From kevin.weeks at state.or.us  Thu Mar  4 15:29:56 2010
From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin)
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 15:29:56 -0800
Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] =?windows-1252?q?OFRI=92s_Web_site_now_incl?=
	=?windows-1252?q?udes_videos?=
Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B662562D0F@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US>

Private Forests News:
This news release is forwarded on at the request of the Oregon Forest Resources Institute.

Kevin Weeks
Oregon Department of Forestry
(503) 945-7427
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


March 4, 2010
Contact: Dave Kvamme -- 971-673-2948                      
For Immediate Release

OFRI?s Web site now includes videos,
enhanced access to forestry information

Portland, Ore. ? In an effort to reach younger audiences and savvy Web users who want quicker response time to information searches, the Oregon Forest Resources Institute launched an updated Web site March 1 that includes video presentations and enhanced browsing capabilities.

?Oregonforests.org has been a traditional print-oriented Web site aimed at forest landowners and the public,? explained Paul Barnum, OFRI executive director. ?But its information has been limited to PDF files based on printed publications. To stay current, we needed to offer Web users more video content and quicker navigation to printed pieces for those ?deep divers? who want more detailed forestry information.?

The launch coincides with the beginning of OFRI?s 2010 educational advertising cycle because those ads, Barnum said, encourage people to visit OFRI?s Web site. The ads on television, radio and Internet sites contain messages about Oregon?s Forest Protection Act, replanting after harvest, and safeguards for water and fish and wildlife habitat.
When they arrive at the site, visitors can open any of several videos that will take them into OFRI?s video library or link them to related print publications. Once in the library, 90-second Flash animations known as ?Forest Fact Breaks? can also be accessed. These lively animated shorts are on subjects such as reforestation, forest fire, photosynthesis, clearcutting and wildlife.

Barnum said a Web transaction might go something like this: ?An Oregonian ? perhaps a recent arrival in the state ? sees a TV or Internet ad or hears a sponsorship spot on Oregon Public Broadcasting radio. Next, she goes to oregonforests.org. There she watches the ad again or maybe watches a short vignette that takes her behind the scenes of the making of the ad. Next, she decides to dig deeper on, say, reforestation. Still on the OFRI site, she watches an entertaining ?Forest Fact Break? on reforestation and then downloads and reads OFRI?s special report on working forests.?

OFRI?s educational advertising continues through June. To view the new TV ads and Flash videos visit oregonforests.org

###

From kevin.weeks at state.or.us  Fri Mar  5 12:35:17 2010
From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin)
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 12:35:17 -0800
Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Oregon state forester seeks applicants for
	OFRI Board
Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B662562D19@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US>

Oregon Forest Resources Institute
News Release

March 5, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact: Dan Postrel, ODF - 503-945-7420   
              Paul Barnum, OFRI - 971-673-2954

Oregon state forester seeks applicants for OFRI Board of Directors

SALEM, Ore. ? Oregon State Forester Marvin Brown announced today he is soliciting applications from qualified persons who are interested in becoming a producer class 2 member of the Oregon Forest Resources Institute Board of Directors. OFRI is a semi-independent state agency based in Portland dedicated to forestry education.

According to Oregon statute, the state forester appoints 11 of OFRI?s 13 board members. Two other members serve ex officio: the dean of the Oregon State University College of Forestry and a public representative who is appointed jointly by the president of the Oregon Senate and the speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives.

Board representation includes small, medium and large forest products producers that pay dedicated forest products harvest taxes to support OFRI?s programs, plus one member each representing small woodland owners and forest sector employees.

Producer class specifications are as follows:
?     Class 1 ? Producers of under 20 million board feet per year
?     Class 2 ? Producers of at least 20 million board feet per year, but under 100 million board feet per year
?     Class 3 ? Producers of at least 100 million board feet per year

The small woodland owner representative must own between 100 and 2,000 acres of forestland and have no direct financial interest in any forest products processing activity.

