United States Department of Agriculture Draft Conservation Strategy for the California Spotted Owl Version 1.0 Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region February 2018 In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. 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Photo from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Draft Conservation Strategy Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................1 Section 1. Guiding Principles ........................................................................................................................2 Section 2. Vision and Desired Conditions .....................................................................................................3 Section 3. Goals and Objectives ....................................................................................................................3 Section 4. California Spotted Owl Ecology and Threats ...............................................................................5 Geographic Range .....................................................................................................................................5 Population Trends .....................................................................................................................................5 California Spotted Owl Ecological Areas of Significance ........................................................................7 Core Nesting and Roosting Habitat – Protected Activity Centers .........................................................7 Territory .................................................................................................................................................8 Home Range ..........................................................................................................................................9 Habitat Selection .......................................................................................................................................9 Dietary Habits .........................................................................................................................................11 Threats .....................................................................................................................................................12 Altered Disturbance Regimes ..............................................................................................................12 Forest Management .............................................................................................................................14 Climate Change ...................................................................................................................................16 Barred Owls .........................................................................................................................................17 Noise Disturbance ...............................................................................................................................18 Contaminants .......................................................................................................................................19 Section 5. Past, Current, and Future Habitat Conditions .............................................................................20 Environmental Context ...........................................................................................................................21 Current Conditions Relative to Historic Conditions ...............................................................................22 Driving Forces .....................................................................................................................................22 Climate ................................................................................................................................................23 Forest Conditions ................................................................................................................................23 Variability across Spatial Scales .........................................................................................................27 Fire and Ecological Function ...............................................................................................................31 California Spotted Owl Populations and designated habitat ...............................................................33 Barred owl Populations .......................................................................................................................34 Future Conditions ....................................................................................................................................35 Climate Drivers ...................................................................................................................................35 Projected Effects on California Spotted Owl Habitat and Forest Characteristics ...............................35 California Spotted Owl Populations ....................................................................................................36 Using Natural Range of Variation Information in this Document ..........................................................37 Section 6. Process for Developing Draft Conservation Measures ...............................................................38 Section 7. Conservation Measures ..............................................................................................................39 Strategy 1. Conserve Key California Spotted Owl Habitat and Habitat Elements .................................39 Strategy 2. Restoration of Resilient Forest Conditions Guided by the Natural Range of Variation ......49 Strategy 3. Minimize Other Threats (Barred Owls, Disease, Rodenticides) ..........................................60 Strategy 4. Foster Climate Adaptation of California Spotted Owls and Their Habitat ...........................61 Section 8. Monitoring and Adaptive Management ......................................................................................62 Population and Habitat Monitoring .........................................................................................................62