Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Forest Photos Belie Growth, Official Says

U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Robertson said satellite photos of the Pacific Northwest give a false impression that no new trees are growing in clear-cut areas. A National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientist defended the photos, saying there is minimal vegetation in the American forests, and environmentalists said the new trees bear no similarity to the old ones removed. Compton Tucker of NASA started the controversy when he said scientists at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland had found the Northwestern forests to be in much worse condition that Brazil’s rain forests.