The applicant would serve the remaining unexpired term of Gary Springer who is resigning the board after his appointment by Gov. Kulongoski and subsequent confirmation by the Oregon Senate to the Oregon Board of Forestry. Springer is an employee of Starker Forests, Inc. in Corvallis.

Springer?s current term on OFRI?s board began on Jan. 1, 2010 and expires on Dec. 31, 2012. The succeeding board member will be eligible for a second term.

Later this year, the state forester will solicit applications to fill positions for the expiring terms for four other board positions, one each for producer class 1, 2, and 3 and for the forest sector employee representative. Those board members for the producer class 3 and forest sector employee representative whose terms expire on Dec. 31 are eligible for reappointment.

Persons interested in being nominated for positions on the OFRI board now or later this year should contact Dan Postrel at the Oregon Department of Forestry, 2600 State St., Salem, OR 97310 or by e-mail at dpostrel at odf.state.or.us. Completed applications for the current board opening must be postmarked by March 31, 2010.

To learn more about OFRI and its work, visit OFRI online at oregonforests.org.

-30-

Private Forests News service

Kevin Weeks
Oregon Department of Forestry
(503) 945-7427

From kevin.weeks at state.or.us  Mon Mar  8 09:49:58 2010
From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin)
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:49:58 -0800
Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Grant County landowner named to Forestry
	advisory committee
Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B6625172E6@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US>

Oregon Department of Forestry
NEWS RELEASE

Grant County landowner named to Forestry advisory committee
March 8, 2010
Contact: Kevin Weeks (503) 945-7427
A forest researcher based near the Grant County community of Long Creek has been named to the Committee for Family Forestlands, an advisory group that provides information about the concerns and interests of small-acreage and family forest owners to the Oregon Board of Forestry.
Dr. Roje Gootee co-owns and manages Rush Creek Ranch, 2443 acres of forest and rangeland in the foothills of eastern Oregon's Blue Mountains. Purchased in depleted condition in 1997, the property is responding to ongoing forest, range, and riparian restoration efforts, and in 2004, earned American Tree Farm System (ATFS) certification for forest management standards. Dr. Gootee works as an independent consultant specializing in natural resource stewardship and policy.
Membership of the 10-person Committee includes family forest landowners, forest industry representatives, environmental community and public members, and staff representing the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State University and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. Dr. Gootee's appointment to the Committee was approved by the Oregon Board of Forestry at the Board's March 3rd meeting in Salem
Dr. Gootee holds a baccalaureate degree in Forest Management from Utah State University and a PhD in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences from Washington State University. Her research focuses on the social and legal interface between private forests and environmental regulatory policy. Dr. Gootee's research results have been presented in a variety of professional and academic settings including Yale University and international conferences in Ireland and France. She is committed to improving public understanding of environmental issues and working toward socially and ecologically sustainable policy solutions.
Dr. Gootee assumes a Committee seat representing forest landowners in eastern Oregon, replacing Klamath County resident Ned Livingston at the conclusion of Livingston's term on July 1, 2010.
Small-acreage private woodland owners and forest-owning families manage 4.7 million acres of Oregon's forests, about 15 percent of the state's forest footprint. More than half of Oregon's family forest owners are over 65, with many in their 70's and 80's. Many thousands of acres of Oregon's forest land are poised to change ownership within the next decade, with economic pressures driving both new and long-time forest owners to consider converting their forest to other uses, including residential development or commercial land.
Additional information about forest management is available on the Oregon Department of Forestry website, www.oregon.gov/ODF<http://www.oregon.gov/ODF>
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From kevin.weeks at state.or.us  Tue Mar  9 08:14:37 2010
From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin)
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 08:14:37 -0800
Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] ODF Administrative Reductions Update
Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B662517489@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US>

Private Forests News list members:

Oregon Department of Forestry Administrative Division chief Satish Upadhyay provided this update to ODF staff Monday about additional budget reductions within ODF. Employees affected by position reductions are scheduled to be notified Tuesday March 9.

