CNPS 2009 Conservation Conference: Strategies and Solutions

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GOLEC, CLARE, Tony LaBanca, and Gordon Leppig

California Department of Fish & Game, 1031 S. Main Street, Fort Bragg, California 95437 (cgolec@dfg.ca.gov)(CG), California Department of Fish & Game, 619 Second Street, Eureka, California 95501(TL, GL)

THE CONSERVATION OF SENSITIVE PLANTS ON PRIVATE REDWOOD TIMBERLANDS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Redwood forests are not traditionally known for a diverse vascular plant flora or large number of sensitive plant taxa. About 90 percent of redwood forests are privately owned and most are managed for timber production. Historically, information on sensitive plants in the redwoods has been scarce because few sensitive plant surveys were conducted on public lands, botanists have typically not had access to private lands, and no botanical survey data was requested in the permitting process for projects on managed timberlands. Prior to 1999, most of the information available on sensitive plants in redwood forests was based upon early herbarium specimens. In the late 1990s California state review agencies began requesting sensitive plant survey data for projects conducted in managed redwood stands. Five years of plant surveys have resulted in an improved understanding of the ecology and distribution of many sensitive plants. For taxa whose distribution and ecology have become better understood, landscape-level approaches to conservation are being developed. This paper presents an overview of the sensitive plant flora and management strategies. For instance, if a species is extremely rare and little is known about its response to timber management, the principle mitigation strategy will be avoidance. If a species is more widespread, abundant locally, and data clearly indicate a positive response to certain management activities, then a broader range of strategies is possible.

Contact: Clare Golec California Department of Fish & Game, 1031 S. Main Street, Fort Bragg, California 95437 cgolecdfg.ca.gov (707) 441-2062

Topic Areas: (1st Priority) Land Management; (2nd) Northwestern, Cascade, and Sierra Nevada Regional Session; (3rd ) Assessing and Mitigating Impacts to Sensitive Plants and Communities

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