BIAŁOWIEŻA, POLAND …Białowieża (pronounced be-ah-wo-VE-zha) is the gateway to Europe’s most primeval forest, famous for its giant oaks, wild bison, wolves, and woodpeckers. The town is also the center of a battle about the future of the forest—a conflict that has sharply divided Poland and pitted foresters against ecologists and other researchers. …State Forests, the government organization that manages most Polish forests, claims that Białowieża Forest is in jeopardy from an outbreak of the spruce bark beetle, a voracious insect that kills weak spruce trees. It says logging is the only way to stop the threat. …Environmental groups and many ecologists say the ministry’s cure is far worse than the disease, and that nothing less than the future of Europe’s last ancient wilderness is at stake.