OSU and BLM burned.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Scientific studies regenerate quickly after a fire, Oregon State University and the Bureau of Land Management have learned.

Both organizations attempted to scorch a study of salvage logging and forest regrowth in the aftermath of the 2002 Biscuit fire in Southern Oregon, and in each case the study sprang back to life healthier than before. It was the BLM and OSU, not the salvage logging study, that suffered harm.

The study, by OSU graduate student Daniel Donato and five other scientists from the university and the U.S. Forest Service found that forests burned by the Biscuit fire were damaged by salvage logging operations, and that they were healthier and more fire-resistant if left to regenerate naturally.

This research contradicts earlier findings by faculty at OSU's College of Forestry. That research supported recommendations that salvage logging begin soon after a fire.

It also undercuts legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., that would expedite post-fire salvage logging.

Science, a leading scientific journal, agreed to publish a peer-reviewed article by Donato and his colleagues describing their research results. Ordinarily, a university would be thrilled that one of its graduate students had made the academic equivalent of the all-star team. But senior members of OSU's College of Forestry and several federal scientists urged Science not to publish the paper.

It looked as though the well-established proponents of orthodoxy were attempting to win the public debate over salvage logging not by presenting more persuasive scientific evidence, but by silencing a view to which they do not subscribe. The effort put OSU on the wrong side of the unending effort to ensure academic freedom and open inquiry. The college's dean got the school back on track by apologizing for the interference, and praised Donato for his achievement.

Next it was the BLM's turn. The agency yanked its funding for the final year of Donato's three-year research project, claiming that the Science article had violated protocols governing research programs. The article strayed into political territory by mentioning Walden's bill, was published without consultation with the BLM, and lacked a disclaimer noting that the findings did not represent the government's posi- tion.

The first two objections fell apart in short order. It was the editors at Science, not Donato and his colleagues, who had inserted the reference to Walden's bill - indeed, the editors had neglected to remove the reference after being asked by the authors to do so. OSU informed the BLM that consultation had in fact occurred. The lack of a disclaimer is the only objection left standing; OSU apologized for the omission.

As two out of three of the BLM's complaints crumbled, the agency found itself accused of attempting to politicize scientific research. OSU's provost and the president of the university's faculty senate issued a statement asking that the funding be restored and supporting scholars' freedom "to express themselves without feat of censorship."

Walden announced he would hold a congressional hearing on Donato's research. With his colleague Brian Baird, D-Wash., Walden warned that the funding freeze could "leave the impression of scientific censorship by the BLM."

The BLM reversed itself Wednesday, restoring $93,000 for the final year of research by Donato and his colleagues.

It's certain that Donato's study won't be the last word on the question of how salvage logging affects burned forests. Further research will yield other results at different times and in different types of forests. That's how science works - the slow accumulation of often-contradictory evidence leads toward a deeper understanding that usually does not conform to anyone's preconceived notions.

Both OSU and the BLM should have shown greater faith in that process. The university and the agency have corrected their mistakes, but it would have been more reassuring if both institutions had shown a greater commitment to scientific inquiry from the start.