well, there may be layers to this.. those PhDs are on the front line to make statements, but the driving force was policy. And that policy was in the original b

well, there may be layers to this.. those PhDs are on the front line to make statements, but the driving force was policy. And that policy was in the original bargain of USA forest lands, and that is that forests are primarily for timber harvesting, and also bring other benefits. You can see this for yourself by reading the laws and policy discussions that created the US National Forest system.