Wildlife Habitat

Objectives

See Late-Successional Reserve, AMA, Riparian Reserve, and Matrix objectives.

Enhance and maintain biological diversity and ecosystem health in order to contribute to healthy wildlife populations.

Land Use Allocations

The land use allocations in this resource management plan are designed to benefit wildlife species, that use the various seral stages and other habitat areas of the forest. Various land use allocations are made for a variety of species (See Map 7).

Management Actions/Direction

Management Actions/Direction - All Land Use Allocations

Use the watershed analysis process to address wildlife habitat issues for individual watersheds. The analysis will help to resolve any concerns identified in applying management actions/direction in this section and those in the Special Status and SEIS Special Attention Species section. Where appropriate, more site-specific habitat objectives and wildlife habitat enhancement opportunities will be identified through this process.

Coordinate with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife during planning and implementation of wildlife habitat enhancement projects.

Cooperate with Federal, Tribal, and State wildlife management agencies to identify and eliminate impacts associated with habitat manipulation, poaching, and other activities that threaten the continued existence and distribution of native wildlife inhabiting Federal lands.

Land will be acquired to facilitate wildlife habitat management, as appropriate.

Management Actions/Direction - Riparian Reserves

Design and implement wildlife habitat restoration and enhancement activities in a manner that contributes to attainment of Aquatic Conservation Strategy and riparian reserve objectives.

Design, construct, and operate wildlife interpretive and other user-enhancement facilities in a manner that does not retard or prevent attainment of Aquatic Conservation Strategy and riparian reserve objectives. For existing wildlife interpretative and other user-enhancement facilities inside riparian reserves, ensure that Aquatic Conservation Strategy and riparian reserve objectives are met. Where Aquatic Conservation Strategy and riparian reserve objectives cannot be met, relocate or close such facilities.

Cooperate with Federal, Tribal, and State wildlife management agencies to identify and eliminate wild ungulate impacts that are inconsistent with attainment of Aquatic Conservation Strategy and riparian reserve objectives.

Management Actions/Direction - Late-Successional Reserves

Design projects to improve conditions for wildlife if they provide late-successional habitat benefits or if their effect on late-successional associated species is negligible.

If introduction of a nonnative species is proposed, complete an assessment of impacts and avoid any introduction that would retard or prevent achievement of late-successional reserve objectives.

Evaluate impacts of nonnative species existing within late-successional reserves.

Develop plans and recommendations for eliminating or controlling nonnative species that are inconsistent with late-successional reserve objectives. Include an analysis of effects of implementing such programs on other species within late-successional reserves.

Establish a one-quarter mile protection zone around known great gray owl nest sites and provide a 300-foot no-harvest buffer around meadows and natural openings. Develop a standardized protocol for surveys within one year.

Management Actions/Direction - Matrix

Provide a renewable supply of large down logs well distributed across the Matrix lands in a manner that meets the needs of species and provides for ecological functions. Down logs will reflect the species mix of the original stand. Models will be developed for groups of plant associations and stand types that can be used as a baseline for developing prescriptions.

Leave a minimum of 120 linear feet of logs per acre greater than or equal to 16 inches in diameter and 16 feet long. Decay class 1 and 2 logs will be credited toward the total. Where this management actions/direction cannot be met with existing coarse woody debris, merchantable material will be used to make up the deficit;
In areas of partial harvest, apply the same basic management actions/direction, but they can be modified to reflect the timing of stand development cycles; and
Retain coarse woody debris already on the ground and protect it to the greatest extent possible from disturbance during treatment (e.g., slash burning and yarding).

Retain 100 acres of the best northern spotted owl habitat as close as possible to a nest site or owl activity center for all known (as of January 1, 1994) northern spotted owl activity centers.

Retain late-successional forest patches in landscape areas where little late-successional forest persists. This management actions/direction will be applied in fifth field watersheds (20 to 200 square miles) in which Federal forestlands are currently comprised of 15 percent or less late-successional forest. (The assessment of 15 percent will include all Federal land allocations in a watershed.) Within such an area, protect all remaining late-successional forest stands. Protection of these stands could be modified in the future when other portions of a watershed have recovered to the point where they could replace the ecological roles of these stands.

Provide a renewable supply of large live trees and snags well distributed across the Matrix lands in a manner that provides habitat for cavity using birds, bats, and other species; provides structure and habitat diversity; provides future sources of large down logs; and provides for other ecological functions. Retained live trees and snags will reflect the species mix of the original stand. Emphasize retention of the largest trees and snags available to provide the unique structure and functions associated with these large old trees.

Within the General Forest Management Area north of Grants Pass (northern GFMA) retain at least 6 to 8 green conifer trees per acre in regeneration harvest units; and
Within the General Forest Management Area south of Grants Pass (southern GFMA) retain at least 16 to 25 large, green conifer trees per acre in regeneration harvest units.

