Habitat Conditions and Targets How did we get here?

Overview  What is a condition?  What is a target?  Fisher data used  Characterizing conditions  Target estimation  Example  Operational application  Summarize process

Conditions and Targets Provide forestry personnel with an idea of: What good fisher habitat looks like How much of it is needed by fishers Used to provide guidance to help make operational decisions in fisher habitat

Habitat Relationships Across BC  Forest composition varies considerably across regions  Species composition  Tree growth and decay  Understory diversity and cover  Desired Habitat Conditions and Targets vary too

What do fishers need? 1.Collect information on fishers  Capture, radiotag and monitor fishers to: 1.Identify the structures used by fishers for rearing offspring and resting. 2.Identify the stands used by fishers for rearing, resting, foraging, and movement. 3.Determine the size and composition of the home range of each tagged fisher.

What do fishers need? 1.Collect information on fishers 2.Measure habitats used by fishers a)Characterize the MINIMUM STRUCTURAL ATTRIBUTES of rearing and resting sites b)Characterize HIGH-QUALITY STAND ATTRIBUTES of stands used by fishers [VRI] At as leading species Q_DIAM_125=24.4 cm PROJ_AGE_1=128 PROJ_HT_1=27.1

How much do fishers need? 1.Collect information on fishers 2.Measure habitats used by fishers 3.Estimate targets a)Estimate the MINIMUM DENSITY of “high-quality stands” needed for each behaviour within each home range b)Estimate the TOTAL NUMBER OF STRUCTURES that need to occur within the home range. 18.9% of home range in “high- quality” den stands

Say What? Minimum Structural Attributes?? High-Quality Stand Attributes?? Minimum Stand Density?? Total Number of Structures??

MINIMUM STRUCTURAL ATTRIBUTES

Why 75%?

Bigger actually is better

HIGH-QUALITY STAND ATTRIBUTES

MINIMUM STAND DENSITY

TOTAL NUMBER OF STRUCTURES

Desired Habitat Conditions This process allows us to: 1.Identify the minimum characteristics of trees used by fishers for rearing and resting. 2.Identify high- and low-quality stands for each activity. 3.Identify the minimum density of “high-quality” stands that support fishers. 4.Estimate the total number of structures¹ that fishers need within home ranges. ¹ that meet minimum criteria of (1) Summary

A Few Important Notes Not all trees that meet the minimum criteria are suitable  Things we can measure vs. things fishers need TOTAL NUMBER OF STRUCTURES is based on the things we can measure  Refining the minimum criteria to better reflect what fishers need would refine the target. 1

A Few Important Notes Males don’t really matter!  Female fishers are the real habitat specialists Have to find enough structures and habitats to support themselves in a smaller area than males  Males simply go wherever the girls are…and pick up food along the way Conditions and targets that we present are derived from data on female fishers 2

How would they get used? Conditions and Targets

Applying Targets HUH?? 5,250 aspen trees >40 cm dbh and 2,620 balsam poplar trees >54 cm dbh in a 30 km² area?

Targets for each harvest unit depend upon features of: 1.LANDSCAPE: Density of high-quality stands [above or below minimum requirement] 2.STAND: relative quality of the stands [high- or low-quality for each activity] 3.SUB-STAND: Timber cruise or site-plan ground data [density of minimum structural attributes or other features] What are the Targets?

Targets - Landscape Assessment MINIMUM STAND DENSITY Information needed: 1.Identify stands with “High- Quality Stand Attributes” Q UERY VRI 2.Determine where the density of high-quality stands is greater than the “Minimum Stand Density” S PATIAL ANALYSIS Allows licencee to determine if proposed block is in an area with sufficient density of stands. HIGH-QUALITY STAND ATTRIBUTES

Targets - Stand Assessment HIGH-QUALITY STAND ATTRIBUTESMINIMUM STRUCTURAL ATTRIBUTES Information needed: 1.Determine if unit is in a “High- quality stand” VRI QUERY 2.Determine if this stand is rare in the surrounding landscape L ANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT 3.Estimate density of structures that meet minimum structural attributes C RUISE OR S ITE P LAN DATA

Decisions, decisions… Landscape Above Minimum Stand Density Below Minimum Stand Density Meet High-quality Stand Attributes Stand Sub-Stand Not Meet High-quality Stand Attributes Trees with Minimum Structural Attributes Abundant Trees with Minimum Structural Attributes Rare

Assessments and Targets The results of the landscape and stand assessment helps guide targets for the unit  Rearing  Resting  Foraging  Movement Likely considerable overlap  Meet multiple targets with single prescription