The (Riverside, CA) Press-Enterprise
October 20, 2005
Noted plant pathologist dies
PAUL R. MILLER:
The Inland researcher's work led to key findings of the effects of ozone on trees.
Nearly half a century ago, an enemy began slowly attacking the ponderosa and Jeffrey pine forests in Inland mountain ranges. It started with yellow mottling of the needles, gradual defoliation and sometimes led to death.
Some people suspected industrial emissions, but others thought the threat was air pollution in the Los Angeles basin. Scientist PaulR. Miller suspected the latter and led research teams for decades at Pacific Southwest Research Station in Riverside. The culprit they found: ozone.
Dr. Miller was a research plant pathologist in Riverside from 1966 until he retired in 1998. He died Oct. 12 at his Riverside home. He was 70.
His pioneering and far-reaching research proving that ozone was the main cause of forest dieback in California has been cited hundreds of times all over the world, said Andrzej Bytnerowicz, ecologist and senior scientist at the U.S. Forest Service's research station. Scientists like Bytnerowicz are looking at the potential toxic effects of other nitrogen compounds on forests.
Ozone is a lung-irritating gas that forms when pollution from cars, trucks, factories and many other sources react in warm weather. Dr. Miller worked closely with colleagues like the late Clif Taylor at UCR's Statewide Air Pollution Research Center.
Dr. Miller's fieldwork also involved plots of trees in the San Bernardino Mountains, a greenhouse in the San Jacinto Mountains, and for another study, the Sequoia National Forest.
Some experiments involved enclosing tree branches in chambers, to expose some to ambient air and some to air filtered by charcoal that removes ozone, Bytnerowicz explained by phone.
The ozone weakened the trees, making them more susceptible to bark-beetle attacks.
Dr. Miller's colleagues described him as humble and soft-spoken, but someone who spoke with authority and took a "holistic" look at forest health.
"He liked being in the forest. He didn't like going to meetings," Bytnerowicz said.
As a child, Dr. Miller's son, Chris Miller, sometimes accompanied his father on before-dawn treks into the forest.
"I can remember helping tag trees. I can remember being so tired from hiking," the son said by phone.
Dr. Miller received his doctorate in plant pathology from UC Berkeley, and bachelor's and master's degrees from Colorado State University. He was named outstanding scientist for the experiment station in 1986.
In addition to his son, his survivors include his wife, Frances; a daughter, Allyson; two grandchildren; and a sister, Muriel Bennett.
Services were Monday at St. Andrew's Newman Center in Riverside. Acheson & Graham Garden of Prayer Mortuary in Riverside handled arrangements.
Some people suspected industrial emissions, but others thought the threat was air pollution in the Los Angeles basin. Scientist PaulR. Miller suspected the latter and led research teams for decades at Pacific Southwest Research Station in Riverside. The culprit they found: ozone.
Dr. Miller was a research plant pathologist in Riverside from 1966 until he retired in 1998. He died Oct. 12 at his Riverside home. He was 70.
His pioneering and far-reaching research proving that ozone was the main cause of forest dieback in California has been cited hundreds of times all over the world, said Andrzej Bytnerowicz, ecologist and senior scientist at the U.S. Forest Service's research station. Scientists like Bytnerowicz are looking at the potential toxic effects of other nitrogen compounds on forests.
Ozone is a lung-irritating gas that forms when pollution from cars, trucks, factories and many other sources react in warm weather. Dr. Miller worked closely with colleagues like the late Clif Taylor at UCR's Statewide Air Pollution Research Center.
Dr. Miller's fieldwork also involved plots of trees in the San Bernardino Mountains, a greenhouse in the San Jacinto Mountains, and for another study, the Sequoia National Forest.
Some experiments involved enclosing tree branches in chambers, to expose some to ambient air and some to air filtered by charcoal that removes ozone, Bytnerowicz explained by phone.
The ozone weakened the trees, making them more susceptible to bark-beetle attacks.
Dr. Miller's colleagues described him as humble and soft-spoken, but someone who spoke with authority and took a "holistic" look at forest health.
"He liked being in the forest. He didn't like going to meetings," Bytnerowicz said.
As a child, Dr. Miller's son, Chris Miller, sometimes accompanied his father on before-dawn treks into the forest.
"I can remember helping tag trees. I can remember being so tired from hiking," the son said by phone.
Dr. Miller received his doctorate in plant pathology from UC Berkeley, and bachelor's and master's degrees from Colorado State University. He was named outstanding scientist for the experiment station in 1986.
In addition to his son, his survivors include his wife, Frances; a daughter, Allyson; two grandchildren; and a sister, Muriel Bennett.
Services were Monday at St. Andrew's Newman Center in Riverside. Acheson & Graham Garden of Prayer Mortuary in Riverside handled arrangements.
