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Underestimating risks to the Northern Spotted
Owl in fire-prone forests
Spies, Thomas A.; Miller, Jay D.; Buchanan, Joseph B.; Lehmkuhl, John F.; Franklin, Jerry F.; Healey, Sean P.; Hessburg, Paul F.; Safford, Hugh D.; Cohen, Warren B.; Kennedy, Rebecca S. H.; Knapp, Eric E.; Agee, James K.; Moeur, Melinda. 2010. Underestimating risks to the Northern Spotted Owl in fire-prone forests. Conservation Biology. 24(1): 330-333.
The development of conservation plans for Northern Spotted Owls (NSO) (Strix occidentalis caurina) in disturbance-prone landscapes requires evaluation of multiple threats and careful consideration of the consequences of management actions intended to reduce risk. Hanson et al. (2009) used downwardly revised estimates of recent old-forest losses to high-severity wildfire to argue that the recent NSO recovery plan (USDI 2008) overestimates fire risk to the NSO in dry, fire-prone forests. We believe their analysis is erroneous and deficient and does not support their conclusions. Furthermore, they show a bias against active management by ignoring recent science and risk factors in dry forests that do not support their opinions.
Keywords: Northern Spotted Owls (NSO), Strix occidentalis caurina
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http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/rmrs_2010_spies_t001.pdf
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Title: RMRS Other
Publications: Underestimating risks to the Northern Spotted Owl
in fire-prone forests
Electronic Publish Date: November 29, 2010
Last Update: November
29, 2010