The TCP Resource Center houses information, documents, and recommendations for timber managers and operators.
The California Fish and Game Commission voted to list the Northern Spotted Owl (NSO) as a threatened species and thus it is subject to the prohibitions on take found in the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) (Fish & G. Code, § 2080 et seq.). NSO has additionally been subject to federal prohibitions on take since it was added to the list of species covered by the federal Endangered Species Act in 1990. NSO’s status as a threatened species under CESA means that CDFW is responsible for ensuring NSO’s continued existence and preventing significant adverse impacts to the species. CDFW’s Timberland Conservation Program (TCP) reviews NSO information in Timber Harvesting Plans (THPs) and other timber operations. TCP’s involvement includes the following:
In the spring of 2017, CDFW met with stakeholders to discuss NSO conservation and management on private timberlands. CDFW staff collated these ideas and recommendations in the Report on Northern Spotted Owl Stakeholder Meetings (PDF). This report summarizes the wide range of ideas and opinions from stakeholders involved in NSO-related issues on non-federal timberlands within the California range of NSO. This information is intended to assist the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection when it considers regulatory reform of the FPR related to NSO. Additionally, CDFW intends to use this report as a basis for proposing monitoring ideas to the Effectiveness Monitoring Committee and to guide management decisions internally.
CDFW staff from the Timberland Conservation Program worked with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) staff to put on a series of workshops related to water drafting during timber operations.
CDFW's Biogeographic Data Branch operates the Biogeographic Information and Observation System (BIOS). This system provides a spatial representation of biological data that can be useful during review of Timber Harvesting Plans. While BIOS encompasses data from throughout California, some datasets pertain more specifically to timberland resources. These data are compiled in Timberland Viewers available under the Timberland Resources section of the BIOS webpage. Users without a California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) subscription can access several publicly available layers in the Timberland Viewers such as:
In addition, users with a CNDDB subscription can access numerous layers including:
Once a BIOS Viewer has been opened, users can also use the search bar at the top of the viewer to search for additional layers of interest, such as marbled murrelet and steelhead layers.
Additionally, BIOS users can access lists of sensitive species tracked by the CNDDB. Under the Advanced Tools button, select CNDDB QuickView and choose the area (quad, nine quads, or county) where you would like to see a species list. Please note that spotted owl information is not included in the QuickView tool. Users should refer to the Spotted Owl Observations Database.
California's timberlands are home to many rare, threatened, endangered, and sensitive species. Natural history information about California wildlife is available through the California Wildlife Habitat Relationships (CWHR) system.
The Biogeographic Data Branch maintains a compilation of plant, fish, and wildlife currently listed as threatened or endangered:
The Fish and Game Commission maintains a web page for species that are candidates for listing under the California Endangered Species Act. This page includes the listing petition, all related Fish and Game Commission findings, and CDFW reports and recommendations.
Other sensitive species include:
The California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) is an important source of positive detection data for California's special status species. However, lack of occurrences in CNDDB does not mean that species are absent from that area. This also applies to the Spotted Owl Observations Database. Scientifically-vetted species-specific surveys should be performed for the best chance of verifying presence or absence of special status species.
The Wood for Salmon Working Group recently published a brief white paper that guides Registered Professional Foresters and landowners through the process of placing large wood in anadromous fish-bearing streams.
The white paper is titled Accelerated Wood Recruitment and Timber Operations: Process Guidance from the California Timber Harvest Review Team Agencies and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and is available on the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection website.
Habitat Conservation Planning Branch 1700 9th Street, 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95811 Mailing: P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090 (916) 653-4875