
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, July 17, 1994                   TAG: 9407180135
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: F1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WESTVACO RESEARCHES ITS CONTRIBUTING ECOSYSTEM

Roger Sherman knows it may be hard for some environmentalists to swallow, but his company really does care about the birds and bees of the forest, the trees and streams and soil.

After all, Westvaco Corp.'s bottom line depends on maintaining healthy forests well into the future.

Last month, the papermaking giant dedicated an 8,430-acre chunk of woods in Randolph County, W.Va.. as a long-term research experiment. The forest is about 25 miles southwest of Elkins.

It's the first of its kind in the country, he said, because of its size and because it contains two entire watersheds and the upper reaches of a third. Although it has been logged, "It really hasn't been what you'd call disturbed land since the turn of the century," he said.

But more important is the approach to this particular forestry research program, Sherman said.

"This is real life. It's research in the context of commercial forestry," he said.

Westvaco will continue to harvest trees from the land and invite researchers to study the ecosystem's response. Those results will be shared with the public, he said.

Westvaco will spend $20,000 to gather initial or baseline information about the forest. The company also will provide researchers with computerized databases and housing. Although Westvaco will sponsor some of the actual research, Sherman said the company expects researchers to come to the projects with grants from other sources.

The company also plans to hire a full-time biologist this year to oversee the project, which will last a minimum of 10 years but could continue indefinitely if successful.

The research will be guided by a steering committee that includes representatives from The Nature Conservancy, The National Wild Turkey Federation, The National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, The Ruffed Grouse Society, Virginia Tech, West Virginia University, and the West Virginia Division of Wildlife Resources and Westvaco.

Ultimately, Westvaco will use the research to modify harvesting methods, if need be, to better protect the environment, Sherman said.

"There's a real tension out there today between forest practitioners and preservationists," he said. The Wildlife and Ecosystem Research Forest project can only help ease that tension, Sherman said.

by CNB