Activity center selection by northern spotted owls

The federally threatened northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) has been intensively studied across its range, and habitat needs for the species have influenced forest management in northwestern North America for decades. Dense forest canopies are often reported in the scientific literature and agency management plans as an important habitat attribute for spotted owls, though the means of measuring forest canopy and interpreting species requirements vary across studies and more importantly, among management plans. We used light detection and ranging (lidar) measurements of canopy cover, canopy surface heterogeneity, and upper canopy surface connectivity, and an index of the presence of a competitive invasive species, the barred owl (S. varia), in multinomial discrete choice models using a Bayesian framework to evaluate selection of forest cover types by spotted owls in Oregon, USA, 2008–2015. We designated yearly activity centers based on the most biologically significant observation during the nesting season (Mar–Aug), generally centered on the nest tree. Spotted owls selected activity centers with more canopy cover and higher heterogeneity of the canopy surface within 100m than was available within their territories. The average proportion of canopy cover within 100m of a spotted owl activity center was 0.79 0.12 (SD; range1⁄4 0.34– 0.99). The presence of barred owls did not explain variability in selection of spotted owl activity centers, but barred owls might not affect third-order habitat selection within territories, or our index was too spatially coarse to detect these effects on spotted owl resource selection. We demonstrate that lidar provides researchers and managers with a tool that can accurately measure forest canopies over large areas, and assist in mapping spotted owl habitat. 2019 The Wildlife Society.

• Publication year

  2019

• Venue

  Journal of Wildlife Management

• Publication date

  2019-04-01

• Fields of study

  Biology, Geography, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1002/JWMG.21632
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Chapter 4: Northern spotted owl habitat and populations: status and threats

  2018influential reference
• High‐resolution habitat modeling with airborne LiDAR for red tree voles

  2017cited by this paper
• Differential impacts of wildfire on the population dynamics of an old-forest species.

  2017cited by this paper
• Estimating density of a territorial species in a dynamic landscape

  2017cited by this paper
• Conservation and relative habitat suitability for an arboreal mammal associated with old forest

  2017cited by this paper
• Cover of tall trees best predicts California spotted owl habitat

  2017cited by this paper
• The effects of habitat, climate, and Barred Owls on long-term demography of Northern Spotted Owls

  2016influential reference
• Spatial models reveal the microclimatic buffering capacity of old-growth forests

  2016cited by this paper
• The evolution of mapping habitat for northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina): A comparison of photo-interpreted, Landsat-based, and lidar-based habitat maps

  2015cited by this paper
• Home Range and Habitat Selection by Northern Spotted Owls on the Eastern Slope of the Cascade Mountains, Washington

  2015cited by this paper
• A guide to Bayesian model selection for ecologists

  2015cited by this paper
• Modeling marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) habitat using LiDAR‐derived canopy data

  2014cited by this paper
• Effects of Fire and Commercial Thinning on Future Habitat of the Northern Spotted Owl

  2014cited by this paper
• R: A language and environment for statistical computing.

  2014influential reference
• Space-use and habitat associations of Black-backed Woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus) occupying recently disturbed forests in the Black Hills, South Dakota

  2014influential reference
• Competitive interactions and resource partitioning between northern spotted owls and barred owls in western Oregon

  2014cited by this paper
• The roles of competition and habitat in the dynamics of populations and species distributions.

  2014cited by this paper
• Using Satellite and Airborne LiDAR to Model Woodpecker Habitat Occupancy at the Landscape Scale

  2013cited by this paper
• Lidar-Derived Canopy Architecture Predicts Brown Creeper Occupancy of Two Western Coniferous Forests

  2013cited by this paper
• Relationship between wildfire, salvage logging, and occupancy of nesting territories by northern spotted owls†

  2013cited by this paper
• LiDAR as a Tool to Characterize Wildlife Habitat: California Spotted Owl Nesting Habitat as an Example

  2011cited by this paper
• Barred Owl Occupancy Surveys within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl

  2011cited by this paper
• Transient dynamics of invasive competition: barred owls, spotted owls, habitat, and the demons of competition present.

  2011cited by this paper
• Examining conifer canopy structural complexity across forest ages and elevations with LiDAR data

  2010cited by this paper
• The Structure of Natural Young , Mature , and Old-Growth Douglas-Fir Forests in Oregon and Washington

  2010cited by this paper
• Site Occupancy Dynamics of Northern Spotted Owls in the Eastern Cascades, Washington, USA, 1990–2003

  2010cited by this paper
• Discrete Return Lidar in Natural Resources: Recommendations for Project Planning, Data Processing, and Deliverables

  2009cited by this paper
• Morphological segmentation of binary patterns

  2009cited by this paper
• Modeling co-occurrence of northern spotted and barred owls: Accounting for detection probability differences

  2009cited by this paper
• Home Range Areas and Activity Patterns of Red Tree Voles (Arborimus longicaudus) in Western Oregon

  2009cited by this paper
• Range Expansion of Barred Owls, Part I: Chronology and Distribution

  2009cited by this paper
• Characterizing forest succession with lidar data: An evaluation for the Inland Northwest, USA

  2009cited by this paper
• Status and Trends in Demography of Northern Spotted Owls, 1985–2003

  2006cited by this paper
• A Bayesian Random Effects Discrete-Choice Model for Resource Selection: Population-Level Selection Inference

  2006cited by this paper
• MODELING OF SITE OCCUPANCY DYNAMICS FOR NORTHERN SPOTTED OWLS, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE EFFECTS OF BARRED OWLS

  2005cited by this paper
• Mapping forest structure for wildlife habitat analysis using waveform lidar: Validation of montane ecosystems

  2005cited by this paper
• Northwest Forest Plan—the first 10 years (1994-2003): status and trend of late-successional and old-growth forest.

