To the Editor:

I have been uninvolved in the Wallowa-Whitman Forest Service Plan except for attending a couple meetings to find out about protection of the watershed. But, I consider myself a user of the forest and I am aware of benefits I receive even though I am not a cattle rancher, wood gatherer, or four wheeler.

No, I have not read the Forest Service Plan and I suspect there is a lot in it that I would not understand, because I have not studied forest science except for one college course in Botany. So there are things that I think the Chieftain could do that would give me the understanding that I, as a layman, need.

The recent Chieftain article tells me that there are controversial parts in this plan. What are those parts and why are they controversial? Why are Bruce Dunn and Susan Roberts opposed to them? What is the scientific reasoning behind the Forest Service planning? Why does Paul Castilleja not trust the data? What are his qualifications in data analysis or forest science? The Chieftain could provide a service for its readers by taking each controversial section of the Forest Plan, print the section and explain the reasoning of both the plan writers and the opposers.

I have not been directly involved, but I realize the plan’s importance. We must have clean water from our watershed, and the living organisms of the earth need oxygen and sustenance from the forests. The forest floor must be managed to prevent forest fires. Well managed logging practices provide jobs. To be responsible citizens and forest users, we residents of Wallowa County need to know what the heck is going on. The Chieftain can make that happen.

Evelyn Swart

Joseph