Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

To treat them most effectively, treatment should begin early in the life ofthe stand when they are most "plastic", before crowns become short andstands become susceptible to wind damage, insects, and diseases. Failureto treat stands before they become too dense will reduce options for futuretreatments and will delay substantially the development of stand structuresused by owls.7. To maintain uneven-size/age stand structure in many northern Californiaand eastern Cascades forests and to keep ponderosa pine in these forests,it will be necessary to make openings and to thin dense stands or parts ofstands. Thinning also will help relieve disease and insect problems inthese forests.8. In fire-prone areas in northern California, southern Oregon, and theeastern Cascades, where natural fire has been excluded, there may beshort-term habitat improvement. However, in the long term these standsmay be destroyed by fire if fuel loading and the potential for severe wildfireare not reduced.9. Seedlings and saplings of shade-tolerant conifers and hardwoods needed toform multistory stands will be present in some stands as advanced regeneration.In other stands, it will be necessary to control dense shrub/hardwood understories to attain regeneration by planting or seeding.489