On behalf of the society that represents Utah's professional foresters, I am writing to express deep concern about a proposal by the USDA Forest Service that could have highly detrimental consequences for our state's forests.
In response to the president's proposed 2003 budget, the Rocky Mountain Research Station has proposed closing the station's Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Logan and to terminate the laboratory's work on forest insects, diseases and mine land reclamation.
We in the Utah Chapter of the Society of American Foresters believe this decision is shortsighted. Not only will it divert $879,000 that currently helps to maintain and stimulate the state's economy, but even more importantly it will curtail important research into two of the most serious issues affecting the health of Utah forests: bark beetle infestations and aspen decline.
This is an issue that affects private and state as well as federal forests. In fact, the Utah Forest Landowner Education Program at Utah State University reports that the two most commonly asked questions by Utah forest landowners are: How can we keep our aspen from disappearing? And what can be done about the massive bark beetle infestations sweeping across the state?
The scientists and research technicians at the Logan lab have been working directly to find answers to these questions. If the Forest Service no longer studies these problems, and the health of our aspen and conifer forests continues to deteriorate, there can be negative consequences to Utah's tourism and forest products economies that go far beyond the immediate loss of jobs in Cache Valley.
By closing laboratories such as the one in Logan — and ending the research those labs have pursued for years — the Forest Service hopes to divert funds to new projects including a major expansion of its Forest Inventory and Analysis monitoring effort.
We in the Utah Chapter of SAF strongly support this needed expansion. However, we do not believe it should come at the expense of important research that directly affects the people and forests of Utah — in fact, we find it ironic that the Forest Service would improve its ability to recognize and monitor the extent of forest health problems but debilitate its ability to find new ways to address those problems. Surely we must find a way to do both.
Mark W. Brunson is chairman of the Utah Chapter, Society of American Foresters.