Editor’s note: This is the third in a multi-part series on the Oregon Department of Forestry's Habitat Conservation Plan and how it impacts wildlife and communities

The Oregon Department of Forestry's Habitat Conservation Plan is on the verge of being adopted and will impact Oregon forest management. Covered species -- those for which an incidental take permit will be needed -- are those species for which USFWS and NOAA Fisheries will provide take authorization to the Oregon Department of Forestry to authorize take that may occur during the implementation of covered activities. Species were selected for coverage if all four of the following criteria were met:

1. The species range overlaps with the permit area.
2. The species is currently listed under the ESA or is likely to become listed during the permit term.
3. The species is likely to be impacted by covered activities.
4. There is enough data available to adequately assess the potential for covered activities to impact the species and to create a conservation strategy for the species that will adequately avoid, minimize, and mitigate the impact of any taking of the species that occurs from covered activities.

Species

Fish

Oregon Coast coho

Oregon Coast spring-run chinook

Lower Columbia River chinook

Lower Columbia River coho

Columbia River chum

Upper Willamette River spring-run chinook

Upper Willamette River winter steelhead

Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho

Southern Oregon/Northern California Coastal spring-run chinook

Eulachon

Birds

Northern spotted owl

Marbled murrelet

Amphibians

Oregon slender salamander

Columbia torrent salamander

Cascade torrent salamander

Mammals

Coastal marten

Red tree vole, North Oregon Coast population

Covered activity categories include:

• Timber Harvest
• Stand Management
• Road System Management
• Recreation Infrastructure
• Construction and Maintenance
• HCP Conservation Actions

There are 17 species -- plus another 60 plus non-listed species -- proposed for coverage in the draft Habitat Conservation Plan: 10 fish, 2 birds, 3 salamanders, and 2 mammals.

The Executive Summary of the Habitat Conservation Plan describes a conservation strategy [which] will result in an increase in habitat for all of the terrestrial covered species, but other factors may remain that limit the ability of covered species to take advantage of the new habitat and for populations to increase. Clatsop County has not seen a spotted owl in almost a decade, but the Endangered Species Act says that a protected species does not have to occupy habitat for it to be deemed critical habitat. So, Clatsop County’s timberlands are being closed down in case the spotted owl comes back some day.

The Conservation Fund, described in Chapter 9 [of the Endangered Species Act], Costs and Funding, will provide funding on an annual basis to address these limiting factors. The priorities for how the Conservation Fund is used will change during the permit term, but ODF will work with species experts and other state and federal partners to identify where and how Conservation Fund monies are spent. Conservation Fund monies will be derived from ODF’s share of timber sale revenues, at a rate of $5 per thousand board feet harvested.

The HCP includes a monitoring program to demonstrate that ODF is operating in compliance with the commitments made in the HCP and associated incidental take permits. The monitoring program also helps to assess whether the conservation strategy is performing as expected. Compliance monitoring will focus on whether the HCP is being implemented properly and as required by the permits. Compliance monitoring results will be summarized in an annual report to USFWS and NOAA Fisheries. Effectiveness monitoring will be completed to track progress towards the biological goals and objectives. Effectiveness monitoring will include validation of habitat development as estimated by species habitat models and species response to changes in habitat quality

The end product will be approved by the Oregon Department of Forestry and become a part of Oregon Administrative Rules.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2023-09-09 06:18:06

Last Update: 2023-09-06 21:03:49

Editor’s note: This is the second in a multi-part series on the Oregon Department of Forestry's Habitat Conservation Plan and how it impacts wildlife and communities

Not everyone is a fan of the 1,132 page Western Oregon State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan. According to Oregon Natural Resources Industries President Jen Hamaker this HCP invites the Federal Government, through NOAA and USFW, to guide management of our state forestlands. "We all know how the Fed’s manage their land. They don’t." said Hamaker.

