Rapid Ecological Assessment for the Upper Wolf River Fishery Area A Rapid Ecological Assessment Focusing on Rare Plants, Selected Rare Animals, and High-quality Natural Communities Properties included in this report are: Upper Wolf River Fishery Area Oxbow Rapids, Upper Wolf River State Natural Area Wisconsin’s Natural Heritage Inventory Program Bureau of Endangered Resources Department of Natural Resources P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707 February 2012 PUB-ER-835-2012 Acknowledgments We extend our appreciation to Gary Bartz, property manager at Upper Wolf River Fishery Area; David Seibel, Fisheries Biologist; Pam Freeman-Gillen, Forester; Ryan Brown, Forestry Technician; Richard Weide, Wildlife Biologist; Eric Borchert, Wildlife Technician; and Kate Fitzgerald for their support and assistance throughout the project. Funding for this project was provided by the Bureau of Facilities and Lands, the Endangered Resources Fund, and Sport Fish Restoration Funds. Primary Author: Richard Staffen Contributors: Julie Bleser – data management Tyler Brandt – bats Gary Emerson – bats Drew Feldkirchner – report contributions Doug Fields – community ecology, rare plants Bob Hay – herptiles Dawn Hinebaugh – maps Terrell Hyde- zoology data processing, report contributions Christina Isenring – community ecology, inventory coordination, report contributions Heather Kaarakka – bats Ryan Magana – community ecology, report editing Ryan O’Connor – botany and ecology data processing Stacy Rowe – ecology data processing William A. Smith – zoology Elizabeth Slavinski - maps Amy Staffen – report editing Rich Staffen – zoology data processing, passerine birds and raptors Todd Thayer – herptiles Roland Wang – report contributions Paul White - bats Cover Photo: Rocky Rips Rapids at Upper Wolf River Fishery Area. Photo by: Richard Staffen Upper Wolf River Fishery Area 2 Table of Contents Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 6 Purpose and Objectives.................................................................................................................... 6 Overview of Methods ...................................................................................................................... 6 Background on Past Efforts ............................................................................................................. 9 Special Management Designations ................................................................................................ 10 Regional Ecological Context...................................................................................... 12 Regional Biodiversity Needs and Opportunities............................................................................ 13 Rare Species of the Superior Coastal Plain and Northwest Lowlands Ecological Landscapes..... 14 Description of the Study Area.................................................................................... 16 Location and Size........................................................................................................................... 16 Ecoregions ..................................................................................................................................... 16 Physical Environment .................................................................................................................... 18 Vegetation...................................................................................................................................... 20 Rare Species and High Quality Natural Communities of the Upper Wolf River Fishery Area ................................................................................................................ 26 Management Considerations and Opportunities for Biodiversity Conservation... 31 High Conservation Value Forests .................................................................................................. 34 Ecological Priorities for SGCN ..................................................................................................... 34 Priority Conservation Actions........................................................................................................ 34 Wisconsin’s Statewide Forest Strategy.......................................................................................... 35 Natural Community Management Opportunities........................................................................... 36 Invasive Plants ............................................................................................................................... 36 Primary Sites: Site-specific Opportunities for Biodiversity Conservation............. 39 Future Needs ............................................................................................................... 41 Glossary....................................................................................................................... 42 Species List ................................................................................................................. 44 Reference List ............................................................................................................. 47 Additional Resources ................................................................................................. 51 Upper Wolf River Fishery Area 3 List of Figures Figure 1: Location of the Upper Wolf River Fishery Area...........................................................................9 Figure 2: Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin and the study area............................................................12 Figure 3: Landtype Associations for the area comprising the Upper Wolf River Fishery Area. ...............17 Figure 4: Vegetation for the study area prior to Euro-American settlement. Data are from Finley (1976)..........................................................................................................................................................21 Figure 5: Landcover for the Upper Wolf River Fishery Area from the Wisconsin DNR Wiscland GIS coverage (WDNR 1993)..............................................................................................................................25 Figure 6: NHI Locations of Northern Wet-mesic Forests in Wisconsin.....................................................32 Figure 7: Primary Sites of the Upper Wolf River Fishery Area..................................................................40 List of Tables Table 1. Major Natural Communities Management Opportunities in the North Central Forest Ecological Landscape....................................................................................................................................................14 Table 2. Major Natural Communities Management Opportunities in the Forest Transition Ecological Landscape....................................................................................................................................................14 Table 3. Listing Status for rare species in the North Central Forest Ecological Landscape ......................14 Table 4. Listing Status for rare species in the Forest Transition Ecological Landscape.............................14 Table 5. Documented rare species and high-quality natural communities for the Upper Wolf River Fishery Area..............................................................................................................................................................26 Table 6. Invasive Plants detected in the Upper Wolf River Fishery Area during 2011 Biotic Inventory......................................................................................................................................................37 Appendices A. Natural Heritage Inventory Methods Overview and Working List Explanation B. Map of Conservation Opportunity Areas for the North Central Forest and Forest Transition Ecological Landscapes C. Descriptions for Rare Species and High Quality Natural Communities Documented on the Upper Wolf River Fishery Area D. Upper Wolf River Fishery Area Species of Greatest Conservation Need E. Primary Sites within the Upper Wolf River Fishery Area and Table of Rare Species Listed by Primary Site Upper Wolf River Fishery Area 4 Upper Wolf River Fishery Area At a Glance Exceptional Characteristics of the Study Area Rare Animals and Plants. The diverse terrestrial and aquatic habitats of Upper Wolf River Fishery Area (UWRFA) support numerous rare species. Fifty-five rare animal species are known from the UWRFA, including seven State Threatened species, and forty-eight Special Concern species. Two rare plants are also known from the project area. Coniferous Forests. The coniferous forest types of the UWRFA add significantly to the biodiversity found on the property. Some structural attributes associated with old growth forests exist in the Northern Mesic and Northern Wet-mesic Forests in the UWRFA. Ephemeral Ponds are common in the Northern Mesic Forests supporting important breeding habitat for invertebrates and herptiles. The three designated scenic areas, along the Wolf River, contain high-quality, mature coniferous forests serving to protect the outstanding aesthetic quality of this ecosystem, but also provide habitat for rare species and enhance water quality.