 |
Photo Courtesy USDA Forest Service
Stewardship project funds supported the constuction of watering holes for wildlife. Guzzlers are vital for survival, especially during droughts. |
Oregon’s stewardship success
Since 2003, the wildlife in Deschutes and Ochoco national forests in central Oregon have benefited from a series of long-term stewardship contracts and agreements granted by the Bureau of Land Management and USDA Forest Service. The program allows private contractors and non-profit organizations such as the NWTF to step in and offer on the ground help in managing habitat for wildlife.
Check out three stewardship projects the NWTF is doing on the national forests, all involving the restoration of aspen and ponderosa pine habitats on more than 3,500 acres. You’ll see that even though “turkey” is part of the NWTF name, many species of wildlife thrive as a result of the restoration.
Aspen’s Last Stand
Approximately 70 percent of all wildlife species in the West exist in high-moisture habitats such as aspen stands, yet aspen habitats are declining rapidly across the western United States. Experts estimate that as little as 5 percent of the aspen range present in the late 1800s still exists today.
The South Aspen Stewardship project on the Paulina Ranger District of the Ochoco National Forest was completed in 2006. It was the first stewardship project done with the USDA Forest Service and involved the rehabilitation of two stands of aspen trees, totaling 11 acres.
The loss of aspen habitat has put species like the red napped sapsucker, Lewis woodpecker and red-eyed vireo in peril.
The causes for aspen decline include competition with conifer trees, lowered water tables due to erosion and overgrazing by animals. The project primarily addressed aspen/conifer competition by removing conifer tress less than 21 inches in diameter. The cut conifers were used as saw timber and pulpwood for paper. The removal of fir and pine trees allowed sunlight to reach the forest floor, promoting growth of ground vegetation to provide forage and attract insects for turkey poults and other wildlife.
Aspen stands are important turkey brood habitat as well as rearing sites for Rocky Mountain elk calves and mule deer fawns.
Westside Story
Also in 2006, the NWTF took the lead on a project in the Crooked River National Grassland called the Westside Stewardship. The project area is known by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as the Metolius Deer Winter Range and contains some of the highest densities of wintering mule deer in the state.
The project aims to rehabilitate ponderosa pine and shrub-grassland habitats from the effects of long-term fire exclusion. Without the natural fire cycle, western juniper has greatly increased in density and distribution, which robs resources from ponderosa pine and reduces the diversity of insects and plants. The stress on ponderosa pine stands reduces seed production, which, in turn, reduces a major turkey mast crop, and makes the ponderosa pines more susceptible to insect damage.
The restoration of native habitat is also important as many wildlife species are declining or extirpated. The area was once the stomping ground of both the Columbia sharp-tailed and the greater sage grouse. Both species have been proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act.
When fire played an active role in the area, the landscape was dominated by sagebrush and native bunch grasses. Now, juniper trees dominate, making it useless for many wildlife species. The loss of sagebrush and grass has also affected animals such as the California bighorn sheep, burrowing owl, sage and vesper sparrows, and the horned lark.
The Westside projects will remove all juniper trees less than 125 years old on about 30,000 acres in the next 10 years. The NWTF is using a contractor to recycle the immense volume of juniper wood for firewood and biomass for generating power. The Federation is also working with companies to develop juniper-based wood pellets used in modern wood stoves, pet bedding and for custom saw logs.
To date, the NWTF has completed work on 2,000 acres of habitat there.
 |
Photo Courtesy USDA Forest Service
Trees cut down for habitat improvement were used for firewood, biomass and lumber. Nothing was wasted. FYI > Other partners working on the central Oregon stewardship projects include the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Portland General Electric and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. |
Flymon’s TSI Project
The NWTF’s newest project in the area is the Flymon Stewardship Project on the Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest. This project is rehabilitating ponderosa pine stands affected by the loss of natural fire cycles. Long-term plans target approximately 10,000 acres over a 10-year period.
In 2009, work began on the first 250-acre unit with another three treatment units approved for 2010. Treatments include removing conifer trees less than 21 inches in diameter to reduce stress on ponderosa pine and incense cedar stands. Less competition means healthier ponderosa pines, better seed production and improved forage resources for the local wild turkey population.
However, the project included retaining small dense clumps of conifer trees to provide cover for deer and elk, and restore habitat for several species of small birds and mammals.
Mature, open ponderosa pine stands are nearly as rare as aspen stands in the West. Only 10 percent of mature ponderosa pine stands exist compared to 150 years ago. Many non-game species that use ponderosa pine habitats are also in serious decline, including the white-headed woodpecker, the flammulated owl, pygmy nuthatch and chipping sparrows.
A local contractor is using the wood removed from this project for firewood, saw logs and biomass. Nothing is wasted, and wildlife will flourish.
Future Stewardship
With Oregon at the forefront of conservation through stewardship, the NWTF hopes to expand its efforts in Washington and Idaho. The successes of the stewardship projects in central Oregon have benefited efforts of the Forest Service and their conservation partners. And these success stories provide a strong foundation for the continued growth of the program.
The greatest threat to this cooperative effort comes from the expiration of the current 10-year stewardship contracting authority. Unless reauthorized by Congress, new stewardship projects in central Oregon, along with those on national forests and BLM lands, will end in 2013.
Even though the Forest Service is currently making plans to reauthorize the project well in advance of the 2013 expiration date, the NWTF encourages concerned citizens to express their support through elected officials. — Dave Zalunardo, USDA Forest Service biologist