Hamaker puts the changes in historical perspective. "Between 1952-1987, when forests were managed in Oregon, we experienced only one forest fire in excess of 10,000 acres. Since then, Oregon experiences on average 500,000 acres burned annually. Millions of acres have been set aside to protect wildlife, this strategy has proven to kill wildlife, fill our air with months of smoke, extend fire season, contribute to catastrophic fires -- fires over 100,000 acres -- pollute waterways, and devastate communities. This HCP shuts down 53% of our state forests for 70 years.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

"This HCP is not just a 70 year conservation plan, it's an economic and community plan too," continued Hamaker. "Over 220 public services that rely on timber harvest revenue will lose critical funding, such as local fire departments, emergency response services, 911 communications, libraries, schools, 4H, ports, transportation, etc. 512 special taxing districts are within this HCP, which almost entirely depend on property tax and timber harvest revenue to operate will be crippled beyond repair. The tax base within the 15 counties and taxing districts will feel the loss of thousands of family wage jobs which contribute to their local tax base. This HCP goes far beyond what is required by NOAA and USFW to obtain incidental take permits. This HCP is not necessary nor viable. ODF will lose critical funding to operate.

ODF generates its own revenue by timber harvest -- and if there's no harvest, there's no revenue. ODF will be operating in the red by $24 million or more every biennium. This means increased taxes and bonds levies on taxpayers to cover what was once generated by sustainably harvesting our timberland. Couple this loss of managed timberland with the Private Forest Accords HCP on private timberland, Oregon will have the most unmanaged timberland in Oregon’s history.

According to the Executive Summary of the Habitat Conservation Plan, the conservation strategy includes measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate the impact of the taking on covered species from covered activities. The conservation strategy relies on (1) implementing best management practices when conducting covered activities to minimize effects on covered species, (2) designating areas on the landscape that will be managed for the benefit of covered species, and (3) creating a Conservation Fund that would be used to implement species and habitat management activities that would directly benefit covered species during the permit term

Hamaker calls out the Oregon Department of Forestry on their science. "Models and projections rely on accurate numbers and criteria. ODF has failed to provide both. ODF’s timber harvest volumes are inaccurate as proven by the report released early this year that showed a 34% decrease in timber harvest than what was projected."

The projected impact on communities is also questioned by Hamaker. "Several of ODF’s socioeconomic projections are also inaccurate. They used 2-3 jobs per million board feet harvested when industry uses 11-13 jobs per million board feet harvested, when bidding for timber sales. ODF did not include 512 special taxing districts within the HCP area that rely almost entirely on timber harvest revenue and property taxes to operate. The economic ripple effects of this HCP are not captured within the EIS. AND the EIS has not been updated to reflect the report showing a 34% reduction in timber harvest levels."


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2023-09-08 06:06:21

Last Update: 2023-09-16 16:23:13

Editor’s note: This is the first in a multi-part series on the Oregon Department of Forestry's Habitat Conservation Plan and how it impacts wildlife and communities

The Western Oregon State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan has been developed by the Oregon Department of Forestry -- under the direction of State Forester Cal Mukumoto -- to support applications for federal Endangered Species Act incidental take permits from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This HCP describes potential effects on a suite of 17 federally listed species -- and at least 60 non-listed species -- potentially at-risk from ODF’s forest management activities, including timber harvest, stand management, habitat restoration, and construction and maintenance of recreation facilities over a 70-year permit term. The HCP also describes a conservation strategy to avoid, minimize, and mitigate any effects from those activities during that timeframe.

Of course, the list of species is not without controversy. Coho Salmon is at historic abundance levels in Tillamook and Clatsop counties, this is a benchmark for delisting in these areas. They are in such abundance they are issuing permits to fish for them. The Red Tree Vole was to be delisted until environmental groups stopped the delisting so they can use the Endangered Species Act to shut down habitat. On October 19, US Fish And Wildlife Service issued a notice that it will withdraw its December 19, 2019 “not warranted” finding for the red tree vole north Oregon coast district population segment, returning the species to the USFWS’s candidate species list.

The assumption behind all of this is that harvesting timber from a forest destroys the habitat of federally listed endangered species and that in order to harvest the timber, one would have to apply for an "incidental take permit" to be allowed to impact the species by harvesting the timber. The best known example of such a species is the northern spotted owl. Ironically -- or maybe by design -- the Spotted Owl’s population continues to decline, but not because of the lack of habitat. Its two greater threats are forest fire and the barred owl which is its cousin. The barred owl is more aggressive and competes for the same food and eats spotted owls. The HCP has no plan to mitigate either.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The Public Draft of the Western Oregon State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan is a back-breaking 1,132 page document. Even the Executive Summary of the Habitat Conservation Plan is 14 pages. Not to be outdone, NOAA has published an 1,850 page Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Western Oregon State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2023-09-06 20:17:59

Last Update: 2023-09-06 20:59:45