Friday, August 25, 2006 (SF Chronicle)
Paul Zinke -- Cal professor, forest soils expert
Glen Martin, Chronicle Staff Writer


   Paul Zinke, a popular professor emeritus of environmental science at UC
Berkeley and an authority on forest soils, died in Oakland last Friday. He
was 85.
   Dr. Zinke specialized in analyzing and mapping soils and the various types
of forest vegetation they support. His work was global in scope.
   He received wide academic recognition for his work in Thailand, where he
found farmers burned one slope of their fields a year to replenish the
thin mountain soils. As part of a National Academy of Sciences team he
assessed the ecological effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam. He also
participated in the first radar mapping of forest types in the Amazon
Basin and researched native plants of Greece and Italy.
   Dr. Zinke also did seminal work on carbon sequestration in soils -- a
field of increasing interest and importance, because the ability to seal
up carbon emissions could limit the impact of global warming.
   Greg Biging, the associate dean of forestry and cooperative extension at
the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley, described Dr. Zinke as a
great instructor and a true Renaissance man, fluent in Italian and
proficient in reading several other languages.
   "He knew much more than his own field, which is something of a rarity
these days," said Biging.
   "He read widely in my field (of) forest biometrics. Once, he handed me a
journal article about biometrics and told me I should read it. I said,
'But Paul, it's in Japanese.' And he said, 'Oh, you should really learn to
read Japanese,' " Biging said.
   Al Stangenberger, a retired UC lecturer on forest soils, said Dr. Zinke's
findings on soil carbon storage were among the most significant in the
field.
   But the American West was perhaps central to his research and career --
and his heart. He mapped and defined the relationship between soils and
vegetation in forest systems across the West, including California.
   Redwood forests were a particular interest. In 1966, Dr. Zinke was
involved in a redwood ecology project that included research on how the
huge trees transported nutrients and water up vertical gradients exceeding
300 feet. As part of his work, he measured most of the north state's
tallest redwoods -- including the tallest known trees at the time.
   "He was very innovative in his methods," said his son Michael Zinke. "I
remember he was using helium balloons in his measurements."
   Dr. Zinke, who earned a degree in forestry and a doctorate in silviculture
at UC Berkeley, became one of his alma mater's most popular lecturers when
he began teaching there in 1957.
   His introductory forestry course was so esteemed by undergraduates that it
required one of the university's largest lecture halls. Sometimes 500
students enrolled in the course. In 1959, only two years after joining the
faculty, he received the university's Distinguished Teaching Award.
   Dr. Zinke once said he learned to teach by being a student.
   "I was a student here once, and I knew what I liked and didn't like as a
student," he said. "The only reason we're here is because of the
students."
   Dr. Zinke, who was born in Los Angeles in 1920, served in World War II
with the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division in Italy. As part of a
reconnaissance and mapping unit, he sometimes skied or hiked between
advancing American forces and retreating German troops to gather
intelligence.
   His enlistment in the 10th Mountain Division was congruent with a lifelong
love of the outdoors, his son said.
   Zinke is survived by his wife, Mardell; sons Michael and Richard;
daughters-in-law Sharon and Yukiko; grandchildren Daniel, Kaori and
Rebecca; and a brother, Roger Robinson. No memorial service is planned,
though the university may announce a memorial at a later date.

Copyright 2006 SF Chronicle

The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/08/25/BAGGHKP0FL1.DTL