LARGE LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT AND BIODIVERSITY. Jon Haufler

Transcription

1 LARGE LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT AND BIODIVERSITY Jon Haufler

2 Landscape An area comprised of a mix of ecosystems 10,000 s to 1,000,000 s of acres

3 Ecosystem Spatially explicit, relatively homogeneous unit that includes all interacting organisms and elements of the abiotic environment within its boundaries Described in terms of key characteristics including species composition, structure (vegetation heights, vertical/horizontal cover, CWD) and disturbance processes (i.e., fire, insects)

4 Landscape Management Increased emphasis over last 15 years Recognition that landscape considerations are essential for biodiversity assessments GIS, remote-sensing, and other tools have improved analysis capabilities Complexities of species movements and climate change Numerous inappropriate methods applied

5 Biodiversity - Background IUCN established in 1948, focus on species Bruntland Commission formed by U.N. General Assembly in 1983, Bruntland report 1987 on sustainable development Convention on Biological Diversity established in early 90 s U.S. signed but never became a party to the convention

6 Definition of Biodiversity U.S. Congress the full range of variety and variability within and among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur: encompasses ecosystems or community diversity, species diversity and genetic diversity

7 ECOSITE A LANDSCAPE ECOSITE C Ecosystem A.1 Ecosystem A.2 Ecosystem A.3 Ecosystem A.4 ECOSITE B Ecosystem B.1 Ecosystem B.2 Ecosystem B.3 Ecosystem C.1 Ecosystem C.2 Ecosystem C.3 Ecosystem C.4 SUBPOP A.1 SUBPOP A.2 SPECIES A GENETICS SPECIES B

8 Species Richness Versus Biodiversity Species richness is not equivalent to biodiversity Species richness at a stand or landscape level can be compared to species richness that occurred historically as a measure if ecological integrity

9 Biodiversity Defined by Historical Reference Biodiversity for a landscape is the ecosystems (plant communities with abiotic sites), species, and genetic composition supported in a landscape prior to major anthropogenic changes (e.g., since European settlement)

10 Forest Certification Programs Biodiversity recognized as important during initial development of forest certification programs Currently listed objectives: FSC: Forest management shall conserve biological diversity and its associated values SFI: Program participants shall conserve biological diversity

11 Current Certification Requirements FSC: maintain, enhance, or restore the biological diversity associated with the mix of successional stages by forest type that would occur across the FMU under natural conditions SFI: Principle 4. To manage forests in ways that protect and promote biological diversity, including animal and plant species, wildlife habitats, and ecological or natural community types

12 2015 SFI language 2015: Objective 4: contribute to the conservation of biological diversity by developing and implementing stand and landscape-level measures that promote a diversity of types of habitat and successional stages, and the conservation of forest plants and animals, including aquatic species, as well as threatened and endangered species, Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value, old growth forests and ecologically important sites.

13 2015: SFI Performance Measure 1.1. Forest management planning at a level appropriate to the size and scale of the operation including: D. biodiversity at landscape scales I. a review of non timber issues (e.g., biological diversity conservation).

14 2015: SFI Performance Measure Program to incorporate the conservation of native biological diversity, including species, wildlife habitats and ecological community types at stand and landscape levels.

15 2015 SFI Performance Measure Working individually or collaboratively to support diversity of native forest cover types and age or size classes that enhance biological diversity at the landscape scale

16 2015: SFI Performance Measure Consider the role of natural disturbances, including the use of prescribed or natural fire where appropriate, and forest health threats in relation to biological diversity when developing forest management plans

17 Habitat versus Ecosystem Habitat- describe and plan for needs of a species Evaluation based on ability to describe species habitat needs and responses to management Ecosystem- considers the types, sizes, arrangements, compositions, structures, and processes of ecosystems Evaluation based on representation of native ecosystem types and diversity within a landscape Both require careful attention to classification, resolution, and data

18 Ecosystem Diversity Component of biodiversity Conservation strategy with a strong scientific foundation Science to support ecosystem restoration activities Provides habitat for all species occurring in the landscape historically

19 Landscape Management Promotes collaboration for biodiversity conservation Identifies desired ecosystem conditions Landscape level - amounts, sizes, distributions Ecosystem level - compositions, structures, processes for representation Uses species to assess the effectiveness of the amounts, sizes, and distributions of native ecosystems and the other matrix conditions that contain these ecosystems

