Planning for Priority Species and Vegetation: Health Assessment

1. Planning for Priority Species and Vegetation: Health Assessment A Systematic Framework to Plan for Biological Resources In the BLM’s Land Use Planning Process March 26, 2010

2. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION BLM LEARNING NETWORK How does it work? SYSTEMATIC FRAMEWORK Species / Vegetation Health Assessing Effects Develop Strategies Monitoring Plans 2

3. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION On – Site Training CORE CONCEPTS • Identify priority species and vegetation • Assess health • Assess effects • Identify management strategies • Develop monitoring framework

4. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION List of Priority Species and Vegetation • Accounts for all BLM required species and vegetation • Captures major vegetation types of the planning area • Accounts for species that require special attention • Is not comprehensive, but representative

5. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Matrix forest 3rd order river system Emergent wetland • Select Priority Species and Vegetation (keep number manageable) • Start with Ecological Systems (which often include “nested” species) • Then Screen for Species that have Special Requirements Selecting Focal Targets

6. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Selecting Focal Conservation Targets Group vegetation and species that are related by ecological processes and that co-occur into systemsor species assemblages. Examples: • Pine Forest Matrix (4 communities/13 species) • Barrier Island Complex (5 communities/20 species) • Rare Mainstem/Tributary Fish Assemblage (11 species)

7. Identify Priority Species and Vegetation Greater Sage-Grouse Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Sagebrush Shrublands Salt Desert Scrub Lower Montane Riparian Ponderosa Pine Woodlands Declining Grassland Birds LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION

8. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Vegetation type Nested Systems Nested Species

9. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Lumping or Splitting? Selecting Targets “Lump” if they meet all of the following tests: • Co-occur on the landscape • Require similar ecological processes • Have similar health scores, or one can serve as an indicator for the other • Have similar effects Therefore may ultimately require similar strategic actions • Examples • Grasslands & grassland nesting birds • Matrix forest & embedded plant community

10. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION On – Site Training CORE CONCEPTS • Identify priority species and vegetation • Assess health • Assess effects • Identify management strategies • Develop monitoring framework

11. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION What is our best estimate of how priority species and vegetation are doing?

12. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Health of a priority species or vegetation is the measure to which the species or vegetation is……. Resistant to change in its structure and composition in the face of external effects and Resilient – able to recover upon experiencing occasional severe disturbance * Natural Range of Variation*

13. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Why assess Health? • Toclearly define priority species and vegetation • Science-based foundation for establishing current status of a priority species or vegetation and setting desired future condition (goals) • Helps to identify effects on the health of each priority species and vegetation and understand with more precision how these disrupt the priority species or vegetation • Assists in developing good objectives and focused strategies • Guides the design of monitoring protocol and measures of success • Helps identify critical knowledge gaps about the system

14. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Key Ecological Attributes Aspects of the priority species or vegetation that clearly define or characterize the species or vegetation and determine its distribution and variation over space and time. Characteristics of the species or vegetation, that if eliminated or significantly altered, would result in the demise of the species or vegetation or would shift it into something quite different. Parrish et al. Bioscience 2003

15. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Key Ecological Attributes Size • Species abundance…or • Minimum dynamic area Condition • Composition (e.g. native vs. nonnative) • Structure (e.g. age class distribution) • Biotic Interactions (e.g. reproduction) Landscape Context • Environmental regimes/processes (e.g.fire) • Connectivity (e.g., access to habitats/resources; ability to disperse, migrate, re-colonize)

16. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Selecting Key Ecological Attributes • Pick factors that are critical for long-term persistence • What factors, if degraded, would seriously jeopardize ability to persist for 100+ years? • Look for attributes that may be seriously degraded by future human-caused activities • Look for a small number of really key ecological attributes (e.g. 3 to 5) • …versus many desirable or descriptive characteristics • Key attributes may be refined over time • Attributes are what’s important; indicators are what you will measure

17. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Assess Health • Establish criteria for condition ratings (key ecological attributes) • PJ Woodlands • Patch size • Species composition • Fire Regime • Sage Grouse • Population size • Habitat quality • Habitat connectivity Size Condition Landscape context

18. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Indicators • Measurable entities used to assess the status and trends of a priority species or vegetation’s Key Ecological Attribute(s). • Indicators should be: • biologically relevant (reflect species or vegetation health) • socially relevant (recognized by stakeholders) • sensitive to anthropogenic stress (reflect threats) • anticipatory (early warning) • measurable • cost-effective (max. information/unit effort)

19. Cover near leks Mean # males on leks Distribution of leks LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Current and Desired Condition Linkage Between Key Attributes & Indicators Key Attribute Indicator Habitat Availability Population Size Connectivity of Populations

20. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Good: Indicator w/in acceptable range of variation; Some intervention required for maintenance Fair: outside acceptable range of variation; Requires human intervention Very Good: Ecologically desirable status; Requires little intervention for maintenance Poor: Restoration increasingly difficult; May result in extirpation

21. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Natural Range of Variation • Native species & vegetation evolved over long periods with natural variation within their environments. Virtually all key attributes vary over time. • When these variations are predominantly influenced by non-human factors (e.g., climate, biotic interactions) the variations can be said to be “natural,”or at least “acceptable.” • The aim is to manage a priority species or vegetation’s attributes within their acceptable range of variation.

22. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Accept uncertainty! • General Guidance: • View main purpose as capturing the current state of knowledge • Don’t worry about information gaps • Don’t focus on filling out all boxes! • Can return during later planning stages to add more detail (if necessary)

23. Assess Health - GROUSE LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION

24. Assess Health – PJ Woodlands LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION

25. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION General guidance • Good/fair threshold is most critical – good usually defines ecological desired condition • Don’t get stuck on getting the “right” indicators or values. Fill out, document, and send out for review • Prioritize filling gaps for key attributes based on: • Level of concern (poor status), or • Link to actions (what BLM will or could do)

26. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Health Assessment - Summary An iterative process with “successive approximations” • Begin with a “credible first iteration” • Identify 3 - 5 really key ecological attributes for each priority species or vegetation type • Determine what you’ll measure for each attribute -- indicators • Complete indicator ratings • Focus on the difference between Good & Fair thresholds • Unless you have a Poor rating for an indicator (then focus on Fair/Poor) • Rate the “Current Status” for each attribute • Present your initial findings to colleagues/experts for review • Continue to improve over time… • Identify attributes, indicators & ratings where your uncertainties are most vulnerable

27. Assess Health - GROUSE LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION CURRENT CONDITION

28. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Assess Health – PJ Woodlands CURRENT CONDITION

29. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Overall Rating By Priority Species/ Vegetation Health Summary Current Condition

30. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Overall Rating By Priority Species/ Vegetation Health Summary Desired Ecological Condition

31. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION HEALTH ASSESSMENT ‘NO ACTION’ DATASET • Evaluate health under current management • Predict health under No Action Alternative during the life of the plan Use this information to help formulate alternatives

32. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION Overall Rating By Priority Species/Vegetation Health Summary Prediction under No Action Alternative

33. LAND USE PLANNING FOR PRIORITY SPECIES AND VEGETATION