Klamath Falls Record of Decision: Wildlife Habitat

Wildlife Habitat

Objectives

See Late-Successional/District Designated Reserves, 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, in the aggregate, that use the various seral stages and other habitat areas of the forest, range, or aquatic ecosystems.

Management Actions/Direction

General

Except where public safety is a concern, snags will be retained on lands not allocated to timber production at 100 percent of optimum population potential for cavity nesters. Where relevant to meeting cavity nester objectives, some green trees will be girdled or topped (having the top cut or blasted) or managed to create snags. Timber sale contracts will encourage retention of all snags and non-merchantable trees that could be left safely in timber harvest areas. For the retention of wildlife trees the following guidelines will be used:

Leave all soft snags except where unacceptable for safety, logging system, or burning considerations.
Leave scattered hard snags and green trees, both to provide the current needs of hard-snag dependent species and to serve as a source of future soft snags. Where available, green trees retained will be cull trees. If cull trees are not available, sound trees will be retained for this purpose. At least half of reserved wildlife trees will be future snags (green culls, or sound trees).

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 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Special Attention Species section. Other wildlife enhancement opportunities may be or have been identified through an interagency or cooperative effects (such as Coordinated Resource Management Plan, Challenge Cost Share, or existing Habitat Management Plans).

Types of enhancement opportunities are shown in Table 2.

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 mitigate impacts associated with habitat manipulation, poaching, and other management activities that threaten the continued existence and distribution of native wildlife inhabiting federal lands.

Cooperate with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on any wildlife research, inventory, or monitoring conducted on Klamath Falls Resource Area-administered lands, as well as for their assistance in developing an educational program to increase public awareness of wildlife (for example Watchable Wildlife and Fish and Wildlife 2000).

Continue ongoing animal damage control activities conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service/Animal Damage Control according to the annual work plan. This includes control for predation on wildlife, livestock, crops, timber, and conifer seedlings. This may also involve control of wildlife causing damage to facilities or special habitats.

Reduce open road density to 1.5 miles or less per section as a road system management goal in accordance with other management activities. Existing off-highway vehicle closures in big game winter ranges will remain in effect throughout the plan (see the Recreation section for more details). Other important and sensitive wildlife habitats (special habitat features, project areas) will be evaluated for seasonal road closures. Some roads could remain open for administrative use, forest product removal, or access for mineral exploration and development. Road closures could be achieved using a variety of methods, such as gates, cables, boulders, obliteration or other.

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 userenhancement facilities in a manner that does not retard or prevent attainment of Aquatic Conservation Strategy objectives. For existing wildlife interpretative and other userenhancement 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/District Designated 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 non-native species is proposed, complete an assessment of impacts and avoid any introduction that will retard or prevent achievement of Late-Successional/District Designated Reserve objectives.

Evaluate impacts of non-native species existing within Late-Successional/District Designated Reserves.

Develop plans and recommendations for eliminating or controlling non-native 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.

Manage the system of 80 to 100-acre Late-Successional/District Designated Reserves to provide a diverse mosaic of habitats across the west side of the planning area. These areas will not be subject to planned timber harvest but harvest will be allowed to attain or maintain old growth characteristics. These forest lands total 1,600 acres, most of which are currently old growth or mature forest.

Reintroduce fire as a natural disturbance factor through prescribed burning.

Provide Late-Successional/District Designated Reserves for biodiversity and old growth habitat on the east side by the designation of Miller Creek Canyon and Yainax Butte as areas of critical environmental concern (see the Special Areas section). Manage forest lands on the east side of the planning area under uneven-age harvest prescriptions that will provide for a diversity of structure and species composition.

Matrix (General Forest Management Area) - West Side

Use old growth ecosystem prescriptions in one-quarter mile buffers around each Late-Successional/District Designated Reserve. These buffer areas will provide an additional component of habitat diversity. The gross BLM-administered acreage in these areas is 3,800 acres. Old growth ecosystem prescriptions are harvest methods designed to facilitate the attainment or maintenance of old growth characteristics (see Appendix E).

On the west side, 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 16 to 25 large green trees per acre in harvest units.

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.

When an area is regeneration harvested, limit patch size to 3 acres.

On lands available for timber harvest, retain snags, live green cull trees, and green merchantable trees to provide nest sites for a minimum of 60 percent of optimal cavity nester populations, both for present needs and long-term sustainability. This retention level corresponds to approximately 1.9 snags per acre (or 190 snags per 100 acres).

Meet the 60 percent minimum throughout the Matrix with the requirements met on the average for areas no larger than 40 acres.

Use prescribed fire as a favored tool for site preparation, fuel reduction, and to restore or retain natural ecological processes through site disturbance.

Retain 5 to 10 of the largest (greater than 16 inches diameter at breast height) and healthiest green trees per acre. In addition, maintain a sustainable uneven-aged understory so that there is a variety of different sized trees and species represented throughout the stand available for recruitment.

When an area is regeneration harvested, limit patch size to 3 acres and retain 5 to 10 green trees per acre in the patch.

On lands east of Highway 97, manage range and riparian-wetland areas in the Gerber Block for a mosaic of native plant communities. This mosaic will allow for migration and dispersal of organisms between BLM-administered lands and adjacent U.S. Forest Service-administered lands. Reintroduce fire as a natural disturbance factor through prescribed burning.

