Download - North Coast Forest Conservation Program
North Coast Forest Conservation ProgramNorthern Spotted Owl Status Overview
Madison [email protected]
(707)357-3919
Ownership Overview
• ~73,000 acres in Mendocino and Sonoma county
• Garcia River Forest: 23,780 ac (acquired 2004)
• Big River and Salmon Creek Forests: 16,020 ac (acquired 2006)
• Gualala River Forest: 13,542 ac (acquired 2011)
• Buckeye Forest: 19,650 ac (acquired 2013)
Forest Types
• Mixed redwood/Douglas-fir
• Big River/Salmon Creek generally higher site than Garcia/Gualala/Buckeye
• Big River/Salmon Creek more redwood
• Garcia/Gualala/Buckeye more Douglas-fir and mixed hardwood (tanoak)
Harvest History
• Big River and Salmon Creek history of even-aged management
• Current landscape is mosaic ranging from 10 year old plantations to 60+ year old second growth
• Garcia/Gualala/Buckeye history of partial harvests (mainly overstory removal) beginning in 1950s-1960s
• Current landscape is continuous closed canopy 45-60 year old conifer with substantial hardwood component
TCF Forest Management Strategies
• Utilize uneven-aged regeneration methods (single tree and group selection)
• Maintain harvest levels well below growth for the next few decades
• Retain high value wildlife elements (large hardwoods, snags, residual old growth conifers, trees with unique structural attributes)
• Transition stands toward more historically appropriate species composition
• Maintain FSC and SFI certification
Historic (pre TCF) NSO surveys
• Big River/Salmon Creek
• Surveys since 1989
• Called on THP by THP basis with annual monitoring of known territories
• Garcia/Gualala/Buckeye
• Called on THP by THP basis with minimal monitoring of known territories
• Large coverage gaps in time and space
TCF NSO Survey Effort
• Ownership wide “blanket” surveys since 2008
• Nighttime station calling that covers entire ownership in addition to monitoring of occupancy and reproductive status for all known NSO territories
• Surveys done by consulting biologist, Mike Stephens
• Big River/Salmon Creek surveys covered under SOMP (3 visits/year)
• Garcia/Gualala surveyed consistent with most recent USFWS survey protocol (currently 6 visits/year)
• Placement of survey stations, spacing of survey visits, daytime follow-up surveys, reproductive status determination are done consistent with USFWS protocol
• TCF has not yet conducted surveys on Buckeye
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2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
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Survey Effort Trends
Nighttime Survey Effort by Year Daytime Survey Effort by Year
Banding
• Done by Mike Stephens and MRC biologists
• Currently over 75% of territories on ownership with at least one banded individual
• Allows better tracking of daytime and nighttime locations
Regulatory Compliance/Take Avoidance
• THPs submitted under 919.9(e)
• Big River and Salmon Creek covered under SOMP
• Habitat retention: 100 acre core area; retain 500 acres of suitable habitat within 0.7 mi of activity center (200 should be nest/roost)
• Operational restrictions: different restrictions depending type of operation and reproductive status; no timber ops permitted within 0.25 mi of nest site until after July 31
• Surveys: 3 visits/year ownership wide; monitor occupancy and reproductive status of known NSO territories
• Timber ops may start any time after March 1, so long as all historic NSO territories within 0.7 mi of THP are verified occupied
Regulatory Compliance/ Take Avoidance (cont.)
• Non-Big River/Salmon Creek utilize “Attachment A”
• Habitat retention requirements and operational restrictions generally parallel SOMP
• Surveys conducted consistent with 2011 USFWS NSO survey protocol
• TCF voluntarily conducting “blanket” calling consistent with 2011 USFWS NSO survey protocol (6 survey visits/year)
• Essentially in year 3 of USFWS protocol sequence in perpetuity: timber ops may begin after 3 spot check visits
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Ownership
Territory Occupancy and Density Trends
Number of Occupied Territories Ownership Wide by Year
NSO territories/square mile Ownership Wide by Year
*note: this chart excludes Gualala River Forest
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2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
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NSO
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Garcia
Salmon Creek
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Ownership
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2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
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2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
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# of
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Reproductive Trends
Ownership Wide Nesting Attempts by Year Ownership Wide Young Fledged by Year
Other Projects
• NSO habitat mapping using LiDAR imagery
• Trial mapping completed on Garcia, but we are still working to refine and verify the models
Other Issues
• Barred owls
• 4 occupied barred owl sites across ownership
• 2 associated NSO territories haven’t been detected since 2011
• 1 associated NSO territory is still detected, but detections are inconsistent
• Marijuana gardens and associated chemicals
• Traces of blood thinning rodenticide found in dead NSO on Salmon Creek in 2012