Pacific Northwest Research Station - Ecological Process & Function - Wildlife Ecology Team

Forest Carnivore Research Projects

Long-standing concerns about the potential effects of timber harvesting, road building, and other active management practices on rare and sensitive forest carnivores (American marten, fisher, lynx, and wolverine) led to the publication of a conservation assessment for these species in the western United States in 1994 (Ruggiero et al. 1994). The assessment process was a collaborative effort involving scientists from the Pacific Northwest (PNW), Pacific Southwest (PSW), and Rocky Mountain Research Stations (RMRS), as well as the University of Wyoming. Since that time, one of the scientists on our Research Team has also served on the National Lynx and Wolverine Science Teams and contributed data to the National Lynx Survey. Members of our research team work closely with numerous Forest Service and academic carnivore biologists, especially colleagues at the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, MT, to share information, supplies, and equipment and to conduct collaborative research on all four species of forest carnivores.

Current forest carnivore research projects within the team include:

Wolverine distribution and ecology in the North Cascades Ecosystem This is a collaborative research project with the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station (Keith Aubry, Lead Principal Investigator; Catherine Raley) and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (John Rohrer), the British Columbia Ministry of Environment (Eric Lofroth), and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (Scott Fitkin). Pilot Study conducted in 2005 5-year study initiated in 2006 and field research will continue through 2011
Recent Progress Reports and Updates from the Field North Cascades Wolverine Study - Annual Report - 2010 (Please wait while pdf file loads)
2011 Wolverine Project Updates from the Field 11 April 08 February
2010 Wolverine Project Updates from the Field 16 August 05 May 25 March 23 February
2009 Project Updates from the Field 24 September 2 June 23 April 16 March
2008 Project Updates from the Field 24 April 21 March
Ecological characteristics of fishers in southwestern Oregon   Ecological Characteristics of Fishers (Martes pennanti) in the Southern Oregon Cascade Range, Update: July 2006
Habitat selection by Canada lynx in north-central Washington	<
Ecology of the American marten in managed landscapes

USDA Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Research Station - Olympia Forestry Sciences Laboratory
Last Modified: Tuesday, 12 April 2011 at 18:40:49 EDT