Special Habitats

Manage special habitats, such as lakes, talus slopes, meadows, and wetlands (see Table 1 in Appendix B) to protect their primary habitat values; however, rock quarries could be developed on cliffs or talus slopes not occupied by special status species. Consider wildlife values in the development and rehabilitation of rock quarries. Actions that will benefit wildlife include: constructing cavities for raptors and other species in quarry walls during development, or in abandoned quarries; and piling large boulders at the base of slopes or in waste areas to create cavities for mammals.

Buffer special habitats from surface disturbance and timber harvest if necessary to protect primary values.

Use management practices, including prescribed fire or timber harvest, to obtain desired vegetation conditions in special habitats.

Species Specific Action

Deer, Elk, and Antelope. Design thinning projects to maintain existing major game trails free of slash accumulations that impede big game movement.

Conduct forage seeding in habitat areas with appropriate seed beds and where compatible with other management objectives.

Use seasonal restrictions on public use and management activities where needed to minimize disturbance and harassment of herds during critical use periods (for example, birthing areas, winter range, etc.).

Use patch cut harvesting in big game habitat only where silviculturally essential to accomplish relevant forest management or other resource objectives (such as providing small patch openings). Keep existing major game trails slash free in pre-commercial thinning units. Maintain or improve all seasonal ranges throughout the planning area through a variety of habitat projects and practices.

Conduct forage seedlings on up to 40 percent of appropriate habitat in harvest areas. Fertilize up to 50 percent of appropriate habitat in deer winter range. Create forage openings up to 5 acres in closed canopy areas. Create and/or maintain forage openings in closed canopy areas on summer and winter ranges. Provide visual barriers up to 25 feet wide along roads in harvest areas. Avoid constructing connecting or through roads in winter ranges. Continue existing seasonal off-highway vehicle closures in big game winter ranges. On lands available for timber production, maintain 40 percent in hiding and thermal cover.

Conduct thinnings of encroaching juniper to protect and improve forage areas for big game. These thinnings will protect old growth juniper and be designed to consider edge effect, escape cover, and proper unit size.

Furbearers. Conduct systematic inventory of furbearers such as pine marten, beaver, and otter.

Golden Eagle (Protected). Provide a buffer of up to 30 acres around known and future nest sites and restrict some management activity near nest sites between January 1 and August 31.

Osprey. Restrict some management activity within ¹¦₄ mile of known nest sites between May 1 and August 1; develop nest structures to improve nesting opportunities in suitable habitat.

Provide snags or green culls for perch/nest sites along all suitable (fish-bearing) waterbodies. Provide up to a 5-acre buffer around known and future nest sites.

Accipiters. Provide up to a 15-acre buffer for some management activities around known and future activity centers.

Prairie Falcon. Provide up to a 15-acre buffer for some management activities around known and future activity centers.

Red-tailed Hawk. Provide up to a 5-acre buffer for some management activities around known and future nest sites.

Other Raptors. Maintain the integrity of nest sites and centers of activity.

Woodpeckers. Manage for 60 percent of optimum population potential on all lands allocated to timber production. Lands not allocated to timber production will be managed at 100 percent of optimum population potential.

Sandhill Crane. Conduct systematic nest surveys and construct artificial nest structures to optimize nesting potential.

Restrict some management activities within 200 feet of nest sites from April 1 to August 1.

Waterfowl. Where necessary, acquire water rights, consistent with Oregon State water laws in important waterfowl production areas; as opportunities arise, private lands in important waterfowl habitat will be obtained through exchange or other mutual agreement.

Allow livestock grazing in waterfowl nesting habitat only under guidelines set by an interdisciplinary team process. If necessary, initiate a predator control program to enhance nesting success and production, within guidelines of the established animal damage control environmental impact statement.

Wild Turkey. Rehabilitate and improve meadows with native plants and grasses in suitable habitat and plant small food plots with high yield grains and grasses in disturbed areas.

Create and/or maintain open forage areas up to 3 acres in appropriate habitat. Maintain hardwoods to maximize mast production in up to 50 percent of harvested acres. In suitable habitat provide 2 roost sites (approximately ¹¦₈ to ¹¦₄ acre) per 40 acres of harvest area. Minimize open roads and avoid new road construction within ¹¦₄ mile of nest and roost sites.

Other Upland Gamebirds. Maintain clumps of mature conifers on major ridges to provide winter habitat for grouse. Install guzzlers in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to benefit upland game-birds and other wildlife. Continue to introduce red-legged partridge/chukar, pheasant, and turkey in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Amphibians and Reptiles. See Special Status Species section.

Trout. Develop a coordinated recreation management plan to include tributaries of the Jenny Creek watershed; install instream structures in areas lacking sufficient habitat; stock suitable waterbodies that are below carrying capacity and/or areas above barriers; timber sale contracts would require, when practical, removal of debris that obstructs fish passage or would degrade the stream channel; retain large woody debris in and adjacent to the stream channel; improve trout habitat and/or maintain through minimal impact grazing system; use riparian-wetland exclosures to enhance streamside habitat; remove debris jams that impede migration; modify or replace culverts that block migration; and block up ownership when possible on lands with trout bearing streams.