Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

practices may be able to show how such conditions can be created or improvedin the forestlands reserved for owl habitat. Each measure for increasing owlhabitat productivity should be evaluated to determine whether it would costless than the economic benefits from the additional timber harvest that couldbe allowed if it were implemented. If those measures that cost less are implemented,the total cost of achieving recovery will be reduced.It appears that, in general, the total area and connectivity of owl habitat willneed to be increased to achieve recovery. Some younger forestlands that donot currently provide good owl habitat will need to be added to the overalllandscape devoted to the owl. Measures that accelerate the development ofyounger forestlands into good owl habitat may be able to promote more rapidrecovery and reduce the amount of forestlands that must be reserved toachieve recovery.It also may be possible that, as new habitat is added, some areas of old-growthdevoted to support of the owl population early in the recovery process can beharvested, perhaps by using selective harvest techniques instead of clearcutting.As younger forests develop into suitable habitat, they could be substitutedfor equivalent old-growth areas previously reserved for the owl. Timberharvest could then occur in the old-growth areas that had been replacedinstead of in younger forests with lower timber yields. To the extent that theeconomic benefits from harvesting timber in the younger forests would havebeen lower than in the old-growth that could be harvested, this process wouldreduce the total cost of recovery.C. Joint Production PossibilitiesA recovery plan may be able to achieve recovery at lower cost by preserving orproducing owl habitat areas that also contribute to the preservation of otherspecies that are candidates for being listed as threatened or endangered andneed similar conservation measures. If timber harvest will need to be restrictedto preserve other species as well as the owl, there may be opportunitiesto reduce the total costs of wildlife preservation by using areas capable ofsupporting a variety of species rather than using separate habitat areas foreach species. Economists regard such opportunities as joint productionpossibilities.A recovery plan also may be able to achieve recovery at lower costs by preservingor producing owl habitat areas that contribute to the provision of valuableservices, such as recreation. Recreation is an important use of forestland, onethat has brought increasing demand for restrictions on timber harvesting.There may be opportunities to reduce the total cost of providing forestland forhabitat and recreation by identifying areas where the opportunities for jointproduction are greatest.In the long run, it may prove possible to provide owl habitat using measuresthat also provide for the growth and harvest of timber in the same areas.Although much attention has been focused by previous plans such as the ISC'sstrategy on the prohibition of all timber harvest in owl habitat areas, selectiveharvesting of timber in existing suitable habitat may be able to provide timberwhile also preserving essential habitat conditions. If the effectiveness of suchpractices can be demonstrated, these selective harvesting practices can beused to reduce the economic and social costs of achieving recovery. Suchpossibilities need to be identified and tested to determine the extent they canbe used to reduce the total cost of owl recovery.538