FINAL SPECIES REPORT Fisher (Pekania Pennanti), West Coast Population

FINAL SPECIES REPORT Fisher (Pekania pennanti), West Coast Population U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE (Service) March 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 ABBREVIATIONS USED .......................................................................................................................................... 6 SPECIES DESCRIPTION .......................................................................................................................................... 8 TAXONOMY ............................................................................................................................................................... 8 LIFE HISTORY .......................................................................................................................................................... 9 Reproduction ................................................................ 9 Natural Causes of Mortality ..................................................... 10 Survivorship ................................................................ 11 Recruitment ................................................................ 12 SPACING PATTERNS AND MOVEMENT .......................................................................................................... 12 Home Range and Territoriality ................................................... 12 Dispersal .................................................................. 13 Food Habits ................................................................ 15 HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS .................................................................................................................................... 15 Habitat Models .............................................................. 21 DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE .................................................................................................................... 25 Prehistorical and Historical Distribution across the Range of the Species...................... 25 Current Distribution Outside of the Analysis Area ..................................... 26 Distribution within the Analysis Area .............................................. 28 Lines of Evidence for Past and Current Distributions of Fishers ............................ 29 Past (1896 to 1993) and Current Distribution within the Analysis Area ....................... 31 Current Distribution of Populations (1993 to Present) ................................... 37 Northern California-Southwestern Oregon (NCSO) ..................................... 38 Southern Sierra Nevada ....................................................... 40 Current Distribution of Reintroduced Populations ..................................... 40 Olympic Peninsula .......................................................... 41 Southern Oregon Cascades ..................................................... 41 Northern Sierra Nevada ....................................................... 41 Washington Cascades ........................................................ 41 Population Status ............................................................ 42 Northern California-Southwestern Oregon ........................................... 42 Southern Sierra Nevada ....................................................... 48 Reintroduced Populations ..................................................................................................................................... 50 Olympic Peninsula ............................................................................................................................................... 51 Southern Oregon Cascades ................................................................................................................................. 52 Northern Sierra Nevada ...................................................................................................................................... 52 Reintroduction Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 53 2 REVIEW OF STRESSORS ...................................................................................................................................... 53 Definition of Terms ................................................................................................................................................ 54 Classification of Stressors ..................................................................................................................................... 54 Stressors Related To Habitat Loss and Fragmentation...................................................................................... 58 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 58 Historical loss of late-successional forest from past activities and disturbances ................................................ 60 1.0 Wildfire, Emergency Fire Suppression Actions, and Post-Fire Management Actions ................................. 62 1.1 Wildfire ...................................................................................................................................................... 62 1.2 Emergency Fire Suppression Activities ..................................................................................................... 67 1.3 Post-Fire Management Activities .............................................................................................................. 68 1.4 Fuels Reduction Treatments ...................................................................................................................... 68 1.5 Stressors Related to Wildfire in Each of the Analysis Area Sub-regions ................................................. 69 1.6 Conservation Measures that May Reduce Impacts of Fire Effects ............................................................ 76 1.7 Wildfire Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 77 2.0 Forest Insects and Tree Diseases ................................................................................................................. 77 3.0 Climate Change ............................................................................................................................................ 78 3.1 Temperature ............................................................................................................................................... 80 3.2 Precipitation ............................................................................................................................................... 82 3.3 Climate change effects on fisher habitat .................................................................................................... 83 3.4 Summary of new information regarding climate change effects on fisher habitat ..................................... 86 3.5 Effects of changes in disturbance regimes in fisher habitat ....................................................................... 89 3.6 Summary of the Effects of Climate Change on Fisher Habitat .................................................................. 91 3.7 Conservation Measures to Address Climate Change ................................................................................. 95 3.8 Climate Change Effects on Fisher Habitat—Conclusion .......................................................................... 97 4.0 Vegetation Management ............................................................................................................................... 98 4.1 Re-analysis of Vegetation Management Data Used in the Draft Species Report ..................................... 98 4.2 Analysis of the Best Available Vegetation Management Data (Includes New Information).................... 99 4.3 Summary and conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 108 5.0 Development ............................................................................................................................................... 111 6.0 Linear Infrastructure .................................................................................................................................. 113 Conservation measures to reduce the stressors related to habitat or range of the species ............................ 115 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Habitat Conservation Plans ............................................................................. 115 Other Conservation Measures ........................................................................................................................... 117 Summary of Stressors Related to Habitat Loss and Fragmentation .................................................................. 122 Stressors Related to Direct Mortality of Fishers ............................................................................................... 125 7.0 Trapping and Incidental Capture ............................................................................................................... 125 8.0 Research Activities.....................................................................................................................................

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