School officials would not say how much money could be generated through the plan, however, marketing and communications director Betty Van Iersel said finance would not be the driving force behind the decision. Opponents have called any earnings paltry when compared to the value of a healthy forest. It's my opinion, and the opinion of some of us, that it is too great an expense for the diminution of the forest. School officials say the management plan should help the forest flourish, which is in line with its tradition of protecting its lands. The school's first sanctuary was established in 1958 and the most recent in 1993.
Officials consider any proposal to be a means to further their protection initiatives.
James Murray, a professor emeritus of biology at the University of Virginia, said the method is flawed. When you cut, you leave so much of the branches and tops exposed and it increases the load of burnable material. It applies to less extensive cutting also. The current proposal includes no plans for clear-cutting and the current administration has expressed a desire never to do so. Within the last 10 years, the college has also done cutting similar to the thinning Goodall has proposed.