Wildlife Habitat

Objectives

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

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

Land Use Allocations

The land use allocations in this Resource Management Plan are designed to benefit wildlife species, in the aggregate, that use the various seral stages and other habitat areas of the forest.

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, 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.

Avoid road construction in areas with high wildlife values.

Riparian Reserves

Design and implement wildlife habitat restoration and enhancement activities in a manner that contributes to attainment of Aquatic Conservation Strategy 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 objectives. For existing wildlife interpretative and other user enhancement facilities inside Riparian Reserves, ensure that Aquatic Conservation Strategy objectives are met. Where Aquatic Conservation Strategy 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 objectives.

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 which are inconsistent with Late-Successional Reserve objectives. Include an analysis of effects of implementing such programs on other species within Late-Successional Reserves.

Matrix (General Forest Management Area and Connectivity/Diversity Blocks)

Retain snags 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.

General Forest Management Area

Retain late-successional forest patches in landscape areas where little late-successional forest persists. This management action/direction will be applied in fifth field watersheds (20 to 200 square miles) in which federal forest lands 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.

Retain six to eight green conifer trees per acre after regeneration harvest. Retained trees will be distributed in variable patterns (e.g., single trees, clumps, and stringers) to contribute to stand diversity.

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

Leave 120 linear feet of logs per acre greater than or equal to 16 inches in diameter and 16 feet long. Existing decay class 1 and 2 logs count toward this requirement. Down logs will reflect the species mix of original stands. Where this management action/direction cannot be met with existing coarse woody debris, merchantable material will be used to make up the deficit.

Connectivity/Diversity Blocks

Provide Connectivity/Diversity Blocks spaced throughout the BLM land base. Manage the blocks as follows:

Maintain 25 to 30 percent of each block in late-successional forest at any point in time. The percentage of habitat will include habitat in other allocations, such as Riparian Reserves. Blocks may be comprised of contiguous or noncontiguous BLM-administered land. The size and arrangement of habitat within a block should provide effective habitat to the extent possible.
Retain 12 to 18 green conifer trees per acre when an area is regeneration harvested. Distribute the retained trees in variable patterns (e.g., single trees, clumps, and stringers) to contribute to stand diversity. The management goal for the retained trees and subsequent density management will be the recovery of old-growth conditions in approximately 100 to 120 years.
Leave 120 linear feet of logs per acre greater than or equal to 16 inches in diameter and 16 feet long. Existing decay class 1 and 2 logs will be credited toward this total. Down logs will reflect the species mix of original stands. Where this management action/direction cannot be met with existing coarse woody debris, merchantable material will be used to make up the deficit.

Special Habitats

Using interdisciplinary teams, identify special habitat areas and determine relevance for values protection or management on a case by case basis. Of particular importance in these determinations will be the habitat of species for which the SEIS ROD provides protection buffers.

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

Special habitat areas will be buffered by 100 to 200 feet to protect their plant community structure, species composition, and ecological processes. The special habitat buffer will be an area designated and managed for the protection or enhancement of the special habitat. Activities such as timber harvest, timber salvage, and prescribed burning will be permitted within the buffers when they are considered necessary for special habitat restoration and will benefit resident special habitat species. Water courses flowing into and out of wetland habitats will be maintained.

Other Raptors Habitat

Known and future raptor nest sites not protected by other management recommendations will be protected by providing suitable habitat buffers and seasonal disturbance restrictions.

Roosevelt Elk

Elk habitat management will be emphasized in the Tyee, Deadman Mountain, and Canton Creek elk areas. Habitat Management Plans will be developed for these areas prior to implementing major management programs. The following road closures will be implemented to limit the amount of vehicle access and potential harassment to elk.

Approximately 20 miles of existing roads in the Tyee elk area.
Approximately 15 miles of year long road closure on existing roads in the Deadman Mountain elk management area to establish an area of approximately 6,000 acres (at the head of Days and Coffee Creeks) with limited disturbance.

In the Tyee and Canton Creek elk management areas and consistent with underlying land use allocations, the following guidelines will be adopted for timber harvest units:

Thirty percent of the harvest units will be small units (15 to 20 acres) with irregular boundaries.
Within harvest units the distance to cover will not exceed 500 feet.
Minimum width of cover adjacent to harvest units will be 200 feet.

Consistent with underlying land use allocations, preferred forage plots will be developed for the Tyee elk area utilizing a variety of practices. These practices may include seeding, fertilization of natural grass/forb types, creating small openings or wide spaced thinning in young stands, and enhancing the herbaceous vegetative layer within older forest stands. All forage developments will require practices designed not to adversely affect listed species or the development of suitable habitat.

In cooperation with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, elk transplants will be conducted to supplement existing numbers or establish new local populations within the Rock Creek, Little River, Canton Creek, and Green Butte elk areas.

Wild Turkey Habitat

Consistent with underlying land use allocations, all oak stands will be maintained except on conifer sites within designated turkey habitat utilizing a variety of methods including prescribed fire. A minimum of one ten acre stand of roosting habitat will be provided in each section of designated turkey habitat. Roosting habitat will contain the following components:

A scattering (eight to ten) of large (larger than 24" DBH) open limbed conifer trees on each acre.
Ponderosa pine when available will be preferred roost trees.

Osprey Habitat

On BLM-administered lands within 1/4-mile of known osprey nest sites (2,500 total acres), nest trees and adjacent perch trees will be protected and disturbance will be restricted between March 20 and August 31. Consistent with other land use allocations, adequate nest and perch replacement trees for osprey will be retained within 1/4-mile of nest sites.