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Orians EcologicalEffectsWar 1970
Orians EcologicalEffectsWar 1970
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American Association for the Advancement of Science is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize,
preserve and extend access to Science
data upon which to predict the effects Sources of Information tent of herbicide damage to rubber
of such use. However, J. S. Foster, Di- trees on one of their plantations.
rector of Defense Research and Engi- We gathered information and im- The Faculty of Science, University
neering, Department of Defense, has pressions from interviews with military of Saigon, and government agencies
stated that the Department of Defense personnel involved with both field op- concerned with plants and animals,
would not use these chemicals if it erations and policy decisions. We trav- such as Ministries of Fisheries, Fores-
judged that seriously adverse ecologi- eled by helicopter over areas damagedtry, and Agriculture, are staffed with
cal consequences would occur. The by B-52 bombing raids, and we flew onbiologists trained primarily in France
basis upon which this judgment was spray missions with the C-123 aircraftand the United States. These people
made is not clear in view of the fact which have been modified for spray ap-are knowledgeable and concerned about
that the report of the Midwest Re- plication. We were also able to take athe ecological effects of the war in
search Institute (sponsored by the De- 2-hour, 40-minute (104 kilometers) their country. By means of interviews
partment of Defense) on the ecological trip by Navy patrol boat through the with them we were able to assess their
effects of herbicides (1) points out that Rung Sat Special Zone, an extensive re-concerns, find out what kinds of stud-
predictions based on civilian uses are gion of mangroves on the Nha Be Riv- ies have been initiated, explore ways of
not valid. This is because the military er, which has been heavily defoliated.helping them launch future studies, and
application of herbicides in Vietnam is The main shipping channel to Saigonto gather information they had collected
carried out under conditions that are passes through the area and widespreadwhich was relevant to our mission.
defoliation has been used to reduce the
not comparable to the civilian situation. Wartime conditions prevented us
incidence
Recognizing that there were no data of rocket and mortar attacks from making ground observations in
on vessels coming up the river. We are
on the ecological effects of the military heavily defoliated forests, but we were
use of herbicides in Vietnam, the De- grateful to the U.S. Embassy, Army, able to discuss damage with B. R.
partment of State sent F. H. Tschirley, Navy, and Air Force, the Rubber Re- Flamm, Chief, Forestry Branch, U.S.
Agency for International Development,
a U.S. Department of Agriculture plant search Institute of Vietnam, Plantations
ecologist, to Vietnam in March 1968, Michelin, and the many Vietnamese Saigon, and to examine photographs he
to make a 30-day assessment of the biologists, both in governmental and took inside forests receiving one and
ecological effects of defoliation. His re-nongovernmental positions in their two applications of defoliants. In ad-
port (2) indicates that the defoliationcountry, for their cooperation and hos- dition, one of us (G.H.O.) visited some
program is having a profound effect onpitality. All information which we re- of the sites in Puerto Rico, which have
plant life in Vietnam. He was, however,quested from the Department of De-been used to test defoliants under trop-
unable to get first-hand data on many fense that did not carry a security ical conditions, in April 1969, for a
aspects of the problem, including ef- classification was made available to us. closer look at vegetation recovery and
Dr. Orians is with the department of zoology Because rubber plantations are one animal populations.
at the University of Washington, Seattle, and Because previous work on the ef-
Dr. Pfeiffer is with the department of zoology
of the most important sources of for-
at the University of Montana, Missoula. eign capital in Vietnam and since the fects of defoliation in the field have
544 SCIENCE, VOL. 168
detection equipment that might help Purple n-Butyl ester 2,4-D 50 4.2 General defoliation
to reduce this damage. n-Butyl ester 2,4,5-T 30 2.2 agent used inter-
Isobutyl ester 2,4,5-T 20 1.5 changeably with
A variety of herbicides, including agent Orange
picloram, bromacil, isopropylamine,White Triisopropanolamine Forest defoliation
prometone, dicamba, divron, and fenac salt, 2,4-D 2.0 6 where longer term
have been tested for their effects under Triisopropanolamine control is desired
salt, picloram 0.54 1.5 0.5-2
tropical conditions in Puerto Rico since
Blue Sodium cacodylate 27.7) .1 93 Rapid short-term
1962 (7). The plots visited in April Free cacodylic acid 4.8 5 defoliation. Good
1969 were located at an elevation of Water, sodium chloride for grass control
balance and use on rice
540 meters in the Luquillo Experi-
1 MAY 1970
547
PLANTATION de DAUTIENG
scale: 62,500
m&~ ( ~ TARGET V
^ \^ GRUBBER DAMAGED ^ PLANTATION de DAUTIENG
lit &::*:* : RUBBER KILLED
Fig. 3 (left). Target area and areas of rubber trees on Plantation de Dautieng affected by defoliation in February 1965, as
indicated by Plantations Michelin. Wind direction is indicated by arrows. Fig. 4 (right). Target area and areas of rubber
trees on Plantation de Dautieng affected by defoliation in December 1966, as indicated by Plantations Michelin. Wind direction
is indicated by arrows.
550 SCIENCE, VOL. 168
Miscellaneous Effects