Post on 24-Feb-2016
description
Robert Douglas, Forest Science ManagerEmail: rdouglas@mendoco.com Phone: 707-962-2908
Mendocino Redwood Company Northern Spotted Owl Conservation
and Management
Mendocino Redwood Company
229,000 acres
Redwood/Douglas-fir/Tanoak
Pre-1998 silvicultural history 75% even-aged management
Past 15 years Transition to uneven-aged
management
25 Years of Hooting
Lots of Spotted Owls!
160 territories on MRC lands
High amount of property edge
Buffer property by 1000 feet—230 territories
Spotted Owl Continuously Regulated for Timber
Ted Wooster, DFG, 1990-1999 Ken Hoffman, FWS, 1999-2010
MRC Owl Conservation Program
Goal: federal HCP/state NCCP
NCCP Act of 1991 requires a planning agreement Avoid take of listed species Protect sensitive habitats
NSO section of the PA included in a SORP /SOMP
MRC Owl Protections Find them!
500 foot no-cut area
1000 foot seasonal disturbance buffer
Minimum 72-acre habitat core area Sites protected for 3 years Topographic core areas
Nesting/roosting habitat MRC uses 16” dbh minimum
Area-wide Habitat Retention
Minimum retention standards 0.7 miles:
200 acres of nesting/roosting habitat
500 acres of suitable habitat
Silvicultural standards for harvesting in N/R
MRC practices benefit owls Reserve networks (16.7%)
Riparian protections Murrelet areas
Old growth tree protection
Wildlife tree policy
Snag retention/recruitment
Sustainable harvest
Growing more Nesting/Roosting Habitat
0 0.1-72 72.1-144
144.1-216
216.1-288
288.1-360
360.1-432
432.1-504
504.1-576
576.1-648
648.1-720
720.1-792
792.1-864
864.1-936
936.1-985
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2004
0 0.1-72 72.1-144
144.1-216
216.1-288
288.1-360
360.1-432
432.1-504
504.1-576
576.1-648
648.1-720
720.1-792
792.1-864
864.1-936
936.1-985
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2004 2012
Growing more Nesting/Roosting Habitat
0 0.1-72 72.1-144
144.1-216
216.1-288
288.1-360
360.1-432
432.1-504
504.1-576
576.1-648
648.1-720
720.1-792
792.1-864
864.1-936
936.1-985
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2004 Polynomial (2004) 2012
Polynomial (2012)
Growing more Nesting/Roosting Habitat
Owl Surveys
Survey protocol (modified 1992 version)
Night surveys (2-year, 3-visits)
Spot check surveys in year 3
Daytime visits to
territories
Survey Effort
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
5000
3207
2605
2318
2972
3976
3730
2700 2702
1473
4511
3890
47234375
499 540 550
691 654545
493509
137
529
509
645 631
Night Surveys Day Visits
75% Average Spatial Coverage
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
80.00
90.00
How are the owls doing?
Population monitoring Occupancy Reproduction Demography
Environmental factors Habitat Climate Prey base Barred Owls
Occupancy Patterns By Year
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
100
109 106
80
103109 112
120113
79
146
132137
148
2226
36
26
1522
5247
30 38
60
47 4753
7883
70
54
88 87
60
73
83
41
86 8590
95
Total Occupied Total Singles Total Pairs
Occupancy Stable
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
Proportion of occupied sites
Occupancy Modeling
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
Proportion of occupied sites
Incorporates detection probabilities
Density Stable
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130.00
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
0.51
0.59
0.52
0.650.61
0.57
0.69 0.68
0.47
0.77
0.68 0.680.73
0.29
0.36
0.32
0.35 0.340.37
0.42
0.39
0.30
0.48
0.41 0.410.44
0.23 0.230.21
0.300.27
0.20
0.260.29
0.17
0.28 0.27 0.28 0.29
Owls/Sq. Mile Surveyed Total Occupied Terr./Sq. Mile Surveyed Pair/Sq. Mile Surveyed
Reproduction is Cyclic
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20Reproductive Success
Reproductive Success
Repr
oduc
tive
Succ
ess
(Avg
fled
ge/p
air)
Reproduction is Cyclic
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35Reproductive Success
Rainfall
Repr
oduc
tive
Succ
ess
(Avg
fled
ge/p
air)
Early
Sea
son
Rain
fall
(Mar
-Apr
; in)
Early Spring Rainfall A Factor
0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.800.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
Proportion of Rain Days in Early Nesting Season (Mar-Apr)
Prod
uciti
vty
(Mea
n fle
dges
/terr
itory
)
Barred Owl Invasion
Closely related species
Westward range expansion
First detected in CA—1976
Displacing spotted owls
Increasing in Mendocino County
Barred Owl Detections at Spotted Owl Sites
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
1
5 6
11
4
2225
35
47
Trespass marijuana gardens are pervasive
MRC Spotted Owl Summary A focal point of regulations for 25 years
Heavily surveyed and monitored
Core sites protected from disturbance
Conservation program improves owl habitat
Owl population dynamically stable
Unregulated threats more of a concern than timber harvest