Spoiler alert: Mexican spotted owl habitat trends in the Southwestern United States

Gavin M. Jones; Christopher Witt; Rene Guaderrama

Treesearch

Spoiler alert: Mexican spotted owl habitat trends in the Southwestern United States

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Gavin M. Jones, Christopher Witt, Rene Guaderrama

Year:

2023

Type:

Science Bulletins and Newsletters

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Source:

Science You Can Use (in 5 Minutes), March 2023. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 2 p.

Download (PDF 3.79 MB)

Download (PDF 3.79 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/65921.pdf

Abstract

One fundamental question is driving Mexican spotted owl management research: What is happening to owl habitat? Scientists with the USDA Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) along with partners have developed a methodology for tracking long-term trends in Mexican spotted owl habitat in the southwestern United States. The project analyzed nearly 3,000 known owl nest and roost sites, data from the Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis program, Landsat imagery going back to 1986, and regional climate and local topographic information to create predictive owl habitat models.

Keywords

Mexican spotted owl, habitat management, models

Citation

Jones, Gavin; Witt, Chris; Guaderrama, Rene. 2023. Spoiler alert: Mexican spotted owl habitat trends in the Southwestern United States. Science You Can Use (in 5 Minutes), March 2023. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 2 p.