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CURRENT SITUATION OF NORTHERN SPOTTED OWLS IN DRY FOREST ECOSYSTEMS

CURRENT SITUATION OF NORTHERN SPOTTED OWLS IN DRY FOREST ECOSYSTEMS. Jim Thrailkill USFWS Oregon State Office May 24, 2005. PRESENTATION OUTLINE History 5-Year Review Findings NWFP Monitoring Findings USFWS Perspective. par-a-dox : a tenet contrary to received opinion.

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CURRENT SITUATION OF NORTHERN SPOTTED OWLS IN DRY FOREST ECOSYSTEMS

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  1. CURRENT SITUATION OF NORTHERN SPOTTED OWLS IN DRY FOREST ECOSYSTEMS Jim Thrailkill USFWS Oregon State Office May 24, 2005

  2. PRESENTATION OUTLINE • History • 5-Year Review Findings • NWFP Monitoring Findings • USFWS Perspective

  3. par-a-dox: a tenet contrary to received opinion “Recommendations to reduce owl habitat in order to save it may seem a paradox. We believe such implementation will, in the long run, better protect owl habitat than a more short-sighted attempt to continue total protection. Active management in some areas to reduce the probability of large-scale catastrophic events is the most rational management direction.”

  4. NSO Draft Recovery Plan Forest Protection Guidelines, Agee and Edmonds, 1992

  5. RISK LEVELS FROM DISTURBANCE AGENTS NSO Draft Recovery Plan

  6. Changes in Forest Structure Since Active Management Began NSO Draft Recovery Plan

  7. SEI Report (2004): A Scientific Evaluation of The Status of the Northern Spotted Owl

  8. HABITAT TRENDS Data of Mixed Quality Estimated Rates of NSO Habitat Change on Federal Lands 1994-2003 (Based on project consultations and local estimates of natural disturbance)

  9. Northwest Forest Plan Congressionally Reserved Late-Successional Reserves Matrix • Core Principles Supported • Scientifically Credible • Implementation Problems Adaptive Management Areas

  10. NWFP and Spotted Owls • Conservation Principles Appropriate today • Large Blocks of Suitable Habitat • Connectivity Habitat LSR Matrix & Riparian Reserves LSR

  11. HABITAT ASSOCIATIONSNew Information - Well Understood • Association with forest • structure confirmed • Other forest components • locally important • Effects of forest fragmentation & heterogeneity better understood Suitable & Non-suitable Habitat

  12. Habitat Associations EASTERN CASCADES: WASHINGTON • NSO locations with less old-growth forest • More forest of 20-64 cm dbh than random locations • Lowest apparent survival • Highest fecundity

  13. PREYNew Information – Poorly Understood woodrat northern flying squirrel • Prey conclusions generally confirmed • Owl home ranges sizes vary with prey type • Secondary prey species may influence spotted owls • Drives NSO biology

  14. DEMOGRAPHY New Information – Well Understood with data gaps 4.1% decline over all of the studies 2.5% decline on 8 monitoring areas vs 6.6% for the other areas Washington populations doing poorest

  15. Barred Owl – Implications? • NSO Displacement

  16. NWFP 10 Year Monitoring Reports Habitat Chapter www.reo.gov

  17. THE NEXT DECADE? WILDFIRE WILL EFFECT FUTURE HABITAT • 13,200 wildfires • 50% lightning • 50% human caused • 75% of acres burned were from lightning fires

  18. THE NEXT DECADE? WILDFIRE WILL EFFECT FUTURE HABITAT

  19. THE NEXT DECADE? WILDFIRE WILL EFFECT FUTURE HABITAT

  20. THE NEXT DECADE? WILDFIRE WILL EFFECT FUTURE HABITAT

  21. PERSPECTIVE PROBLEM STATEMENT: We recognize dry forest ecosystems have declining northern spotted owl populations and increasing fuels accumulations. The trend in forest succession will continue to increase the risk of owl habitat loss. How can we minimize these risks while maintaining adequate (spatial and temporal) suitable spotted owl habitat?

  22. FWS Goal: Through interagency planning, forest fuels are managed and forest habitat is developed that benefits the spotted owl at a stand and landscape level. • Work Collaboratively • Maintain Connectivity • Promote Healthy Forests

  23. Conceptual Approach: Landscape Scale Treatment Spatial Scales Aggregate of Watersheds Landscape Principles Assumptions stand Fire Risk of Stands Owl Locations X % of Sites XX% of Sites territory Prioritize: NSO fitness Treat w/in Core Area Do Not Treat in Core Area Home range XX% of Sites - Work Outside Core XX% of Sites - No Work XX% of Sites - Work Outside Core XX% of Sites - No Work landscape • Treatment Principles: • No harvest of trees >dbh • Retain CWD features • Other features? Desired Future Condition Temporal Scale

  24. A Few Words About Risk… • Science-based • Strategic (landscape) • Situational ------------------------------ Paradigm Shift? On the table for discussion….. • LSRs • Owl Circles • NRF

  25. Forest Health/NSO Dilemma • in Dry Forest Ecosystems: • basically do nothing and hope for the best or • 2) restore some semblance of historical range of variability • in disturbance (MacCraken et al. 1996)

  26. Acknowledgements: Ray Davis, USFS Joe Lint, BLM Eric Forsman, PNW Bob Anthony, OCFWRU Jim Agee, Univ. WA Joan Kittrell, USFS Stephen Courtney, SEI Robin Bown, USFWS Sandra Ackley, USFWS Nancy Gilbert, USFWS Jennifer O’Reilly, USFWS

  27. QUESTIONS?

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