ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES in rocky mountain coniferous ...

WELCOME ADDRESS
Welcome to the University of Montana and the School of Forestry. The symposium will
examine critically a number of systems that together make up the Rocky Mountain
Coniferous Forests. A university setting is the ideal one for such a symposium, and,
though biased, I believe the School of Forestry and the environs of Missoula add to
that ideal. If we can do something to make your participation more productive,
please call on us,
Over half a century ago, Alfred I-otka gave us the ultimate in abstraction of environ-
mental systems. In his book, "Elements of Mathematical Biology," he developed the
idea of a system of differentia1 equations to describe environmental systems. He
perceived in an a1 1 -incl usive way the mu1 ti tude of interconnected and interacting
forces among a1 1 1 iving organisms and their environments.
Nicholas Rashevsky, another mathematician with a biological bent, examined a similar
system of differential equations and extended the work of Lotka. Rashevsky's analysis
of the system of equations led him to conclude that if rates of change in a system
are a1 tered to rates abnormal to the system, then it cannot be predicted what the
future state of the system will be.
The work to be reported here is largely an effort to find out what the rates of
change are in the system we call the Rocky Mountain Coniferous Forest. Also to be
reported are the perceived limits on the alteration of normal rates that can be
induced without throwing the system into an undesirable state. Viewed from that
perspective, the organizational genius of Roland Barger and his comnittee comes to
light. A very productive period lies ahead. I hope your sense of anticipation is as
keen as mine.
BENJAMIN B. STOUT
Dean, School of Forestry
University of Montana
Mi ssoul a, Montana