Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT
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Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

soda.sou.edu
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10.07.2015 Views

away in some or all of the range. During that time, the monitoring and researchprogram will have a vital function producing the information needed forchanging and improving the implementation of the recovery plan. The processof using such information to refine management over time has been formalizedas adaptive management (Holling 1978, Walters 1986). In this recovery plan,the objective of adaptive management is to improve the biological and economicefficiency of the plan while maintaining or increasing the level of protection forowls over time.Successful use of adaptive management requires a carefully planned structureof monitoring, research, management reviews, and management refinement.The questions to be answered by monitoring and research must be designedspecifically to provide information needed by management, and there should becheckpoints or trigger points that would initiate technical or administrativereviews, possibly resulting in management changes. As part of this structure,it is helpful to divide questions into three categories:* Implementation questions - Was management direction implemented asspecified?* Effectiveness questions - Did the actions have the effects projected in therecovery plan?* Validation/research questions - Are critical assumptions used in buildingthe recovery plan correct?All three categories of information must be collected for adaptive managementto be effective. Implementation monitoring assures that implementing mechanismsare operating correctly and provides the basis for oversight. It is necessaryto know that the plan was implemented correctly before effectivenessmonitoring can be meaningful. Effectiveness monitoring provides the basis fordetermining if the primary effects predicted for the plan are occurring (e.g., ishabitat becoming less fragmented within DCAs?). It provides the basis fordeciding if some change is needed should the plan produce outcomes differentfrom predictions. Validation monitoring and research provide informationneeded to determine if the key underlying assumptions of the plan are correct(e.g., that reproductive success of owls is related to the level of fragmentation ofhabitat). Validation monitoring is extremely important because it tells if achange in the recovery plan is necessary and what type of change might beappropriate. Without validation monitoring, it is possible to know that achange is needed but not know what type of change would be appropriate.Validation monitoring clearly represents a blend of scientific research andmonitoring and is successful only when aimed at specific management questions.The most important implementation, effectiveness, and validation monitoringquestions follow.Implementation monitoring questions.1. Are DCAs being established on the ground following maps and guidelinesfrom the recovery plan?2. Are activities inside DCAs being implemented according to guidelinescontained in the recovery plan? Have the land-managing agencies producedspecific plans and guidance for activities in each of the DCAs?3. Are matrix management guidelines being followed?Effectiveness monitoring questions.Habitat responses.1. Do DCAs contain the target numbers of total acres and habitat acres?2. Are activities inside DCAs producing the predicted forest structure overtime?202

3. Are activities in stands in the forest matrix producing the predicted foreststructure over time?4. Are desired landscape conditions being maintained over time in the matrix?5. Are habitat trends and causes of those trends as predicted?Owl population responses.1. Do DCAs provide for predicted numbers of breeding owl pairs?a. Does each DCA provide for the predicted number?b. What proportion of DCAs falls above and below the predicted number?2. Are owls moving successfully among DCAs?3. Is the trend in numbers inside and outside the DCAs as predicted?4. Are owls using created habitats inside and outside DCAs? What specificstructural conditions are being used by owls and for what functions?Validation monitoring/research questions.Dispersal studies.1. How well do various habitat conditions provide for dispersal of owls?2. How well do various spacing distances among DCAs provide for dispersal ofowls?3. What is the type of use and relative degree of use of various habitat conditionsby dispersing owls?Spotted owl ecological relationships and population dynamics.1. What is the range of forest structural conditions used by owls? How doowls use those conditions and what is the relative degree of use?2. What are the specific stand features that influence the type and degree ofowl use? These may include forest structure, species composition, amountand distribution of coarse woody debris, and number and distribution ofsnags.3. How are owl reproductive success and survivorship related to habitatconditions, amount, distribution, and rate of change?4. How are owl reproductive success and survivorship related to local populationsize?Owl habitat relationships and management.1. What is the influence of various management practices on forest standcomposition and structure?2. How do individual owls respond to management practices and resultingstand conditions within home ranges?3. How do owl populations respond to management practices and resultingstand conditions within landscapes composed of multiple home ranges?4. What are efficient and repeatable techniques for assessing habitat conditionsat the stand and landscape scale?Economics.1. What are the costs and returns of various silvicultural practices that couldbe used to develop or sustain suitable habitat conditions?2. How would various types of incentive systems operate to encourage landownercontribution to recovery?Owl prey; prey relationships; and competitive relationships.1. How do owl diets influence owl survivorship and reproductive success?2. What are the patterns of abundance of principal prey species? How arethey related to habitat conditions?3. How do prey species respond to management practices and resulting standconditions within owl home ranges?203

3. Are activities in stands in <strong>the</strong> <strong>for</strong>est matrix producing <strong>the</strong> predicted <strong>for</strong>eststructure over time?4. Are desired landscape conditions being maintained over time in <strong>the</strong> matrix?5. Are habitat trends and causes of those trends as predicted?<strong>Owl</strong> population responses.1. Do DCAs provide <strong>for</strong> predicted numbers of breeding owl pairs?a. Does each DCA provide <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> predicted number?b. What proportion of DCAs falls above and below <strong>the</strong> predicted number?2. Are owls moving successfully among DCAs?3. Is <strong>the</strong> trend in numbers inside and outside <strong>the</strong> DCAs as predicted?4. Are owls using created habitats inside and outside DCAs? What specificstructural conditions are being used by owls and <strong>for</strong> what functions?Validation monitoring/research questions.Dispersal studies.1. How well do various habitat conditions provide <strong>for</strong> dispersal of owls?2. How well do various spacing distances among DCAs provide <strong>for</strong> dispersal ofowls?3. What is <strong>the</strong> type of use and relative degree of use of various habitat conditionsby dispersing owls?<strong>Spotted</strong> owl ecological relationships and population dynamics.1. What is <strong>the</strong> range of <strong>for</strong>est structural conditions used by owls? How doowls use those conditions and what is <strong>the</strong> relative degree of use?2. What are <strong>the</strong> specific stand features that influence <strong>the</strong> type and degree ofowl use? These may include <strong>for</strong>est structure, species composition, amountand distribution of coarse woody debris, and number and distribution ofsnags.3. How are owl reproductive success and survivorship related to habitatconditions, amount, distribution, and rate of change?4. How are owl reproductive success and survivorship related to local populationsize?<strong>Owl</strong> habitat relationships and management.1. What is <strong>the</strong> influence of various management practices on <strong>for</strong>est standcomposition and structure?2. How do individual owls respond to management practices and resultingstand conditions within home ranges?3. How do owl populations respond to management practices and resultingstand conditions within landscapes composed of multiple home ranges?4. What are efficient and repeatable techniques <strong>for</strong> assessing habitat conditionsat <strong>the</strong> stand and landscape scale?Economics.1. What are <strong>the</strong> costs and returns of various silvicultural practices that couldbe used to develop or sustain suitable habitat conditions?2. How would various types of incentive systems operate to encourage landownercontribution to recovery?<strong>Owl</strong> prey; prey relationships; and competitive relationships.1. How do owl diets influence owl survivorship and reproductive success?2. What are <strong>the</strong> patterns of abundance of principal prey species? How are<strong>the</strong>y related to habitat conditions?3. How do prey species respond to management practices and resulting standconditions within owl home ranges?203

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