APPENDIX D OLD-GROWTH HABITAT CONSERVATION STRATEGY, WILDLIFE STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES, AND WILDLIFE VIABILITY Appendix D Appendix D Old-Growth Habitat Conservation Strategy, Wildlife Standards and Guidelines, and Wildlife Viability CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................... D-1 2. OLD-GROWTH HABITAT CONSERVATION STRATEGY .............................................................. D-2 2.1. Historical Background of the Conservation Strategy ........................................................... D-2 2.1.1. Overview................................................................................................................. D-2 2.1.2. Habitat Reserve Approach ..................................................................................... D-2 2.1.3. VPOP Strategy ....................................................................................................... D-3 2.1.4. Pacific Northwest Research Station Review.......................................................... D-3 2.1.5. VPOP Response .................................................................................................... D-5 2.2. The 1997 Old-Growth Conservation Strategy...................................................................... D-6 2.2.1. Forest-wide Habitat Reserve Network ................................................................... D-6 2.2.2. Matrix Management.............................................................................................. D-10 2.2.3. Analysis of the 1997 Old-Growth Strategy ........................................................... D-13 2.3. Modifications to the Strategy between 1997 and 2007...................................................... D-17 2.4. New Relevant Science since 1997 .................................................................................... D-19 2.4.1. Conservation Strategies....................................................................................... D-19 2.4.2. Species-Specific Science..................................................................................... D-22 2.5. Modifications to the Strategy under 2008 Forest Plan Amendment .................................. D-26 2.5.1. Changes to Forest-wide Reserve Network (coarse-filter approach).................... D-27 2.5.2. Changes to Standards and Guidelines (fine-filter approach)............................... D-30 3. WILDLIFE VIABILITY RATINGS..................................................................................................... D-51 3.1. Historical Background for Tongass Viability Ratings ......................................................... D-51 3.2. Description of the 1995/1996 and 1997 Panel Assessment Process................................ D-52 3.2.1. Panel Process ...................................................................................................... D-52 3.2.2. Concepts of Viable and Well Distributed Populations.......................................... D-53 3.3. Summary of 1995/96 and 1997 Panel Assessment Results for Wildlife............................ D-55 3.3.1. Northern Goshawk ............................................................................................... D-55 3.3.2. American Marten .................................................................................................. D-58 3.3.3. Alexander Archipelago Wolf................................................................................. D-63 3.3.4. Brown Bear........................................................................................................... D-65 3.3.5. Other Terrestrial Mammals................................................................................... D-68 3.3.6. Marbled Murrelet .................................................................................................. D-73 3.4. New Science Relevant to Wildlife Viability Assessment Since 1997................................. D-77 3.5. Application of Panel Assessments to the 2008 FEIS Alternatives..................................... D-79 3.5.1. Northern Goshawk ............................................................................................... D-79 3.5.2. American Marten .................................................................................................. D-82 3.5.3. Alexander Archipelago Wolf................................................................................. D-83 3.5.4. Brown Bear........................................................................................................... D-83 3.5.5. Other Terrestrial Mammals................................................................................... D-84 3.5.6. Marbled Murrelet .................................................................................................. D-84 3.6. Alternative Approach to Viability Evaluation for Alternative Comparison .......................... D-85 4. CONCLUSIONS REGARDING THE 2008 FOREST PLAN AMENDMENT.................................. D-87 4.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ D-87 4.2. Forest-wide Reserve Changes .......................................................................................... D-87 4.3. Standards and Guidelines Changes .................................................................................. D-88 4.4. Summary and Conclusions ................................................................................................ D-90 5. REFERENCES CITED.................................................................................................................... D-91 Final EIS D-iii Conservation Strategy, Wildlife S&Gs, and Viability Appendix D LIST OF TABLES Table D-1. Analysis of the Range of Island Sizes across the Tongass National Forest and the Amount of Productive Old-Growth at Potential Risk (in 1997)......................................... D-15 Table D-2. Summary of Changes in Suitable Acres due to Forest Plan Amendments that Produce the 2007 Forest Plan.......................................................................................................................................... D-18 Table D-3. Summary of Acreages in Reserves and Matrix under the 2007 and the 1997 versions of the Forest Plan ............................................................................................................. D-18 Table D-4. Summary of Productive Old-Growth Acreage in Reserves, Protected in the Matrix, and Suitable for Timber Harvest in 2008.......................................................................... D-19 Table D-5. Summary of Acreages in Reserves and Matrix under the Alternatives compared with the Forest Plan in 1997 .................................................................................................... D-29 Table D-6. Estimated Acreage and Percentage of All Existing POG, High-Volume POG, and SD67 POG in Reserves and Matrix Lands (minimum protected vs. maximum harvested) by Alternative................................................................................................. D-30 Table D-7. Number of VCUs where the Proposed Legacy Standard applies, compared with the number of VCUs where the Goshawk and Marten Standards apply, by Biogeographic Province............................................................................................................................ D-41 Table D-8. Summary of POG Protection under Alternatives 5 and 6. ............................................... D-46 Table D-9. Northern Goshawk Panel Results .................................................................................... D-57 Table D-10. American Marten Panel Results....................................................................................... D-60 Table D-11. Alexander Archipelago Wolf Panel Results...................................................................... D-64 Table D-12. Brown Bear Panel Results ............................................................................................... D-67 Table D-13. Widely Distributed Mammals Panel Results .................................................................... D-70 Table D-14. Endemic Mammals Panel Results ................................................................................... D-71 Table D-15. Marbled Murrelet Panel Results....................................................................................... D-75 Table D-16. Relationship of 2008 Alternatives to 1997 Alternatives for Use in Rating 2008 Alternatives in Terms of Panel Assessments................................................................... D-80 Table D-17. Viability Ratings (likelihood of maintaining habitat to support viable and well distributed populations) assigned to the 2008 Alternatives based on the Equivalent Panel Assessment Ratings from the 1995/1997 Panel Assessments ............................. D-81 Table D-18. Goshawk Viability Ratings for the 2008 Alternatives Relative to the 2007 Forest Plan... D-82 Table D-19. Risk Indices associated with the joint probability that any (i.e., at least one) wildlife species among those evaluated would become restricted to refugia or be extirpated .... D-86 Conservation Strategy, D-iv Final EIS Wildlife S&Gs, and Viability Appendix D 1. INTRODUCTION This appendix provides a description of the background, rationale, and assumptions, for the changes