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April 14, 2009, 10:57 AM ET
The Choice at U. of Rhode Island: Research Park or 'Century Forest'?
The Providence Journal reports that the University of Rhode Island is considering building a high-tech research park on land now occupied by a 100-year-old forest, much to the dismay of botanists, biologists, and other university researchers.
The forest, called the North Woods, is a living laboratory for university professors, who bring more than 1,200 students into the woods every year to teach courses like forest management. In the past century, the North Woods has survived hurricanes and avoided loggers’ axes, which is unusual in the area, the story says.
But it may not survive the university’s ambition. University administrators say that the forest land is an ideal location for the research park because of its proximity to other university institutes and colleges. “The only thing that really sells the research park at URI is it being integrated into the fabric of the university as close as possible,” Robert A. Weygand, the vice president for administration, told the Journal. “Even being moved just a little bit removes that intimacy.”
The story says that the dispute has been simmering behind the scenes for a year. Robert L. Carothers, the university’s president, will choose between the woods and the research park before he steps down on June 30.
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