything but one of earnest scientific inquiry. Furious that the research contradicted earlier findings by faculty at OSU's College of Forestry, some professors urged the prestigious journal Science not to publish the paper. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management yanked funding for the study. Donato was even summoned before a congressional committee and grilled by lawmakers who accused him of bias and questioned his ability.

Now, a new OSU study has added significant new information to the findings of Donato and those of other post-fire ecology researchers across the world. The study says natural regeneration may take longer in some burned areas and produce different mixes of trees, but it counters traditional assumptions that fast-growing brush blocks the return of forests for decades in the absence of logging and replanting.

It also says forests that grow back on their own produce a more natural diversity of plant species and wildlife habitat.

At the same time, the new study found competition and shade from brush can slow the growth of tree seedlings. While nature provides many opportunities for forests to regenerate, the results tend to be unpredictable and varied.

The emerging picture, one that should be sharpened and clarified by future studies, seems to be that neither natural regeneration nor logging and planting should be viewed as a "one-size-fits-all" solution for burned forests. In areas already earmarked for logging, it may make more sense to log and replant. In environmentally roadless areas, it's probably best to let forests regenerate on their own, as they have for millions of years.

One thing is certain: Just as Donato's study wasn't the last word on post-fire management, neither is the new OSU study. The future surely will bring new findings and more and better information on which to base decisions.

That's how science is supposed to work.