1975 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report PNW-38 This file was created by scanning the printed publication. Text errors identified by the software have been corrected; however, some errors may remain. Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture Portland, Oregon Abstract Research Natural Areas are examples of typical and distinctive natural ecosystems and habitats reserved for scientific and educational use. This outline of the minimal Research Natural Area system needed to provide adequate field laboratories for ecological, en\’ironmen- * tal, and land management research was developed by an interinstitutional, interdisciplinary working group. Natural area needs were first described on the basis of individual organisms, habitats, or ecosystems which should be represented. These “cells,” the basic building blocks in defining the total scope of the system, considered terrestrial and aquatic environments as well as rare and endangered species. Identified cells were matched against existing Research Natural Areas to determine which were already filled. The remaining, unfilled cells were then tenta- tively grouped as units which were listed as Research Natural Area needs. A minimal Research Natural Area system for Oregon and Washington requires approxi- mately 360 tracts which, in turn, incorporate over 770 individual cells (ecosystems, habitats, or organisms). Since 60 Research Natural Areas are already established, about 300 additional areas are needed. These remaining needs were assigned a priority (low,medium, or high) based on importance and degree to which they are endangered, as well as identified as to the Federal, State, or private agency or institution most likely to be able to provide a tract of that type. The purpose of Research Natural Areas, their place in land planning, history of Research Natural Area activities in the Pacific Northwest, and general observations and recommenda- tions on unresolved problems are also outlined. Keywords: Research Natural Area, scientific preserves, natural ecosystems, endangered species, Oregon, Washington. USDA Forest Service General Technical Re,port PNW - 38 RESEARCH NATURAL AREA NEEDS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST A Contribution To Land-Use Planning C. T. Dyrness, Jerry F. Franklin, Chris Maser, Stanton A. Cook, James D. Hall, and Glenda Faxon Report on Natural Area Needs Workshop November 29- December 1, 1973, Wemme, Oregon 1975 PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOREST AND RANGE EXPERIMENT STATION U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE PORTLAND, OREGON ii FOREWORD Research Natural Areas are important elements in land-use plans. They may be called Research Natural Areas, Nature Preserves, Range Reference Areas, or simply Natural Areas. They are tracts on which natural features are preserved in as nearly an undisturbed state as possible for scientific and educational purposes. Natural areas serve as a standard or baseline for comparison with areas influenced by man, as tracts for ecologcal and environmental study, and as reserves to protect typical as well as rare and endangered organisms. As baseline areas, field laboratories, and genetic reservoirs, they serve the scientist, the resource manager, and the public. In the Pacific Northwest there has long been a steadily increasing interest in preserving typical and unique examples of the natural environment by the Federal Agencies, by the States of Oregon and Washington, and by various private groups and professional societies. However, a random accumulation of reserved tracts will not provide the representative system of Re- search Natural Areas needed. Coordination is required among the various groups to avoid unnecessary duplication and still preserve examples of all important terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Thus, one purpose of this guide. Providing additional impetus to preparation of this guideline is the trend toward com- prehensive land-use planning by Federal agencies and State and local government. I view the product as an important contribution to this planning process by alerting land planners to the value of Research Natural Areas and to the ecosystems lacking adequate representation in existing Research Natural Areas. This guideline describes a minimal system of natural areas for Oregon and Washington. It is a working tool that will require revision as progress is made and as new information becomes available. This effort should not be viewed as a mandatory guide; it is a blueprint for coordina- tion among the participants. This guide was prepared under the overall direction of a steering committee whose members have long experience in administering programs involving renewable natural re- sources. More than 30 scientists made up the working group that prepared the basic plan, and several dozen reviewers offered valuable comment. However, the final responsibility for its adequacy rests with me and with the authors. We invite your comment and inquiry. ROBERT E. BUCKMAN Director Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station iii iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A very large number of people contributed to this report at one time or another. For example, over 100 people reviewed the manuscript and most made suggestions. Obviously, it is impossible to mention each by name, but we sincerely appreciate the effort expended by each reviewer. Those who participated in the Natural Area Needs Workshop are recognized elsewhere in the report. Members of the steering committee and workshop participants are shown in appendix VII. However, many additional people made substantial contributions following the workshop during preparation of the review draft and this revised version of the report. In the following lists we will attempt to acknowledge these contributions. Because so many have been involved, it is, of course, likely that some who should be listed are inadvertently omitted. For this, we apologize. Robert L. Fernald (University of Washington) organized a followup marine and estuarine workshop in November 1974, in order to improve lists of Research Natural Area needs along the coasts of Oregon and Washington. Those attending and making substantial contributions to the revised lists include Austin Pritchard, Vicki Osis, and Chris Bayne (Oregon State Universi- ty); Laimons Osis (Oregon Fish Commission); and R. L. Bacon (University of Oregon). Other valuable suggestions were offered by J. J. Gonor, R. Waaland, R. Norris, T. Mumford, Peter Taylor, Peter Frank, Paul Rudy, R. T. Paine, and Carter Broad. Those making substantial contributions to the list of rare and endangered animal species include Carl Bond and Robert Storm (Oregon State University), and Murray Johnson and Gordon Alcorn (University of Puget Sound). In addition, Murray Johnson kindly allowed the use of his unpublished “Terms Related to Populations and Survival Status of Mammals.” Arthur Kruckeberg (University of Washington) and Jean Siddall (The Nature Conser- vancy), both workshop attendees, led the effort in compiling lists of plants of special interest in Oregon and Washington. Kenton Chambers (Oregon State University) shared data from his Oregon list of endangered plants, and C. Leo Hitchcock (University of Washington) was of major help in identifying special plants in Washington. Others who made contributions to the Oregon plant lists include Molly Grothaus, Frank McMullen, Lois Kemp, Ruth Hopson Keen, Bert Brehm, Calvin Burt, Russell Ofstadt, Ronald Burnett, Dorothy Marshall, Donald Kroeker, George Jeffcot, Lawrence Crocker, Frank Lang, Frank Secock, Roy Godfrey, Libby Pinkham, Diane Meyer, Ireta Kirkhofer, Jerry Strickler, Ruth Strong, and Ralph Anderson. Glenn Juday wrote most of the section describing the Oregon State Natural Area Preserves Program. Information pertaining to the Washington State Natural Preserves Advisory Commit- tee was supplied by A. R. O’Donnell and Gordon D. Alcorn. Charles Wellner of Moscow, Idaho, provided extensive assistance in preparation of the material on the Okanogan Highlands. We sincerely appreciate the help and encouragement of all these people. V Vi CONTENTS Page PART I . BACKGROUND ...................................................... 1 Nature. Purpose. and Management of Research Natural Areas ................... 1 History of Research Natural Area Program in Oregon and Washington ........... 3 Federal Activities ........................................................... 3 The State of Washington .................................................... 9 The State of Oregon ........................................................ 9 The Nature Conservancy .................................................... 10 Professional Societies ....................................................... 13 Development of the System Outline ............................................ 13 Workshop Format and Charge ............................................... 13 Operation of the Workshop ................................................. 15 The Cellular Approach to Developing Research Natural Area Needs ............ 15 PART I1. RESEARCH NATURAL AREA NEEDS BY PROVINCE ................ 16 Olympic Peninsula and Southwestern Washington Province ....................... 20 Puget Trough Province. Washington ........................................... 31 Western Slopes and Crest Province. Washington Cascades ........................ 39 Eastern Slopes Province. Washington Cascades .................................. 50 Columbia Basin Province. Washington .........................................