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NATIONAL FORESTS IN THE SIERRA NEVADA: A CONSERVATION STRATEGY AUGUST 2012 National Forests in the Sierra Nevada: A Conservation Strategy Recommended Citation: Britting, S., Brown, E., Drew, M., Esch, B., Evans, S. Flick, P., Hatch, J., Henson, R., Morgan, D., Parker, V., Purdy, S., Rivenes, D., Silvas-Bellanca, K., Thomas, C. and VanVelsor, S. 2012. National Forests in the Sierra Nevada: A Conservation Strategy. Sierra Forest Legacy. August 27, 2012. Available at: http://www.sierraforestlegacy.org Preparation This strategy was developed by a team of scientists and resource specialists from a variety of conservation organizations. The following individuals led the literature review and synthesis and worked with colleagues to develop the recommendations for specific topic areas. Contributor Affiliation Contribution Susan Britting, Ph. D. Sierra Forest Legacy Editor, planning and integration, landscape connectivity, aquatic ecosystems (co-lead), species accounts Emily Brown Earthjustice Adaptive management Mark Drew, Ph. D. California Trout Aquatic ecosystems (co-lead) Bryce Esch The Wilderness Society Species accounts Steve Evans Friends of the River Wild and Scenic Rivers Pamela Flick Defenders of Wildlife Species at risk Jenny Hatch California Trout Invasive species, species accounts Ryan Henson California Wilderness Coalition Wilderness and roadless area protection Darca Morgan Sierra Forest Legacy Old forests, forest diversity, species accounts Vivian Parker Sierra Forest Legacy Species accounts, copy editing Sabra Purdy University of California, Davis Species accounts Don Rivenes Forest Issues Group Special areas Karina Silvas Bellanca Sierra Forest Legacy Fire management Craig Thomas Sierra Forest Legacy People and the Sierra Nevada, reviewer Stan VanVelsor The Wilderness Society Travel management Front Cover Photos (clockwise from upper left): Old growth red fir, California Native Plant Society Managed fire, Karina Silvas Bellanca Pacific fisher, Rick Sweitzer, SNAMP Fisher Project Middle Fork Stanislaus River, John Buckley California spotted owl, Sheila Whitmore Production: Sierra Forest Legacy (www.sierraforestlegacy.org) National Forests in the Sierra Nevada: A Conservation Strategy i CONTENTS I. Introduction I-1 II. People and the Sierra Nevada II-1 III. Planning A. Planning Process and Integration III.A-1 B. Adaptive Management and Monitoring III.B-1 IV. Resource Area A. Restoring Fire as an Ecological Process IV.A-1 B. Structural Diversity of Forests and Adjacent Habitats IV.B-1 C. Maintain and Restore Old Forest Habitats and Associated Species IV.C-1 D. Restore and Maintain Aquatic Ecosystems IV.D-1 E. Conservation of Species at Risk IV.E-1 F. Species Movement and Habitat Connectivity IV.F-1 G. Management of Invasive Species IV.G-1 H. Travel Management IV.H-1 I. Protecting Roadless Areas and Recommending New Wilderness Areas IV.I-1 J. Wild and Scenic Rivers: Evaluation and Recommendation IV.J-1 K. Special Interest Areas and Research Natural Areas IV.K-1 Appendix A Species Assessments and Conservation Measures Appendix B Summary of Special Status Species Appendix C Wild and Scenic Rivers: Status of Evaluations and Comprehensive River Management Plans Appendix D Status of Special Interest Areas and Research Natural Areas August 27, 2012 National Forests in the Sierra Nevada: A Conservation Strategy ii August 27, 2012 National Forests in the Sierra Nevada: A Conservation Strategy I. Introduction to the Conservation Strategy I-1 INTRODUCTION TO THE Nevada bioregion in ways not previously anticipated. CONSERVATION STRATEGY Land management planning on national forest lands OVERVIEW in the Sierra Nevada offers a critical opportunity to define biologically appropriate protection and California is the most biologically diverse state in restoration strategies in this diverse region. With the nation. Compared to other states, California has approximately 40 percent of the region comprised the greatest number of plant species and the most of national forest lands, the Forest Service is the endemic species – plants and animals that occur largest land manager and oversees eleven national only in California. The California Floristic forests covering approximately 11.5 million acres. Province, which includes the Sierra Nevada, has Thoughtful and forward thinking planning has the been designated as a global biodiversity hotspot by potential to positively influence a significant portion Conservation International, The Nature of the region. It is also timely to undertake a Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund. comprehensive review of biological resources in the Floristic diversity in the California Floristic region. Management activities on national forest are Province is highest in the Sierra