Kevin Weeks
Oregon Department of Forestry
Agency Affairs Office
(503) 945-7427

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hi everyone -

As you may recall, the Executive Team has been reviewing options for budget reductions in our agency-wide administrative programs, to bring down our overall costs and align with the reduced scale of the operating programs.

Based on recommendations from the directors of our administrative support programs, the Exec Team has made decisions on these reductions, and we are now moving forward to implement them.

In our review, we looked for ways to reduce expenses in services and supplies as well as in staff resources, while maintaining as best we could our capacity to serve the agency.

I wanted to take a moment to summarize these reductions for you.

In all, the reductions for the rest of this biennium (through June 30, 2011), total almost $1.8 million. Most of these savings are in what is called administrative pro-rate - dollars that each operating program pays to support agency-wide services, such as Human Resources, Information Technology, Business Services, Facilities and others.

Here are the main elements of our reduction plan:


 *   Personnel reductions. These include three layoffs - one each in Human Resources training, Facilities, and Business Services office support. We also will not be filling six positions that are currently vacant or that will become vacant soon. These positions are in Human Resources, Resources Planning, Information Technology, Business Services and Agency Affairs. There are several other position adjustments as well.


 *   Other savings within administrative services. This category includes actions such as reducing overtime costs in Information Technology for system maintenance, increasing use of federal funds through new agreements for some of our Resources Planning work, reducing staffing in our legislative tracking office, and trimming our Service Award Program, Agency Leadership Program and other activities.


 *   Administrative cost reductions across the department. These are measures taken across all programs, in Salem and in the field. They include suspending our normal schedule for replacing desktop computers, reducing telephone costs, and gaining efficiency by delivering more training electronically rather than in person.

Adequate administrative supports are essential if we are to successfully serve our stakeholders and all Oregonians. However, many of these basic services are inadequately funded, a challenge we have had for many years.

In seeking reductions in these areas, we have followed the same principles we used earlier in reducing budgets in other parts of the agency. We have tried to retain staff resources - our most valuable asset - wherever possible, and to retain an essential core of priority services.

Nonetheless, as has been the case with the reductions we have seen in our operating programs, these cuts will affect the services we are able to provide to Oregonians.

In closing, I'd like to join my colleagues on the Executive Team in expressing my appreciation for your dedication and continued hard work as we endure a challenging time. We'll continue to strive to make the most of the resources available to us, and to pursue new funding sources wherever we can find them.

As always, please feel free to speak to your supervisor or a member of the Executive Team if you have questions.

Best regards,

Satish Upadhyay
Chief, Administrative Services Division

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From kevin.weeks at state.or.us  Wed Mar 10 14:40:47 2010
From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin)
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:40:47 -0800
Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Committee for Family Forestlands meets March
	17 in Salem
Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B6625176DC@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US>

Oregon Department of Forestry
NEWS RELEASE


Committee for Family Forestlands meets March 17 in Salem

March 10, 2010
Contact: Kevin Weeks (503) 945-7427

Family forest owners have a voice in Oregon's forest policy development through the 10-member Committee for Family Forestlands, which serves an advisory role to the Oregon Board of Forestry regarding issues of concern to Oregon's family-owned forests.

The Committee for Family Forestlands will meet at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday March 17, 2010 at the Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters in Salem, 2600 State Street (Operations Building D, Santiam meeting room).

The agenda for the meeting is under development.

Members of the public are invited to attend and participate in the meeting. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Requests for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least two working days (48 hours) prior to the meeting. Questions about accessibility or special accommodations for the meeting can be directed to the Oregon Department of Forestry at 503-945-7502.

The membership of the Committee includes family forest landowners, forest industry representatives, environmental community and public members, and staff representing the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State University and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute.

Oregon's forests are among one of the state's most valued resources, providing a balanced mix of environmental, economic and social benefits. One-half of Oregon's 61 million acres are forested, with 60 percent of Oregon's forests under federal ownership, 35 percent privately-owned while state, tribal or local government ownership accounts for the remaining five percent.

