Coastal Oregon and Northern Coastal California Populations of the Pacific Marten (Martes caurina) Species Report April 2015 Coastal Marten Species Report CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 1 2. ANALYSIS AREA ................................................................................................................................................... 1 3. SPECIES DESCRIPTION ......................................................................................................................................... 3 4. TAXONOMY ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 5. LIFE HISTORY ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 5.1 TERRITORIALITY .................................................................................................................................................... 7 5.2 ACTIVITY PATTERNS .............................................................................................................................................. 7 5.3 FOOD HABITS AND HABITAT‐PREY RELATIONSHIPS ..................................................................................................... 7 5.4 REPRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 8 5.5 SURVIVORSHIP AND LONGEVITY ............................................................................................................................... 9 5.6 PARASITES AND DISEASE ........................................................................................................................................ 9 5.7 DISPERSAL AND RECRUITMENT .............................................................................................................................. 10 5.8 POPULATION BIOLOGY AND DYNAMICS .................................................................................................................. 11 5.9 INTRA‐GUILD PREDATION AND INTERSPECIFIC COMPETITION ....................................................................................... 13 6. BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................................... 13 6.1 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................................................................................... 13 6.2 PLANT COMMUNITIES ......................................................................................................................................... 14 6.3 LAND OWNERSHIP IN THE ANALYSIS AREA ............................................................................................................... 16 7. HABITAT USE ..................................................................................................................................................... 18 7.1 MICRO‐SCALE HABITAT USE: RESTING AND DENNING HABITAT ................................................................................... 18 7.2 STAND SCALE HABITAT USE .................................................................................................................................. 20 7.3 HOME RANGE HABITAT USE ................................................................................................................................. 22 7.4 LANDSCAPE SCALE HABITAT USE: FACILITATING MOVEMENT, OCCUPANCY AND POPULATION DYNAMICS ........................... 23 7.5 CURRENT LANDSCAPE HABITAT SUITABILITY ............................................................................................................ 26 8. SPECIES STATUS ................................................................................................................................................. 28 8.1 SPECIES DISTRIBUTION ........................................................................................................................................ 28 8.1.1 Historical Distribution (pre‐1980) ........................................................................................................ 28 8.1.2 Current Distribution (1980 to present) ................................................................................................ 29 8.2 POPULATION STATUS .......................................................................................................................................... 33 8.2.1 Delineation of Extant Population Areas ............................................................................................... 33 8.2.1.1 Central Coastal Oregon Extant Population Area (CCO_EPA) ...................................................... 33 8.2.1.2 Southern Coastal Oregon Extant Population Area (SCO_EPA) ................................................... 35 8.2.1.3 Northern Coastal California Extant Population Area (CA_EPA) .................................................. 36 8.3 POPULATION ABUNDANCE AND TREND ................................................................................................................... 38 9. STRESSORS ON COASTAL MARTEN POPULATIONS AND HABITAT ................................................................... 41 9.1 CLASSIFYING STRESSORS ...................................................................................................................................... 41 9.2 REVIEW OF STRESSORS ........................................................................................................................................ 43 9.2.1 Small and Isolated Population Effects ................................................................................................. 43 9.2.2 Activities and Processes Potentially Affecting Marten Populations .................................................... 44 9.2.2.1 Trapping ..................................................................................................................................... 45 9.2.2.2 Predation .................................................................................................................................... 47 9.2.2.3 Disease ....................................................................................................................................... 50 9.2.2.4 Collision with Vehicles ................................................................................................................ 52 9.2.2.5 Exposure to Toxicants ................................................................................................................ 54 9.2.2.5.1 Sources of Toxicants in the Environment .............................................................................. 55 9.2.2.5.1.1 Legal Applications of Anticoagulant Rodenticides ‐ Labeled (Registered) Uses .............. 55 9.2.2.5.1.2 Illegal Applications of Anticoagulant Rodenticides ‐ Marijuana Cultivation Sites ........... 55 9.2.2.5.2 Anticoagulant Rodenticides and other Pesticides Detected in Fishers ................................. 56 9.2.2.5.3 Effects of Anticoagulant Rodenticide Exposure on Individual Coastal Martens and Coastal Marten Populations .................................................................................................................................. 57 April 2015 ii U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Marten Species Report 9.2.3 Activities and Processes Potentially Leading to Habitat Loss, Degradation, or Fragmentation .......... 62 9.2.3.1 Wildfire ....................................................................................................................................... 62 9.2.3.2 Climate Change .......................................................................................................................... 67 9.2.3.3 Vegetation Management ........................................................................................................... 73 9.2.3.4 Development .............................................................................................................................. 77 9.3 EXISTING REGULATORY MECHANISMS AND OTHER MECHANISMS THAT MAY ADDRESS STRESSORS .................................... 78 9.3.1 Federal Laws, Regulations, and Policies .............................................................................................. 78 9.3.1.1 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) ................................................................... 78 9.3.1.2 National Forest Management Act .............................................................................................. 80 9.3.1.3 Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 .................................................................... 81 9.3.1.4 Forest Service and BLM Sensitive Species and rodenticide policy ............................................. 81 9.3.1.5 Forest Service Rodenticide Policy .............................................................................................. 82 9.3.1.6 Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) .................................................................................................. 83 9.3.1.7 National Park Service (NPS) Lands ............................................................................................