| Indicators for Strategy E: Native Forest Plants and Animals and their Habitats |
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| Background |
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Maintaining healthy populations of native species and habitat is essential for Oregon’s forests.
The trees and plants of Oregon’s forests are the primary source of timber production and habitat for Oregon’s native species. Any changes in the amounts or types of this vegetation are of particular importance, and could also serve as an indicator of ecosystem change. Without understanding these conditions and how they change over time, we lose our ability to understand species and habitat change, and to react to that change.
Oregon’s forests are managed for a variety of uses – multi-use, resource protection, wood production, urban. By tracking the amount of forests that are dedicated to resource protection strategies – and the ownership of these forests – choices can be made about how all of Oregon’s forestlands can be managed for the future.
The federal Endangered Species Act and other federal and state requirements mandate certain actions to protect threatened and endangered animal and plant species. Oregon’s forests provide some of these species’ native habitat. Understanding historical, current, and projected future status of native forest plant and animal species can help Oregonians understand, and possibly prevent, an increase in the number of species at risk over time. This information will also help implement the 2006 Oregon Wildlife Conservation Strategy on Oregon’s forestlands – a partnership with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to which the Oregon Department of Forestry has committed its participation.
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| Indicators for Strategy E |
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Oregon checkermallow, a plant species listed as endangered
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The following indicators have been approved to measure the progress towards achieving Strategy E of the Forestry Program for Oregon – “Contribute to the conservation of diverse native plant and animal populations”, along with the desired trends for each indicator.
- E.a. Composition, diversity, and structure of forest vegetation
Desired trend: Following establishment of a statewide plant and animal conservation policy, the composition, diversity and structure of Oregon forest vegetation are within, or growing towards, desired future condition ranges.
- E.b. Extent of area by forest cover type in protected area categories
Desired trend: Following establishment of a statewide plant and animal conservation policy, allocations of Oregon forest cover types to protected area categories are consistent with desired future conditions.
- E.c. Forest plant and animal species at risk
Desired trend: Decreasing number of Oregon native forest plant and animal species at risk (extinction, extirpation, endangered, threatened, or potentially endangered or threatened).
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| Learn More . . . |
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For more information on Oregon's Indicators of Sustainable Forest Management, contact:
David Morman, Director
Forest Resources Planning Program
Oregon Department of Forestry
2600 State Street
Salem, OR 97310
PH: 503-945-7413
FAX: 503-945-7490
E-MAIL: dmorman@odf.state.or.us
www.oregon.gov/ODF
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