Additional information about the Oregon Department of Forestry is available on ODF's web site, www.oregon.gov/ODF<http://www.oregon.gov/ODF>.

###

Kevin Weeks
Public Information Officer
ODF Agency Affairs Office
(503) 945-7427
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From kevin.weeks at state.or.us  Thu Mar 11 06:09:03 2010
From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin)
Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:09:03 -0800
Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Public's help sought to curb tree damage from
 trespassing truffle thieves
In-Reply-To: <8CD18C5BD70D6F4BB2B636295905299C85A615E6@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US>
References: <8CD18C5BD70D6F4BB2B636295905299C85A615E6@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US>
Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B662562D1E@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US>

Oregon Department of Forestry
NEWS RELEASE


For immediate release                           Local media distribution
March 10, 2010                                  Contact: Delos Devine, 541-997-8713, or
10-12                                           Rod Nichols, 503-945-7425

Public?s help sought to curb tree damage from trespassing truffle thieves

For most of us, ?truffle? brings to mind an elegant chocolate confection. But for forest landowner Roy Marshall, the other truffle, a fungus that thrives in the soil around his Douglas-fir trees east of Florence, has become something of an attractive nuisance.

?I have 15 acres of trees between the road and the river,? he said, ?and last year they dug up the whole bottom.?

For the third year in a row, truffle thieves have trespassed on Marshall?s carefully managed woodland along the Siuslaw River to unearth the gourmet delicacies that grow a few inches below the surface. Wielding heavy, long-tined rakes, they dig down 14 to 16 inches in the soil from the base of the tree out to a distance of 15 feet or more. In the process of collecting their crop, worth $80-100 per pound wholesale, the illicit harvesters lay bare the tree roots.

?Exposed roots could affect the conifer?s health or weaken the tree during a storm event,? said Oregon Department of Forestry?s Delos Devine.

The truffle thieves have also left their mark on the land in other ways. Evidence of warming fires at the digging sites concerns the forester, since a change of weather could rekindle smoldering ashes into a wildfire. And littering often accompanies the harvest, with beer cans and other trash strewn everywhere.

Anyone observing suspicious behavior in the area, such as hand-raking or digging around trees, is encouraged to call the Department of Forestry?s Florence Unit office, 541-997-8713.

Legitimate truffle hunters stress the importance of minimizing disturbance to the environment when pursuing their hobby. The Corvallis-based North American Truffling Society provides tips in its ?Ethical, Sustainable and Common Sense Guide to Harvesting Truffles<http://www.natruffling.org/guide.htm>," available on the web, www.natruffling.org<http://www.natruffling.org>.

 Dan Luoma, an Oregon State University assistant professor who researches forest mycology (the study of fungi), said the variety of truffle under Marshall?s trees is likely the Oregon Black truffle, though the Oregon White truffle also occurs on the west side of the Coast Range.

Some truffle hunters are hanging up their rakes to rely instead on specially trained dogs to locate their culinary treasures. This method causes much less disturbance to tree roots. And because ripe truffles have a strong scent, dogs home in on them, leaving immature fungi in the soil to develop and grow.

?It is just in the last couple of years that use of dogs has gotten serious consideration in our area,? he said, ?mainly because a market has now developed that has gotten the attention of dog trainers.?

###

Information about the Private Forests News service--

Kevin Weeks
Oregon Department of Forestry
(503) 945-7427




From kevin.weeks at state.or.us  Fri Mar 12 06:56:17 2010
From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin)
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:56:17 -0800
Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Forestry Board to hold exec session March 16
Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B662562D21@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US>

Oregon Department of Forestry
NEWS RELEASE
________________________________________

March 11, 2010

Forestry Board to hold executive session by teleconference March 16

WHAT ? The Oregon Board of Forestry will hold an executive session to confer with legal counsel concerning the state?s contract for procuring services related to firefighting, and administrative rules guiding the management of state-owned forests.

