Blue Mountains

Limiting Factor:

Altered Fire Regimes

In ponderosa pine habitat types, fire suppression and past forest practices have resulted in young, dense mixed-species stands where open, park-like stands of ponderosa pine once dominated. Increasingly dominated by smaller Douglas-firs and true firs, the forests are at greater risk of severe wildfire, disease, and damage by insects. Dense understories and insect-killed trees make it difficult to reintroduce natural fire regimes because hazardous fuel levels increase the risk of stand-replacing fires. Efforts to reduce fire danger and improve forest health may help to restore habitats but require careful planning to provide sufficient habitat features that are important to wildlife (e.g., snags, downed logs, hiding cover). Similarly, wildfire reforestation efforts should be carefully planned to create stands with tree diversity, understory vegetation, and natural forest openings.

Recommended Approach

Use an integrated approach to forest health issues that considers historical conditions, wildlife conservation, natural fire intervals, and silvicultural techniques. Encourage forest management at a broad scale to address limiting factors. Implement fuel reduction projects to reduce the risk of forest-destroying wildfires, considering site-specific conditions and goals. Fuel reduction strategies need to consider the habitat structures that are important to wildlife, such as snags and downed logs, and make an effort to maintain them. Reintroduce fire where feasible; prioritize sites and applications. Carefully planned prescribed burns enhance quality of forage and cover for wintering deer and elk. Maintain important wildlife habitat features, such as snags and logs, at a level to sustain wood-dependent species. Monitor forest health initiatives, and use adaptive management techniques to ensure efforts are meeting habitat restoration and wildfire prevention objectives with minimal impacts on wildlife.

Limiting Factor:

Low-Elevation Sites Vulnerable

Although a large number of acres in this ecoregion are managed for wildlife and recreational values, these areas are primarily limited to higher mountain forests and alpine areas, or steep canyonlands. Lower elevation vegetation types, such as valley bottom grasslands, riparian areas, wetlands, and shrublands, are mostly on private lands. Most remnant low-elevation native habitats occur as fragmented patches with poor connectivity.

Recommended Approach

Because important low-elevation habitats are primarily privately-owned, working with private landowners and local governments on voluntary cooperative approaches to improve habitat is the key to long-term conservation using tools such as financial incentives, regulatory assurance agreements, and conservation easements. Where feasible, maintain and restore habitats using a landscape approach to increase connectivity between habitat patches.

Limiting Factor:

Development and Increased Growth

The western portion of the Blue Mountains includes the Madras, Redmond, Prineville, and eastern Bend area, one of the fastest growing regions of the state. Rapid conversion to urban uses threatens habitats and traditional land uses such as agriculture. Impacts to mule deer winter range are of particular concern. Northeast Oregon is increasingly popular with vacationers, and habitat fragmentation due to rural development is a concern in some areas.

Recommended Approach

As in low-elevation habitats, cooperative approaches with private landowners are critical. Work with community leaders and agency partners to ensure planned, efficient growth. Support and implement existing land use regulations to preserve farmland and rangeland, open spaces, recreation areas, and natural habitats.

 

Limiting Factor:

Recreational Vehicle Use

Use by off-highway vehicles (OHVs) has increased dramatically in recent years. When limited and controlled, OHV use can be compatible with wildlife conservation. However, unlimited and uncontrolled use can impact riparian, aquatic, and other sensitive habitats, spread invasive plant seeds, increase fire danger, and affect wildlife behavior and distribution, especially during critical breeding and wintering periods. Also, use of forest roads can affect wildlife behavior and distribution, depending on road type and traffic levels.

Recommended Approach

Work cooperatively with land managers and OHV groups to direct use to maintained trails in low-impact areas and minimize growth of OHV use. Conduct research on effects of OHVs on wildlife behavior and populations (e.g., research conducted at Starkey Experimental Forest, U.S. Forest Service (USFS)). Support efforts to control OHV use on public lands, particularly in highly sensitive habitats, and restore damaged areas. For example, the USFS is looking into closing some non-priority forest roads. Encourage development and use of designated roads and trails, maintain hiding cover along open roads, and/or seasonally-close roads during sensitive periods, such as calving or wintering.

Limiting Factor:

Water Distribution in Arid Areas and Wildlife Entrapment in Water Developments

In arid areas, water availability can limit animal distribution. Water developments established for cattle, deer, and elk can significantly benefit birds, bats, and small mammals. However, some types of these facilities, particularly water developments for livestock, can have unintentional hazards. These hazards include over-hanging wires that act as trip lines for bats, steep side walls that act as entrapments under low water conditions, or unstable perches that cause animals to fall into the water. If an escape ramp is not provided, small animals cannot escape and will drown.

Recommended Approach

Continue current efforts to provide water for wildlife in arid areas. Continue current design of big game and game bird “guzzlers” that accommodate a variety species, and retrofit older models where appropriate to make them compatible with newer design standards. Use and maintain escape devices on water developments where animals can become trapped. Remove obstacles that could be hazardous to wildlife from existing developments.

Limiting Factor:

Unregulated Horse Herds Disturb Wildlife and Compete for Water and Other Resources

Oregon’s herds of wild horses are a well-recognized feature on rangeland, but the herds require intensive management attention, including resource-intensive adoption and translocation programs allowed under the Wild Horse & Burro Act (BLM 1971). Unregulated horse herds negatively impact native vegetation, compete with wildlife for water and food, and disrupt habitat use by wildlife. Currently, this issue is limited to a small but important part of the Blue Mountains ecoregion in the Murderers Creek area.

Recommended Approach

Promote dialogue between wildlife managers, land owners, and land managers to develop management plans based on common priorities. Promote outreach to explain the issue to the public. Use opinion polling results to inform management decisions and help agencies balance multiple priorities.

Limiting Factor:

Invasive Species

Invasive plants and animals disrupt and degrade native communities, diminish populations of at-risk native species, and threaten the economic productivity of resource lands. Invasive plants, particularly noxious weeds, have been on the increase during the last 30 years. While not as disruptive, invasive animals have caused problems for native wildlife species and have become a nuisance and impacted people economically.

Recommended Approach

Emphasize prevention, risk assessment, early detection, and quick control to prevent new invasive species from becoming fully established. Use multiple site-appropriate tools (e.g., mechanical, chemical, biological) to control the most damaging invasive species. Prioritize efforts to focus on key invasive species in high priority areas, particularly where Strategy Habitats and Strategy Species occur. Cooperate with partners through habitat programs to reduce noxious weeds and other invasive species and to educate people about invasive species issues. Promote the use of native plants for restoration and revegetation. At some sites in sagebrush communities, it may be desirable to use “assisted succession” strategies, using low seed rates of non-invasive non-native plants in conjunction with native plant seeds as an intermediate step in rehabilitating disturbances.