  2005cited by this paper
• The enhanced forest inventory and analysis program - national sampling design and estimation procedures

  2005cited by this paper
• Consumer-Grade Global Positioning System (GPS) Accuracy and Reliability

  2005cited by this paper
• MODELING DEMOGRAPHIC PERFORMANCE OF NORTHERN SPOTTED OWLS RELATIVE TO FOREST HABITAT IN OREGON

  2004cited by this paper
• Accuracy of a high-resolution lidar terrain model under a conifer forest canopy

  2003cited by this paper
• ARE BARRED OWLS DISPLACING SPOTTED OWLS?

  2003cited by this paper
• Lidar Remote Sensing for Ecosystem Studies

  2002cited by this paper
• Disturbances and structural development of natural forest ecosystems with silvicultural implications, using Douglas-fir forests as an example

  2002cited by this paper
• Thermal Ecology and Ecological Energetics of California Spotted Owls

  2001cited by this paper
• EFFECTS OF NEW FOREST MANAGEMENT STRATEGIESON SQUIRREL POPULATIONS

  2000cited by this paper
• CLIMATE, HABITAT QUALITY, AND FITNESS IN NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL POPULATIONS IN NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA

  2000cited by this paper
• Nest Sites and Nesting Habitat of the Northern Spotted Owl in Northwestern California

  1999cited by this paper
• OLD-FOREST DISTRIBUTION AROUND SPOTTED OWL NESTS IN THE CENTRAL CASCADE MOUNTAINS, OREGON

  1999cited by this paper
• THE APPLICATION OF DISCRETE CHOICE MODELS TO WILDLIFE RESOURCE SELECTION STUDIES

  1999cited by this paper
• Assessing forest canopies and understorey illumination: canopy closure, canopy cover and other measures

  1999cited by this paper
• Habitat selection by northern spotted owls : The consequences of prey selection and distribution

  1998cited by this paper
• A new measure of fit for equations with dichotomous dependent variables

  1998influential reference
• Characteristics of forests at spotted owl nest sites in the Pacific Northwest

  1998influential reference
• Landscape composition and pattern around northern spotted owl nest sites in southwest Oregon

  1997cited by this paper
• Methods for evaluating crown area profiles of forest stands

  1997cited by this paper
• Methods for collecting and analyzing demographic data on the northern spotted owl

  1996cited by this paper
• Northern Spotted Owls: Influence of Prey Base and Landscape Character

  1992cited by this paper
• Spotted owls, great horned owls, and forest fragmentation in the central Oregon Cascades

  1992cited by this paper
• Spotted owl home range and habitat use in southern Oregon coast ranges

  1990cited by this paper
• Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants

  1987cited by this paper
• Roost Selection by Spotted Owls: An Adaptation to Heat Stress

  1981cited by this paper
• THE COMPARISON OF USAGE AND AVAILABILITY MEASUREMENTS FOR EVALUATING RESOURCE PREFERENCE

  1980cited by this paper

• Technological Innovations in Raptor Conservation: A Systematic Review of Methods and Applications

  2025cites this paper
• Resolving conservation conflict through fire refugia: Integrating landscape resilience into forest management.

  2025cites this paper
• Implications of recent wildfires for forest management on federal lands in the Pacific Northwest, USA

  2025cites this paper
• Changing fire regimes and nuanced impacts on a critically imperiled species

  2024cites this paper
• Reconciling species conservation and ecosystem resilience: Northern spotted owl habitat sustainability in a fire-dependent forest landscape

  2024cites this paper
• Using passive acoustic monitoring to estimate northern spotted owl landscape use and pair occupancy

  2023cites this paper
• Long-term monitoring in transition: Resolving spatial mismatch and integrating multistate occupancy data

  2023cites this paper
• Integrating new technologies to broaden the scope of northern spotted owl monitoring and linkage with USDA forest inventory data

  2022cites this paper
• Tamm Review: Ecological principles to guide post-fire forest landscape management in the Inland Pacific and Northern Rocky Mountain regions

  2022cites this paper
• Older forests used by northern spotted owls functioned as fire refugia during large wildfires, 1987–2017

  2021cites this paper
• Northern spotted owl nesting forests as fire refugia: a 30-year synthesis of large wildfires

  2021cites this paper
• Disentangling LiDAR Contribution in Modelling Species-Habitat Structure Relationships in Terrestrial Ecosystems Worldwide. A Systematic Review and Future Directions

  2021cites this paper
• Incorporating LiDAR metrics into a structure-based habitat model for a canopy-dwelling species

  2020cites this paper
• Mixed‐severity wildfire and habitat of an old‐forest obligate

  2019cites this paper
• Barred Owl Effects on Spotted Owl Resource Selection: A Meta‐Analysis

  2019cites this paper
• Social status, forest disturbance, and Barred Owls shape long-term trends in breeding dispersal distance of Northern Spotted Owls

  2019cites this paper