20 USFS 2012 Planning Rule The Planning Rule relies on a conservation strategy for ecological sustainability that calls for maintaining/restoring native ecosystem diversity within a planning area and using species to assess the adequacy of the ecosystem diversity approach

21 Quantify Current Conditions Climate Change Considerations Conduct Management Delineate Landscape Describe Native Ecosystem Diversity Quantify Cumulative Changes Set Goals for Desired Conditions LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT PROCESS Quantify Historical Conditions Conduct Species Assessment Monitor, Evaluate, Adjust

22 Delineate Landscape Landscape should be large enough to provide for ecosystem diversity and its variability over time Should not be too large to preclude classifying ecosystems with a sufficient level of detail Use geo-climatic boundaries where possible to reduce variability in ecosystem diversity

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24 2 primary drivers of historical ecosystem diversity: Ecological sites (abiotic factors - climate, soils, water, etc.; e.g. habitat types, biophysical setting, etc.) Disturbance processes Appropriate classification needed

25 Ecological Site Biophysical Setting Various classification systems available Understand crosswalks Apply at appropriate resolution Existing vegetation doesn t capture abiotic differences R1 BMSC R1 HTG (2005) Ecosites for Jones PVT ADP Habitat Type (Pfister or Cooper) ED R1 Model HTG # Monitor Forest Plans Westside MT & ID groups for landscape assess Groups for ecosystem diversity Groups used in R1 PVT map Fine scale habitat types (potential vegetation types) direct from the literature sources (Pfister or Cooper for Forested types). Potential veg groups SIMPPLLE R1/FNF/Eside N/A Hot Dry pifl 40, 50, 51, 52, 70, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95 A1/NA/A1 pipo 110, 130, 140, 141, 142, 160, 161, 162, 180, 181, 182, PIPO/COST A2/A2/A2 1 Warm & Dry Warm Dry psme1 210, 220, 230 psme2 311, 380 A2/B2/A2 psme3 321 A2/B1/A2 Warm Dry Warm Moist Cool Moist Cold 2 Mod Warm & Dry 3 Mod Warm & Mod Dry 4 Mod Warm & Moist 8 Cool & Wet & 10 Cold Moist to Mod Dry + Mod Warm Dry Mod Warm Mod Dry Mod Warm Moist pipo 170, 171, 172 B1/A2/B1 190 B2/A2/B2 picea 430 B2/NA/B2 abgr1 505, 506, 507, 508 psme2 260, 261, 262, 263, 282, 310, 312, 313 B2/B2/B2 250, 281, 283, 292 B3/B2/B2 280 B3/B2/B2 psme3 360 A2/B1/A2 320, 322, 323, 324, 330, 350, 370 B1/B1/B1 340 B2/B1/B2 abgr2 510, 511, 512, 515, 590, 591, 592 C1/C1/B2 abgr3 523, ABGR/VAME C1/C2/B2 psme2 290, 291, PSME/COST C1/B2/B2 293 B3/B2/B2 abgr3 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 521, 522, 524, 525, 526, 529, ABGR/ATFI C2/C2/B2 thpl Mod Cool & Mod Cool thpl2 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 545, 546, 547, 548 Moist Moist to tshe 565, 570, 571, 572, 573, 574, 575, 576, 577, 578, D1/ D1/D1 Wet 579** 6 Mod Cool & Wet thpl1 540, 541, 542, 550, 560 E1/E1/E1 abla2 620, 621, 622, 623, 624, 625, 660, 661, 662, 670, 671, 673, Cool & Moist Cool Moist tsme1 685, 686, 687 D3/D3/D3 tsme2 680, 682 picea 420, 421, 422, 470 D3/D3/D2 460, 461, 462 D2/D3/D2 abla1 654 D3/E2/D3 610, 630, 635, 636, 637, 650, 651, 652, 653, 655, ABLA/ACRU, ABLA/LEGL, ABLA/DECA, E2/E2/E2 Cool Wet ABLA/Salix, ABLA/VAME 9 Cool & Mod Dry & 10 Cold Moist to Mod Dry + 10 Cold & Moist to Mod Dry Cool Mod Dry to Moist Cold tsme1 675, 677, 676 E2/NA/E2 picea 480 D3/D3/D2 410, 440, PICEA/COST, PICEA/LYAM E2/D3/E2 abla2 663 F1/D3/F1 abla4 693, 674, 694, 730 (ID) 672, 674 F1/NA/F1 picea 450 F1/D3/F1 pico 910, 920, 930, PICO/VAGL F1/F1/F1 950 F2/ NA/F2 tsme2 710, 712 F1/D3/F1 abla3 640, 690, 691, 720 F1/F1/F1 750, 770, 780, 790, 791, 792 F2/F1/F2 abla3 692, 731, 732, 730 (MT) F1/F1/F1 733 D3/F1/D3 abla4 810, 831, 832, G1/G1/G1 tsme2 841, 842 G1/D3/G1 tsme3 840 (ID) G1/NA/G1

