Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

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

10.07.2015 Views

Amphibians and Reptiles: Larch Mountain salamander, Van Dyke'ssalamander, Oregon slender salamander, Siskiyou Mountain salamander,Del Norte salamander, Dunn's salamander, Olympic salamander(four species), Pacific giant salamander, Cope's giant salamander, tailedfrog, sharptail snake, western pond turtle.Fishes: bull trout, coastal sea run cutthroat, tidewater goby.The Recovery Team suggests additional surveys, inventory, and research forthese species, based on what is known about their current status (see AppendixD tables).Arthropods and molluscs are two major groups of organisms in the region forwhich there is little information and a great need for status reviews, surveys,and research. Neither group has been surveyed adequately throughout therange of the northern spotted owl, and many species are not described ornamed. Any assessment of their status will require considerable effort andshould be approached through broad-scale inventories aimed at assessingspecies composition and distribution. In addition, surveys of the amphibiansin the Pacific Northwest currently are inadequate to assess the status of manyof their populations. This is particularly important, because many of theamphibians have restricted distributions, limited dispersal capabilities, andhigh genetic variability, which are characteristics of species that become rareand eventually are listed as threatened or endangered. Much of the existinginformation on the abundance of amphibians in different ages of coniferousforests is presented by Ruggiero et al. (1991), and other limited studies on thissubject.The amount of research that has been conducted on the major groups oforganisms considered here varies widely. Although there are numerouspublications on birds, mammals, and fishes in forested landscapes in thePacific Northwest (see Appendix D), there is much less information on molluscsand arthropods. Information is lacking on distributions, abundance, andhabitat relationships of amphibians, because they are not surveyed easily. TheForest Service's "Old-Growth Forest Wildlife Habitat Research Program" publishedby Ruggiero et al. (1991) presents an extensive data base on birds,mammals, amphibians, and plants in unmanaged forests of the Pacific Northwest.These studies provide a valuable information base on the abundanceand habitat relationships of these groups of organisms in young, mature, andold-growth forests. However, similar information is needed on intensivelymanaged forests at rotation age. In addition, information is needed on theresponse of plants and animals to various silvicultural prescriptions includingselective harvests, uneven-aged management, long rotations, green tree retention,and snag management in these forests.There is a lack of information on the taxonomy, distribution, and abundance ofarthropods in different forest types throughout the Pacific Northwest. Accordingto scientists at Oregon State University (Lattin and Moldenke pers. comm.),many of these organisms have not been described or named, and little isknown about their distribution or abundance across the landscape and indifferent forest conditions. Likewise, definitive information on the distributionand abundance of molluscs in different forest types is lacking, and many ofthese species are sensitive to land use practices that alter the microclimatesupon which they depend (Frest and Johannes 1991). Similar statements canbe made about salamanders (Beatty et al. 1991).226Among the birds and mammals, several species are large and very mobile, andwere not sampled adequately by the sampling designs of Ruggiero et al. (1991),nor have they been studied intensively elsewhere. More information is neededabout their abundance and habitat relationships in various forest types and

their response to different silvicultural treatment. These species include themarbled murrelet, goshawk, Vaux's swift, fisher, marten, and wolverine. Otherspecies, like the red tree vole, white-footed vole, and forest deer mouse areeither rare or have behavioral traits that make them particularly difficult tostudy. These species should be the focus of further study, either individuallyor in community studies.A number of other important research areas probably could be identified.However, the intent here is to highlight some obvious gaps in the informationbase on the relationship of plants and animals to different forest conditionsthroughout the Pacific Northwest. A more complete list of research topicscould be developed by a group dedicated to this purpose.227

<strong>the</strong>ir response to different silvicultural treatment. These species include <strong>the</strong>marbled murrelet, goshawk, Vaux's swift, fisher, marten, and wolverine. O<strong>the</strong>rspecies, like <strong>the</strong> red tree vole, white-footed vole, and <strong>for</strong>est deer mouse areei<strong>the</strong>r rare or have behavioral traits that make <strong>the</strong>m particularly difficult tostudy. These species should be <strong>the</strong> focus of fur<strong>the</strong>r study, ei<strong>the</strong>r individuallyor in community studies.A number of o<strong>the</strong>r important research areas probably could be identified.However, <strong>the</strong> intent here is to highlight some obvious gaps in <strong>the</strong> in<strong>for</strong>mationbase on <strong>the</strong> relationship of plants and animals to different <strong>for</strong>est conditionsthroughout <strong>the</strong> Pacific Northwest. A more complete list of research topicscould be developed by a group dedicated to this purpose.227

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!