Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests REVISED DRAFT Forest Assessments: Identifying and Assessing At-Risk Species March 2018
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United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests REVISED DRAFT Forest Assessments: Identifying and Assessing At-Risk Species March 2018 American marten observed resting in a northern goshawk nest, in a lodgepole pine-Engelmann spruce forest on the Gunnison Ranger District. Biologists were visiting the goshawk nest site to check for occupancy and found this marten instead. 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Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected] (link sends e-mail). USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests REVISED DRAFT Forest Plan Assessments: Identifying and Assessing At-Risk Species Contents Contents ........................................................................................................................................................ i Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 Assessment 5 Development Process ........................................................................................................ 2 Summary Public Input ............................................................................................................................ 4 Use of Best Available Science ............................................................................................................... 5 Information Gaps ................................................................................................................................... 6 Scale of Analysis Area ........................................................................................................................... 6 Federally Recognized Species .............................................................................................................. 7 Chapter 2. Conditions and Trends: Key Ecosystems and Characteristics ........................................... 9 Terrestrial Ecosystems .............................................................................................................................. 9 Alpine Uplands; Alpine Rocky Slopes, Screes, Cliffs .......................................................................... 10 Montane-Subalpine Grasslands .......................................................................................................... 12 Montane Shrubland, Oak-Serviceberry-Mountain Mahogany ............................................................. 13 Sagebrush Shrubland .......................................................................................................................... 14 Desert Alluvial Saltshrub ...................................................................................................................... 16 Spruce-Fir ............................................................................................................................................ 16 Spruce-Fir-Aspen ................................................................................................................................. 18 Aspen ................................................................................................................................................... 19 Bristlecone-Limber Pine ....................................................................................................................... 21 Cool-Moist Mixed Conifer .................................................................................................................... 22 Warm-Dry Mixed Conifer ..................................................................................................................... 23 Lodgepole Pine .................................................................................................................................... 24 Ponderosa Pine ................................................................................................................................... 25 Pinyon-Juniper ..................................................................................................................................... 26 Riparian and Wetland Ecosystems ......................................................................................................... 28 Fens ..................................................................................................................................................... 28 Montane-Alpine Wet Meadows and Marshes ...................................................................................... 29 Montane-Subalpine Riparian Shrublands ............................................................................................ 31 Montane-Subalpine Riparian Woodlands ............................................................................................ 31 Cottonwood Riparian Woodlands ........................................................................................................ 32 Aquatic Ecosystems ................................................................................................................................ 32 Rivers and Streams ............................................................................................................................. 33 Lakes and Reservoirs .......................................................................................................................... 34 Special Habitat Features ......................................................................................................................... 35 Caves and Mines ................................................................................................................................. 35 Non-Alpine Rock Outcrops and Cliffs .................................................................................................. 36 Snags and Down Woody Material ....................................................................................................... 37 Substrates ............................................................................................................................................ 38 Prey ...................................................................................................................................................... 39 Risk Factors ............................................................................................................................................. 39 Small and Isolated Populations ........................................................................................................... 40 Climate Change ................................................................................................................................... 43 i USDA Forest Service Insects and Disease............................................................................................................................. 45 Intentional Mortality .............................................................................................................................. 47 Habitat Fragmentation ......................................................................................................................... 48 Invasive or Non-Native Terrestrial Species ......................................................................................... 49 Livestock and Wildlife Grazing, Browsing, and Trampling .................................................................. 50 Hard Rock Mining ................................................................................................................................ 50 Non-Native Fish ................................................................................................................................... 51