Nevada and governed by their respective forest plans. The forest Transverse ranges (Richerson and Lum 1980). The plans are intended to have a life time of about 15 rich biological diversity and high endemism are the years. The forest plans for the national forests in the result of adaptation and evolution in response to the Sierra Nevada were first adopted in the mid to late highly varied topography, climate zones, fire 1980s. Collectively, these forest plans have been regime, geology, and soils found in the Sierra amended three times since first adopted, and they Nevada. The region contains one of the most are now ripe for a thorough review and revision. biologically diverse temperate conifer forests on the Forest Service leadership is in agreement with the planet, with 27 different species of conifers and need to revise the forest plans. The agency, in July over 3,000 vascular plants, 400 of which only occur 2012, released a draft revised forest plan for the in the Sierra Nevada (Centers for Water and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and began in Wildland Resources 1996). About 300 species of 2012 the process to revise three other forest plans terrestrial vertebrates, including mammals, birds, (Inyo, Sierra, and Sequoia national forests). The reptiles, and amphibians use the Sierra Nevada as a Forest Service has adopted an ambitious schedule to significant part of their range, with an additional revise a forest plan within three years of initiating 100 species occupying the bioregion as a minor part the process. of more extensive ranges elsewhere (Id.). In anticipation of the public dialogue about forest One hundred thirty-five plant species and sixty-nine planning, our coalition developed the following terrestrial vertebrate species found predominantly in conservation strategy for the national forests in the the Sierra Nevada are considered at risk by state or Sierra Nevada. The purpose of the strategy is to federal agencies (Id.). These species are threatened identify issues we believe to be a high priority to by a variety of stressors – California's rapid pace of address during the process of revising forest plans development, habitat loss, habitat degradation, new and to suggest specific tools, methods, or actions to pathogens, competition from introduced invasive resolve or address these issues. species, and disruption of essential ecological processes such as fire. The additional stress from expected changes in future climate and the synergy among stressors are likely to affect the Sierra August 27, 2012 National Forests in the Sierra Nevada: A Conservation Strategy I. Introduction to the Conservation Strategy I-2 OUR FOUNDING PRINCIPLE:ECOLOGICAL needs. Rather, social and economic structures must SUSTAINABILITY fit within the biological system. This view has been characterized by Hart (1999), USDA Forest Service The concept of sustainability is central to any (2010) and others as strong sustainability. Strong discussion of resource management (Orr 2002). The sustainability “acknowledges that the human term generally suggests positive value in our economy depends on people and social interaction. culture, yet sustainability holds a highly variable Society, in turn, cannot exist outside the meaning within various interest groups. While there environment which provides the basic necessities is no universally agreed upon definition of for people to exist: air, food, water, energy, and raw sustainable management, the term is used widely materials” (USDA Forest Service 2010). throughout the world to support the need for improved management. Our values, in a broad sense, have been recorded in mottos such as "the greatest good for the greatest Commonly, the culture of resource management number in the long run" and "caring for the land and depicts decisions in a framework of social, serving people," and in the Forest Service mission economic and ecological choices framing the land statement: "Sustain the health, diversity, and manager’s decision space. Such “three-legged productivity of the Nation's forests and grasslands stool” characterizations perpetuate the myth that to meet the needs of present and future humanity is outside the biological system versus generations." What’s missing is an understanding of limited by it (Dawe and Ryan 2003). The discipline the impossible demands of an overgrown population of conservation biology correctly argues that we are on a finite resource base—the American wildlands biological organisms living in a biologically defined are in retreat, largely degraded and lack resilience and limited planet. The ecosystem is the foundation due to unfettered economic demands and, until upon which social structures and economic systems recently, the absence of enlightened ecological are built, and while important,