Where sites are occupied by Siskiyou Mountain Salamander or Del Norte Salamander, protect the site from ground-disturbing activities. Designate a buffer of at least the height of one site-potential tree or a 100-foot horizontal distance, whichever is greater, surrounding the location. Within the site and the surrounding buffer, maintain at least 40 percent canopy closure and avoid any activities that would directly disrupt the talus layer. Develop and use standardized survey protocol to determine occupancy. These sites are referred to as managed late-successional reserves in the SEIS ROD.

Conduct surveys for roosting bats. As an interim measure, prohibit timber harvest within 250 feet of sites containing bats. Develop management standards and guidelines for each site.

Within the matrix, provide snags and future sources of snags to maintain 100 percent of the potential population levels of white-headed and black-backed woodpeckers. Within the range of these species, this level of snag retention will be added to the normal standards and guidelines for snag retention levels in the Matrix. It is assumed these snag levels are adequate to provide adequate habitat for pygmy nuthatches and flammulated owls.

Retain snags and green trees within a timber harvest unit at levels sufficient to support species of cavity-nesting birds at 40 percent of potential population levels. Meet the 40 percent minimum throughout the Matrix with per-acre requirements met on average areas no larger than 40 acres.

In addition to the previous green-tree retention management actions/direction, retain green trees for snag recruitment in timber harvest units where there is an identified, near-term (less than three decades) snag deficit. These trees do not count toward the green-tree retention requirements.

Additional trees may need to be retained to contribute to bat roost sites on a site-specific basis.

Retain some large hardwood trees, where present in harvest units, to provide habitat diversity.

Management Actions/Direction - Connectivity/Diversity (C/D) Blocks spaced throughout the Matrix lands in the northern GFMA

Maintain at least 25 to 30 percent of each block in late-successional forest. Riparian reserves and other allocations with late-successional forest count toward this percentage. Blocks may be comprised of contiguous or noncontiguous BLM-administered land. The size and arrangement of habitat within a block will provide effective habitat to the extent possible.

Retain at least 12 to 18 green conifer trees per acre in regeneration harvest units.

Management Actions/Direction - Raptors and Great Blue Heron

Protect nest sites, centers of activity, or rookeries as necessary to maintain the integrity of the site. Human disturbances that may disturb or interfere with nesting will be prohibited within one-quarter mile of active nesting areas between approximately March 1 and July 15.

Management Actions/Direction - Roosevelt Elk

Manage elk management areas (171,000 acres) to enhance elk habitat consistent with the objectives of other allocations (timber, old-growth, connectivity):

All roads except major collectors and arterials will be closed. New road construction will be minimized;
Limit motorized vehicle use to an open road density of 1.5 miles per square mile, where possible;
Impose seasonal restrictions on activities if needed to avoid disturbance and harassment;
Maintain or enhance forage where appropriate by creating small openings in conifer stands of all ages, prescribed burning, seeding, fertilizing, underburning forest stands, or other means. In Matrix lands, priority would be given to utilizing portions of stands with little or no conifer stocking; and
Manage the mix of forage areas, thermal cover, hiding cover, and optimal cover to maintain or attain highly viable habitat condition for each of the four indices using the Wisdom Elk Model or equivalent model (see Appendix 2-WL-1, Draft RMP).

Management Actions/Direction - Deer and Elk Winter Range

Manage about 97,100 acres of deer and elk winter range in the Cascade foothills as winter range with an emphasis on providing thermal cover and minimizing disturbances.

All roads, except major collectors and arterials, will be closed between November 15 and April 1. New road construction will be minimized;
Maintain at least 20 percent of these areas in thermal cover, 70 percent canopy closure, canopy height of at least 40 feet, and large enough to avoid edge effects; and
Restrict activities to avoid disturbance between approximately November 15 and April 1.

Where elk management areas overlap with winter range areas, management directions for both areas will be applied.

Management Actions/Direction - Special Habitats

Protect special habitats for plants and animals, such as meadows, cliffs, caves, and talus slopes from disturbance as appropriate to the specific site. Generally, the no harvest buffer will vary from 100-200 feet but could be increased or decreased based on site-specific circumstances and the objective to protect the special habitat values. Protection and necessary mitigation will be determined during activity planning.

Use management practices, including fire, to obtain desired vegetation conditions in special habitats.

Management Actions/Direction - Oak Stands

White oak woodlands will be managed to maintain or enhance values for wildlife habitat, range, botanical values, and biological diversity. Utilize prescribed fire to maintain habitat conditions within the white oak woodland communities.

Management Actions/Direction - Golden Eagles

Protect approximately 30 acres around all golden eagle nest sites. Within those areas, allow no timber harvest or other habitat removal. Human disturbance will be prohibited between approximately March 1 and July 15. No new roads will be constructed within the 30-acre core area around active nests.