Felling salvage myths.

Byline: The Register-Guard

A new study by Oregon State University researchers raises serious questions about the federal government's policies on salvage logging and reforestation.

The study, which focused on logging in the wake of southwest Oregon's monster 2002 Biscuit Fire, concluded that burned-over forests can recover, at least in the critical first few years, as well or better than those that are logged and replanted.

It also said salvage logging can actually increase, rather than decrease, fire danger.

The findings undermine the U.S. Forest Service's rationale for its plan to salvage and reforest thousands of acres burned by the Biscuit fire. And they buttress the arguments of environmental groups that tried mightily, but ultimately failed, to block the government's salvage plan.

The study should also give members of Congress reason for skepticism this year as they consider bills introduced in the House and Senate by Congressman Greg Walden, R.-Ore., and Sen. Gordon Smith, R.-Ore. The pro-timber industry legislation would significantly accelerate salvage logging and reforestation after fires, and it would weaken public participation and oversight over forest-recovery projects. Both bills are based in part on the long-accepted premise that salvage logging enhances forest recovery and reduces the risk of future fires.

Researchers examined five sections of forest that had been severely burned by the Biscuit fire. They found that a surprisingly high number of seedlings - an average of 300 per acre and the bulk of them Douglas fir - grew back without any logging or reforestation.

In areas that were salvaged, researchers found that damage from logging killed more than 70 percent of naturally regenerated seedlings. In addition, the branches and other debris left over from logging created conditions conducive to future forest fires. While a third of areas logged in the salvage effort will eventually be burned under controlled conditions to eliminate such debris and reduce fire danger, scientists cautioned that such burning could cause additional damage to both seedlings and soil.

The study rightly notes that salvage logging can produce significant economic and social benefits, factors that should certainly be taken into account when the government decides what to do with burned forests. Not only can salvage produce jobs and wood products, it can also provide funding for fire-recovery projects such as hillside stabilization and watershed restoration.

The study also draws no thumbs-up or thumbs-down conclusions on the Biscuit salvage plan or salvage logging in general. Industry critics justifiably point out that the study was limited in scope and included only a single year's worth of data.

Yet the study's significance must not be overlooked. Its findings validate critics of the Forest Service's Biscuit salvage program, including those who argued that salvage efforts were appropriate for lands already designated for logging but not in environmentally fragile old growth reserves and roadless areas.

Finally, the study raises serious doubts about the Walden and Smith proposals, which overstate the benefits of salvage logging and vastly underestimate the recuperative powers of Mother Nature.