State law allows public bodies such as the Board of Forestry to conduct executive sessions, which are closed to the public, for specified purposes. The upcoming meeting is being held to confer with legal counsel regarding the Board?s rights and duties relating to current litigation or litigation likely to be filed. [ ORS 192.660 (2)(h) ]

WHO ? Oregon Board of Forestry

WHEN ? 9 a.m. - noon on Tuesday, March 16

WHERE ? A teleconference hosted at the Oregon Dept. of Forestry headquarters, Building B, Old Board Room, 2600 State St., Salem. Although closed to the public, the meeting is open to the news media. A speakerphone will be available for members of the media to listen to the conference call. No public testimony will be taken.

MORE INFO ? Contact: Dan Postrel, Agency Affairs Director, for additional information, 503-945-7420, dpostrel at odf.state.or.us<mailto:dpostrel at odf.state.or.us>.

###




From kevin.weeks at state.or.us  Mon Mar 15 09:31:42 2010
From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin)
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:31:42 -0700
Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] State Forest Stewardship Coordinating
 Committee meets March 18 in Salem
Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B66263C45E@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US>

Oregon Department of Forestry
NEWS RELEASE

State Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee meets March 18 in Salem

March 15, 2010
Contact: Kevin Weeks (503) 945-7427

The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will update coordinating committee members this week on a project to assess Oregon's current forest resources.

The 2010 State of Oregon Statewide Forest Assessment and Resource Strategy is designed to identify Oregon's current forest resources and develop a strategy for integrating federal, state and private forestry programs to address concerns including wildfire, keeping forests working as forests, diversity of forest habitats for fish and wildlife, prevention of invasive species and managing climate change. The Statewide Forest Assessment will identify high priority areas within Oregon for taking action.


The discussion about the Forest Assessment and Resource Strategy project will occur Thursday March 18, 2010 from 9:30am to 12:30pm at the Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters in Salem, 2600 State Street (Operations Building D, Santiam meeting room) during a meeting of the State Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee.

The agenda includes review of a draft product for the Oregon Forest Atlas project and discussion for identifying priority landscapes for interpreting forest data in the Statewide Forest Assessment.

Members of the public are invited to attend and participate in the meeting. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Requests for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. Questions about accessibility or special accommodations for the meeting can be directed to the Oregon Department of Forestry at 503-945-7368.

The 2008 Farm Bill passed by Congress contained an amendment to the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act requiring states that receive Farm Bill funding perform the forest assessment study by mid-2010, with updates at five-year increments after that. States are also required to report on the effectiveness of how federal funding was used in priority regions.  The Farm Bill funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which in turn provides funding for many ODF services in urban and community forestry, forest health protection, forest stewardship and state fire assistance through the U.S. Forest Service's State and Private Forestry Program.

Additional information about forest management in Oregon is available on the ODF website: www.oregon.gov/ODF<http://www.oregon.gov/ODF>

Oregon's forests are among one of the state's most valued resources, providing a balanced mix of environmental, economic and social benefits.

###

Kevin Weeks
Public Information Officer
ODF Agency Affairs Office
(503) 945-7427

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From kevin.weeks at state.or.us  Wed Mar 31 16:14:14 2010
From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin)
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:14:14 -0700
Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] NSO Protocol Update Policy
Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B6626B13F5@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US>

Private Forests News list members:

ODF Private Forests Division deputy chief Peter Daugherty issued this guidance memo to ODF staff regarding proposed revisions to protocols concerning special resource sites and interim rules for Northern Spotted owl sites on private forestland in Oregon.

Please share with forest landowners, stakeholders and other interested parties.

Kevin Weeks
ODF Agency Affairs Office
(503) 945-7427
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



Private Forests Transition Update
2010 NSO Protocol Update Policy
March 31, 2010

Purpose

This document outlines interim ODF Private Forests guidance regarding implementation of the special resource site and interim spotted owl rules in light of the revised 2010 United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Protocol for Surveying Northern Spotted Owls (NSOs).  No rule changes are being proposed.  The draft 2010 USFWS NSO protocol and associated transition memo can be found at http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Species/Data/NorthernSpottedOwl/Recovery/.

