Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

hemlock forests and the lower elevation lodgepole/ponderosa pine areas. Mostof the owls' range in this province is in federal and Indian ownership, althoughthere is some state and private land at the southern end of the province.Low Populations. The population of owls in this province is very low, primarilydue to the inherently low potential for suitable habitat and due to theextent of timber harvest where habitat does exist. Only 163 pairs of owls werefound in this province based on 1987 to 1991 surveys, with 89 percent of theowl sites on federal lands. The only area in the province where owl pairs occurin moderate numbers and distribution is within the Mt. Hood National Forest.Federal lands in this province have been fairly well surveyed for owls, and theWarm Springs Reservation was surveyed in 1991. As a result of these surveys,an estimated 80 to 90 percent of the owl sites are known in the province.Demographic information for owls in this province is limited and no long-termstudies have been undertaken.Major threats to the owl population reflect viability concerns related to thegenerally poor distribution and low numbers of owl sites, and the inability toprovide suitable habitat conditions over the long-term (due to changes inforest-tree species composition and large fires).Limited Habitat. Because of natural limitations of the landscape it will bedifficult to achieve habitat conditions where large clusters of owls (i.e., 20 ormore pairs) can be sustained. The alternative is to provide for smaller clusters,relatively near one another, where current or potential habitat exists. Fairlycontiguous (although fragmented) habitat conditions exist from the ColumbiaRiver south to the Metolius River at the southern end of the Warm SpringsReservation. Current and potential habitat south of the Metolius River generallyoccurs in blocks less than 4,000 acres in size, isolated from one another by4 to 25 miles.Distribution of Habitat and Populations. Most spotted owl habitat in theeastern Oregon Cascades exists on the Mt. Hood and Deschutes NationalForests, the Klamath District of the Winema National Forest, and on the WarmSprings Reservation. Based on surveys from 1987 through 1991, 70 owl pairsare known in the Mt. Hood National Forest, 16 pairs in the Warm SpringsReservation, 30 pairs in the Deschutes National Forest, and 37 pairs in theWinema National Forest. Eleven pairs are found on BLM lands west of KiamathFalls, and three pairs in Crater Lake National Park.With the exception of the Mt. Hood National Forest, habitat and owls are poorlydistributed throughout the province. Natural conditions (e.g., soils, moistureconditions), past fire history, and timber harvest have contributed to theisolated nature of habitat and owls in this province.Predation and Competition. No surveys for great homed owls, goshawks, orbarred owls have been undertaken in this province. Incidental observationssuggest that great homed owls are numerous, and that goshawks are morecommon in this province than in the other Oregon provinces. From 1980through 1991, barred owls have been observed at 27 locations within theprovince; at 17 sites on the Mt. Hood National Forest, one site on the WarmSprings Reservation, and at nine sites on the Winema National Forest.Province Isolation. Due to high-elevation subalpine and nonforested conditionsalong 40 percent of the Cascade crest, the eastern Oregon Cascadesprovince is relatively isolated from the western Cascades province. Theseconditions pose a barrier for owls in the vicinity of the Three Sisters Mountains,and from Willamette Pass south to about 25 miles south of the southernboundary of Crater Lake National Park.55