Peter H. Singleton John F. Lehmkuhl USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Wenatchee Forestry Sciences Lab
Talk Overview: Wildlife community associated with MMC Considerations for wildlife associated with MMC: Broad-, Meso-, and Fine-scale Wildlife and moist mixed-conifer forest restoration Conclusions & take-home messages
Listed Federal T&E: Northern Spotted Owl Grizzly Bear Gray Wolf Lynx Sensitive Species Total ~38 species of birds, mammals, amphibians, or reptiles designated as state or federal endangered, threatened, candidate, or species of concern
Economically Important: Elk Mule Deer Black Bear Migratory songbirds Ecological Keystones: Cavity nesters Small mammals Herbivores Insectivorous birds Invasive Species: Barred Owl
Cattle & Elk Wild ungulates, particularly Elk, can have a substantial impact on vegetation structure and composition Elk Only Cascading effects of herbivory can contribute to changes in the animal community and fire regimes No Grazing From: Riggs et al 2000. Modification of Mixed-Conifer Forests by Ruminant Herbivores in the Blue Mountains PNW-RP-527.
Townsend s Chipmunk Yellow Pine Chipmunk
Trap Probability of Occupancy Occupancy within 10 ha Stands 1 0.9 Townsend s 0.8 Chipmunk 0.7 0.6 0.5 Townsend s Yellow Pine Yellow Pine Chipmunk 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 (Dry) Proportion Grand Fir (Moist) Swauk Pine Spotted Owl Prey Study Area Singleton et al. Sept. 2013 unpublished data
Multi-species Assessments: Thomas et al. 1979. Wildlife Habitats in Managed Forests: the Blue Mountains of Oregon and Washington. USFS Ag. Handbook No. 553. Wisdom et al. 2000. Source Habitats for Terrestrial Vertebrates of Focus in the Columbia Basin. PNW-GTR-485. Johnson & O Neil 2001. Wildlife Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington. OSU Press. Suring et al. 2011. Assessing the sustainability of terrestrial wildlife species through land management planning: a case study. Journal of Wildlife Management 75:945-958. Wales et al. 2011. Focal species assessment for the Blue Mountains forest plan revision. On file: Wallowa-Whitman NF. Gaines et al. In Press. Terrestrial Species Assessments for the National Forests in NE Washington. PNW-GTR-XXX.
Reduced relative to historic range: Open-canopy large-tree forests Early seral, post-fire, & shrub-steppe Consistent with historic range: Multi-story old forest Increased relative to historic range: Small/medium-tree closed-canopy forest But local conditions are important: Most post-fire habitat is concentrated in a few watersheds that have experienced large-scale, high-intensity fire Some watersheds have multi-story, old forest amounts well below historic conditions Impacts of human activities (grazing, roads, recreation, etc.) reduce population viability for some species From: Gaines et al. In Press; Suring et al. 2011; Wales et al. 2011
Habitats Within Habitat Multi-scale habitat Selection: Canada Lynx Example Based on: Johnson 1980. The Comparison of Usage and Availability Measurements for Evaluating Resource Preference. Ecology 61:65-71.
Different MMC stand development stages provide different habitat features Recently Disturbed: Highest spp. diversity & abundance High elk summer forage productivity Deciduous vegetation for migratory birds Young Forest: Lower spp. diversity & abundance Small mammal & big game security Old Forest: Higher spp. diversity & abundance Defects, logs & snags provide nest & den structures Diverse understory vegetation and fungal community provide abundant food for small mammals
Stand structure habitat characteristics of MMC Big old trees (live and dead) are particularly important stand structure components they provide unique features (cavities, platforms, etc.), they take a long time to replace when they are removed, and they provide important habitat functions across all of the stand development stages From: Van Pelt 2008. Wa DNR
Juxtaposition and configuration of habitat elements Animals need to be able to access all of the habitat elements to meet their life-history needs: food, water, shelter, space, & security. Natural range of variability is a guide, but not a prescription, for the conditions native animals are adapted to. 1 Mile
Juxtaposition and configuration of habitat elements Landscapes with mixedseverity fire regimes had highly fragmented patch patterns, providing lots of spatial and structural diversity. Sustainability of special habitat features needs to be considered in the context of landscape-scale disturbances. Landscapes after large-scale, high-intensity disturbances can be greatly simplified. 1 Mile Chumstick Valley & Entiat Ridge, OWNF
Species distributions, metapopulation function, and range shifts Species distribution is determined by regional gradients in climate, topography, soils, and vegetation, in conjunction with Patterns of human land use: residential development, agriculture, and transportation networks From: Singleton et al. 2002. Landscape permeability for large carnivores in Washington. PNW-RP-549.
Structural Connectivity: the configuration or arrangement of patches on the landscape Functional Connectivity: how the landscape supports the flow of specific ecological processes (e.g. animal movement, fire) Functional connectivity does not necessarily mean big patches, particularly in mixed-severity fire regime landscapes Experimental corridors at Savannah River, South Carolina (Damschen et al 2006) Google Earth image along the North Fork of the John Day River, Oregon
Small-scale, low-intensity disturbances can enhance structural and spatial diversity Mistletoe brooms Mixed-severity fire Spotted owl nest site, OWNF Large-scale, high-intensity disturbances simplify landscapes High-severity fire Bark beetles Davis Fire, Deschutes NF
Maintaining a conveyor belt or shifting mosaic of stands coming into old forest conditions is key Large grand fir contribute important habitat functions in some stands, but their lifespan is limited Deschutes NF
Restoration treatments generally don t change species diversity, but can impact species abundance by favoring species associated with more open canopy and more understory vegetation diversity Small mammal biomass generally increased after fuel reduction treatments at FFS study sites (Converse et al. 2005) Thinning at FFS study sites had little effect on bird species richness, but did impact abundance: mountain chickadees declined, pygmy nuthatches increased (Hurteau et al. 2008), cavity nester foraging increased (Lyons et al. 2008)
Maintaining spatial and structural heterogeneity is a key principle for maintaining habitat values
Monitoring and adaptive learning
Different stand development stages provide different habitat structures and resources: Recently disturbed high productivity and diversity Young forest security cover, old forest in waiting Old forest big trees, snags, logs, diverse canopy Moderate-scale, moderate-intensity disturbances (including pathogens and fire) create stand structures and landscape patterns that contribute to habitat values; but large-scale, high-intensity disturbances can simplify landscapes. Biological legacies (including big old trees, snags, and logs) provide important habitat structures across all stages of stand development. Recent assessments have reported reductions in early-seral, open forest, and post-fire habitats compared to historical conditions, but old forest characteristics are hardest to replace when they go away, and local patterns are important. Restoration treatments can have a variety of effects on wildlife populations, generally favoring those species associated with more open canopy conditions. Retaining spatial and structural heterogeneity is a key principle for forest restoration. Loss of old forest structures to large-scale, high-intensity wildfire is a concern for all old forest species.