The information provided is important to share with landowners, their consulting biologists, and other state and federal agency staff you regularly interact with.  These stakeholders will need to understand (1) that USFWS NSO survey data standards are changing and (2) that the option to request a review for changing a NSO site status to "abandoned" will be temporarily suspended in the near future.  For questions about the survey protocol, please refer interested parties to the web link above or a USFWS field office.  For questions about the suspension of NSO "abandonment" review requests, they can contact Marganne Allen (Field Support, Policy, & Monitoring Manager 503-945-7240, mallen_AT_odf.state.or.us).

Background

The impetus and need for this new protocol is related to the "invasion" of barred owls throughout the range of spotted owls and subsequent behavioral changes by spotted owls.  Because barred owls are similar in size and ecology to spotted owls, they compete for the same nesting and foraging resources.  Barred owls are aggressive and are known to attack spotted owls and to displace them from their nesting areas.  Most importantly, the presence of barred owls is known to reduce the effectiveness of surveys since spotted owls are less likely to respond to calls during survey efforts.  Thus there is an increased risk of not detecting spotted owls even though they may actually be present.  This protocol was based on years of available research plus new analysis that examined the effects of barred owls on spotted owl response rates.  The new protocol is based on both scientific analysis and professional opinion.

The new protocol has increased the number of night visits, added a day-time walk through survey for some operations, further emphasized the use of digital electronic calling methods, and recommends spot-checks for operations with survey data collected more than two years ago.  For more specific details see the draft protocol at the weblink above.  A key change is the removal of the section on declaring sites historic or abandoned.  The research examined showed that sites can go vacant for many years (sometimes up to 12+ years) and then be recolonized by owls.  The science did not indicate a clear answer to support declaring sites historic after 3 or more years of survey.  This issue has been forwarded to the spotted owl recovery team.  The USFWS recommends that if you have spotted owl sites with 3 consecutive years of no responses, you should refer to the revised recovery plan, which is anticipated for release in late 2010, for guidance on management of those sites.

2010 is a transition year for implementation of the new protocol.  This protocol will remain draft through 2012, with updates occurring for the 2011 and 2012 field seasons pending additional peer review.  USFWS will be accepting feedback on the protocol during this period.

Interim NSO Rule Guidance

These protocol changes will affect what data is acceptable for use in identifying nest sites and activity centers and the "abandoned" status of NSO sites.  Private Forests personnel should be aware of and share the following information with landowners, their consulting biologists, and other state and federal biologists or other key staff you interact with regarding NSO sites:

*                     Data from surveys conducted according to the 1992 protocol will be acceptable through the 2010 survey season for use in identifying nest sites and activity centers.  Starting in the 2011 survey season, the department endorses and strongly recommends the use of the revised protocol for gathering information on spotted owl occupancy.

*                     The review of requests to change the status of NSO sites to "abandoned" will be limited to data sets up to and through the 2010 field season and collected according to the 1992 protocol at a minimum.  For example, an abandonment request whose third year included 2010 survey data conducted to at least 1992 protocol standards will still be accepted for review.  This suspension will be revisited by December 31, 2010 or upon  the release and review of the revised recovery plan in late 2010, whichever comes first.  It is not known at this time what kind of recommendations the recovery plan will offer regarding changes in site status or management options, though at a minimum additional surveys are a likely outcome.

There may be exceptions in specific cases.  Brad Knotts (Field Coordinator) or Marganne Allen (Field Support, Policy & Monitoring Manager) can provide support when reviewing survey information or abandonment requests.

Landowners and operators must realize that compliance with Oregon Department of Forestry forest practice rules does not imply compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act, which is enforced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Parties conducting operations on state and private forest lands are subject to all federal requirements under the Endangered Species Act, as well as any requirements of the forest practice rules.  Questions pertaining to the federal Endangered Species Act should be directed to the Portland office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 503-231-6179.

Expiration: December 31, 2010

#ODF#
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