26 Ecological Sites- SWCC Landscape

27 Historical Disturbance Patterns

28 MODERATELY WARM DRY/VERY LARGE TREE Example canopy cover classes OPEN* MODERATE *OPEN = 10-40% cc MODERATE = 40-60% cc CLOSED= >60% cc CLOSED

29 COOL AND MOIST/LARGE TREE Example canopy cover classes OPEN* MODERATE *OPEN = 10-40% cc MODERATE = 40-60% cc CLOSED= >60% cc CLOSED

30 Non-lethal Mix - A Mix - B Lethal

31 Describe Historical Ecosystem Diversity Describe each ecosystem in terms of composition, structure, and processes, and describe variation in amounts, sizes, and distributions of each ecosystem within the landscape over a defined historical timeframe

32 Cumulative Change Analysis Historical/ Native Ecosystem Conditions Today s Ecosystem Conditions Cumulative Change

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34 Historical Stand Conditions Current Stand Conditions

35 Cumulative Changes Fire Regimes Mean HRV vs. Today (% of acres)

36 Non-Lethal Fire Regime x Ecosite HRV vs. Today (acres) MEAN HRV TODAY HOT DRY WARM-DRY WARM-MOIST MOD WARM- DRY MOD WARM- MOIST COOL-DRY COOL-MOIST COLD-DRY COLD-MOIST

37 MS-A Fire Regime x Ecosite HRV vs. Today (acres) MEAN HRV TODAY HOT DRY WARM-DRY WARM-MOIST MOD WARM- DRY MOD WARM- MOIST COOL-DRY COOL-MOIST COLD-DRY COLD-MOIST

38 MS-B Fire Regime x Ecosite HRV vs. Today (acres) MEAN HRV TODAY HOT-DRY WARM-DRY WARM-MOIST MOD WARM- DRY MOD WARM- MOIST COOL-DRY COOL-MOIST COLD-DRY COLD-MOIST

39 Lethal Fire Regime x Ecosite HRV vs. Today MEAN HRV TODAY HOT DRY WARM-DRY WARM-MOIST MOD WARM- DRY MOD WARM- MOIST COOL-DRY COOL-MOIST COLD-DRY COLD-MOIST

40 Species Assessment Important to understand T&E and other species status- historical, current, and future under planned management directions Evaluates effectiveness of ecosystem diversity and other habitat conditions at landscape scales

41 Flammulated owl - Historical

42 Flammulated owl - Current

43 Flammulated Owl - Future

44 Habitat-based species viability results - flammulated owl Number of home ranges Home Range Quality Historical Conditions Current Conditions Future Conditions High ( ) 2, Mod (< ) 1, ,114 Low (< ) 1,702 2,032 2,166

45 Snowshoe hare Historical

46 Canada lynx - Historical

47 Snowshoe hare - Current

48 Canada lynx - Current

49 Habitat-based species viability results Canada lynx Home Range Quality Historical Conditions Current Conditions Future Conditions High ( ) Mod (< ) Low (< )

50 Working Lands within Landscapes Different views on the responsibilities of private working lands Overall landscape condition and support of biodiversity a shared goal Working lands can make major contributions to biodiversity conservation considered at landscape levels 250 million acres of SFI lands significant contributor to landscapes for biodiversity

51 Landscape Management Considerations Collaboration Support for representation of native ecosystem diversity Responsibilities for landscape assessments Data sharing Balancing proprietary information Planning for effects of climate change

52 LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT RESULTS FOREST PLAN DEVELOPMENT

53 Summary Landscape management and biodiversity are critical aspects of forest management planning and forest certification Ecosystem diversity is a central component of both biodiversity and landscape management Working landowners, especially those in forest certification programs, are critical to landscape management and biodiversity conservation