Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

III.C. The Recovery Plan1. OverviewThe recovery plan strategy is based on the principles stated in section III.B.The plan has three main components: establishing designated conservationareas (DCAs) on federal lands; managing the remaining federal land, referred toas the matrix: and encouraging contributions from nonfederal lands.Federal LandsThe network of DCAs follows guidelines developed by Thomas et al. (1990).The DCAs provide for local population centers, or clusters, of reproductivepairs. It is anticipated that birth and survival rates in these clusters normallywill equal or exceed death rates, allowing the clusters to serve as source areasfor owls. The clusters are arranged across the federal landscape to meet, asnearly as possible, the principle that northern spotted owls should be recoveredacross their entire range and the full variety of ecological conditionswithin that range.DCAs will be managed to improve owl habitat. Thinning and other silviculturalpractices will be used to accelerate development of suitable habitat in areasthat are currently unsuitable. Such management, however, will be used onlywhere existing and new studies and data indicate that the development ofsuitable conditions could be accelerated. Salvage of dead trees in standsaffected by large-scale disturbances also may take place, but only where thatsalvage will have a positive or neutral effect on owl habitat. Additional managementactivities are recommended in DCAs where there is significant risk oflarge-scale habitat destruction by fire, wind, insects, or disease. Detailedguidelines for management in DCAs are in section III.C.2.Outside the DCAs, it is recommended that federal forestlands be managed toallow dispersal of owls among DCAs. These forests are called the matrix,following the terminology established by Thomas et al. (1990). Dispersal ofowls among DCAs is important to replace owls that die and to avoid loss ofgenetic diversity. This is important under normal circumstances, when individualowls die, and unusual circumstances, when there is large-scale disruptionof the population.Federal matrix lands also will provide habitat to supplement DCAs in areaswhere existing conditions preclude achievement of the goals for size andspacing of DCAs. These areas of additional habitat are called reserved pairareas. Specific criteria were used to determine where they should be delineated(section III.C.2.).In the eastern Washington Cascades, large-scale habitat disturbances arelikely, due to fire and insect outbreaks. These disturbances are a significantthreat to the sparse spotted owl population in that area. To reduce the risk,the plan recommends providing habitat for additional owl pairs and territorialsingle owls outside of DCAs. The plan also recommends managing these areasto reduce risk of fire and insect damage.105