Western Wildlife
The Forest Industry’s Western Wildlife Program (WWP) is documenting wildlife habitat support and biodiversity in managed forests of the Pacific Northwest. WWP research results provide a scientific foundation for industry efforts to advance cost-effective approaches to conserving wildlife and biodiversity in managed forests.
The WWP is managed by the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) on behalf of four industry associations that provide core funding support (American Forest Resources Council, Oregon Forest Industries Council, Washington Forest Protection Association, and NCASI). Program oversight and guidance are provided by industry representatives serving on the technical Western Wildlife Task Group and the strategic Program Steering Committee.
Activities of the WWP are managed by NCASI Program Manager Dr. Jake Verschuyl and directed by sponsoring organizations (AFRC, OFIC, WFPA and NCASI) working through a Program Steering Committee (PSC) and Western Wildlife Task Group (WWTG). The PSC comprises representatives of AFRC, OFIC and WFPA. Important functions of the PSC include (a) ensuring that WWP activities are properly aligned with strategic priorities of AFRC, OFIC and WFPA; and (b) coordinating efforts to obtain core regional funding support for the WWP. The WWTG comprises industry wildlife biologists and other technical experts who (a) provide detailed technical guidance and oversight to NCASI staff, and (b) provide program / budget recommendations to the PSC and NCASI’s Forest Environment and Sustainability Task Group
Download a recent Western Wildlife Program status report (July 2015).
Selected journal articles authored by NCASI staff or collaborators
Betts, M.G., J.P. Verschuyl, J. Giovanini, and A.J. Kroll.
2013. Initial effects of herbicides on bird abundance in plantation forests. Forest Ecology and Management 310:
1036–1044. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.06.022
Irwin, L.L., D.F. Rock, and S.C. Rock. 2012. Habitat
selection by northern spotted owls in mixed coniferous forests. The Journal of Wildlife Management
76:200–213. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.218
Irwin, L.L., D.F. Rock, and S.C. Rock. 2013. Do northern
spotted owls use harvested areas? Forest
Ecology and Management 310:1029–1035. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.04.001
Irwin, L.L., D.F. Rock, S.C. Rock, C. Loehle, and P. Van
Deusen. 2015. Forest ecosystem restoration: Initial response of spotted owls to
partial harvesting. Forest Ecology and
Management 354:232–242. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2015.06.009
Linden, D.W., G.J. Roloff, and A.J. Kroll. 2012. Conserving
avian richness through structure retention in managed forests of the Pacific
Northwest, USA. Forest Ecology and
Management 284:174–184. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2012.08.002
Linden, D.W. and G.J. Roloff. 2013. Retained structures and
bird communities in clearcut forests of the Pacific Northwest, USA. Forest Ecology and Management
310:1045–1056.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.08.059
Loehle, C., L. Irwin, B.F.J. Manly, and A. Merrill. 2015.
Range-wide analysis of northern spotted owl nesting habitat relations. Forest Ecology and Management 342:8–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2015.01.010
McWethy, D.B., A.J. Hansen, and J.P. Verschuyl. 2010. Bird
response to disturbance varies with forest productivity in the northwestern
United States. Landscape Ecology
25:533–549. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-009-9437-6
Riffell, S.K., J.P. Verschuyl, D.A. Miller, and T.B. Wigley.
2011. Biofuel harvests, coarse woody debris, and biodiversity – A
meta-analysis. Forest Ecology and
Management 261:878–887. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.12.021
Verschuyl, J., S. Riffell, D. Miller, and T.B. Wigley. 2011.
Biodiversity response to intensive biomass production from forest thinning in
North American forests – A meta-analysis. Forest
Ecology and Management 261:221–232. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.10.010