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Last December, Oregon State University forest scientist Dan Donato prepared an article for publication in Science indicating that the practice of forest recovery was not really a help to nature, and immediately found himself at the center of a heated debate.
It sounds like common sense: After a blaze razes a stretch of wooded area, why not clear out any remaining trees and replant new ones? This way, the timber industry picks up a tidy profit from everything left standing, and the forest seemingly gets to start with a green bill of health.
[However, according] to Donato's research, clumps of healthy trees left after forest fires are 70% more effective at reseeding surrounding areas than humans are. Further, harvesting burnt trees leaves lots of scrap twigs and broken branches behind—an ideal kindling for yet another fire.
