Portland, Oregon The Oregonian/OregonLive

Public Letters & Editorials: 1982 - 2011

By Dr. Bob Zybach

These are not the only Letters to Editors and Editorials I have published in The Oregonian through the years, but they are the only ones I have been able to locate at this time and that have a professional basis. In recent years, since about 2005, I have posted most of my public opinions on blogs, rather than in newspapers; but a number of my Oregonian editorials have also been published on the newspaper's blog, OregonLive, beginning in 2001. A key value of a blog posting is the immediate dialogue it can produce; a disadvantage is the ephemeral nature of online discussions and occasional rude behavior of anonymous trolls, irrelevant interjections of partisan politics, and other distractions. Some of the OregoLive blog posting are also included below because of the discussion they initiated, or because I don't have a print newspaper copy available at this time.

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Date
Title & Publication
Topic & Setting
May, 1982 "Sell Public Land," Letters to the Editor, The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon. Argument for privatizing federal lands in the western US to improve management and local benefits.
  June 2, 1985 "A Word for Hardwood," Letters to the Editor, The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon. Promotion of greater use of native harwood species in forest management.
1987 "Babe in the Woods," Letters, Northwest Magazine, Sunday Oregonian, Portland, Oregon. Discussion with a lepidopterist who had written a book about forest ecology in SW Washington.
  December 5, 1988 "Reintroducing Burning," Letters to the Editor, The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon. Discussion of value related to reintroduction of broadcast burning practices in forestlands, similar to Indian burning practices of early historical time.
  August 1, 2001 "Fire on Bluff Provides Opportunity," Letters to the Editor, The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon. A widlfire along the bluff in North Portland threatened homes and residents. Presented opportunity for better vegetation management by City and local residents in future.
July 29, 2002 "Clearcutting and Fire: We Need to Know More About the Historical Link Between Logging Practices and Catastrophic Forest Blazes," Commentary, The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon. [PDF_1_MB] Guest "Commentary" editorial in response to July 24, 2002 front page article and related guest column in The Oregonian.
  December 31, 2002 "Don't Rely on Forest 'Finding,'" Letters to the Editor, The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon.  
June 25, 2008 "State Mission: Plug $238 Million Hole," Letters to the Editor, The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon. [PDF_1_MB] Argument for active management of federal forests in Oregon to provide needed jobs to rural communities and needed revenues to Oregon schools -- and needed improvements to forest conditions.
September 14, 2009 "The Real Cost of Forest Fires: Burning Up More Than Oregon's Trees," In My Opinion, The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon: A-9. [PDF_1_MB] This editorial was printed in both The Oregonian newspaper and in the OregonLive blog. Based on a wildfire economics study I coauthored regarding comprehensive damage considerations.
  December 19, 2009 "The Start of What," OregonLive Opinion, Portland, Oregon.  
September 24, 2011 "Dollar Lake: Understanding the Full Costs of Wildfire," Guest Colunist, OregonLive, Portland, Oregon. [PDF_1_MB] This editorial was posted online in the OregonLive blog as a "Guest Columnist," but it is unknown if it was also published in the print edition of The Oregonian. Referenced earlier Oregonian/OregonLive editorial.

More Editorials by Dr. Zybach

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