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Tag: Adaptive Management

Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network Ecological Monitoring Plan

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Oak and Prairie.

Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network Ecological Monitoring Plan, the overarching goals of this monitoring plan are to work in partnership to acquire, curate, analyze, and distribute data needed to transparently evaluate performance toward achieving the outputs and outcomes identified in the KSON Strategic Action Plan (SAP). As part of the SAP, the partnership used a viability assessment framework to inform the selection of six Key Ecological Attributes (KEAs) and identified indicators to measure conditions for each target habitat.

This ecological monitoring plan includes three monitoring objectives:

1) Spatially track treatment planning and project implementation

2) Measure treatment-induced changes in Key Ecological Attributes

3) Measure landscape scale Ecological Outcomes

In combination, this monitoring will evaluate how effectively a restoration treatment shifts a given target habitat from its current to its desired condition. Results will also be examined at the project and landscape scale to measure progress toward improved health and increased target acreage where appropriate. Within each project, the best available science and ongoing monitoring results will be applied to adaptive management through regular implementation review.

CLICK HERE to download the KSON 2023 Ecological Monitoring Plan v1.0

Case Study: Adaptive Management

Written by Elva Manquera on . Posted in Oak and Prairie, Resources.

Oak Woodlands and Chaparral

Oak Chaparral located in the Rogue Valley. Picture taken by Jaime Stephens.

The Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network (KSON) applies an adaptive management approach to oak restoration implementation. The restoration discussed in this case study was in an oak woodland mosaic, unique to Southern Oregon, and includes patches of chaparral. Chaparral is a natural part of oak habitats, but it also poses a risk of spreading severe fire which can put large, old oak trees at risk. Because oak woodlands are threatened by loss and degradation, management initiatives sometimes reduce chaparral to reduce the risk of high-severity fires and promote a mix of low to moderate-severity fires. Restoring and managing oak woodland ecosystems in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion requires learning how best to achieve a balanced vegetation composition that includes chaparral habitat components.

Using Prairie, Oak, and Riparian Habitats of Western Oregon and Washington version 1.0 the focal species were identified for this project. These focal species provide a rapid assessment of overall management activities and a benchmark for oak habitat restoration goals. The information gathered from this study was added to version 2.0 of this Partners in Flight Plan and was developed into a decision support tool (DST).

California Towhee taken by Jim Livaudais

The Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network identified a research need to guide restoration practices to ensure a balance of fuel reduction and wildlife habitat objectives. A series of studies conducted at Upper and Lower Table Rocks near Medford Oregon, an area of critical environmental concern, found that chaparral-associated bird species did not establish territories in very small retained chaparral patches; patches larger than five acres were more likely to be used by birds during the breeding season.

Following recommendations from that research, restoration prescriptions retained chaparral patch sizes of five to twelve acres where possible, and placement of smaller patches near larger patches to ensure adequate habitat for chaparral-associated bird species. A follow-up study demonstrated the success of the adaptive management approach: all six chaparral-associated bird species established territories in the larger retained patches.

Adaptive management is only successful within a partnership when monitoring research is communicated to practitioners who then use the results of the research to modify their treatments and protocols. Within KSON for this project, those practitioners were the Bureau of Land Management, the Lomakatsi Restoration Project, and the Nature Conservancy.

 

CSNM DST Cover (96 ppi 3xX)

Science & Adaptive Management in a National Monument

Written by Ellie Armstrong on . Posted in Monitoring and Adaptive Management.

CSNM DST Cover (96 ppi 3xX)The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was the first U.S. National Monument set aside specifically for preservation of biodiversity. Using science to preserve biological diversity and improve habitat in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument highlights studies from Klamath Bird Observatory scientists and partners, framed as an adaptive management story of the Monument, its expansion, and the science which demonstrated that removing livestock grazing benefited bird species.

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