American timber company Boise Cascade is to commission a scientific review to assess the effects of its salvage harvesting and replanting on forest health.
The company made the commitment after meeting with environmental group the Rainforest Action Network.
Boise chairman and chief executive officer Tom Stephens said there was a need for more facts about how forest health was affected by removal of dead trees from wildfires.
He said: “Utilising salvage logging to help restore burned and diseased forests is an area Boise and some environmental groups have differing opinions about.
“We believe a study by technical forest experts will give us the quantified science we need to improve our ability to make responsible purchase decisions.”
Environmental groups have filed lawsuits against Boise in a bid to thwart two of the company’s salvage harvesting operations.
