Altering logging to better care for salmon habitat and recommendations to allow logging in Spotted Owl areas if non-native owls “reduced”
The Oregonian photo
A couple of possible breakthroughs in giving the natural environment a boost appeared on the pages of the Oregonian this week. The first is a story about a federal judge ruling that Oregon logging practices may be to blame for troublesome salmon spawning and survival rates, but also included farmers and ranchers for part of the blame. The ruling has everyone in the forestry and natural resources sectors talking again about sharpening their analysis on what is cause and effect in Mother Nature. See that story by clicking here.
Barred Owls
The Oregonian photo
The second story brings the long running issue of protecting habitat for the endangered spotted owl. One idea came up this week that, rather than continually withdrawing lands for logging to protect the bird, maybe an invasive species of owl, called the Barred Owl, should be treated as “invasive” and be reduced in numbers through hunting, thereby allowing the spotted owl back in. In fact one experiment in removing invading Barred Owls proved extremely successful as spotted owls returned to the area immediately thereby expanding habitat for the endangered bird. For that story, click here.
