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This file was created by scanning the printed publication.Errors identified by the software have been corrected; however, some errors may remain.Reynolds, Richard T.; Graham, Russell T.; Reiser, M. Hildegard; and others. 1992. Management recommendations for the northern goshawk in the southwestern United States. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-217, Ft. Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 90 p.Present forest conditions -loss of a herbaceous and shrubby understory, reductions in the amount of older forests, and increased areas of dense tree regeneration -reflect the extent of human influence on these forests. These changes may also be affecting goshawk populations. Information on goshawk nesting habitat and foraging behavior, and the food and habitats of selected goshawk prey, was therefore synthesized to develop a set of management objectives, desired forest conditions, and management recommendations. Key objectives of the guidelines are to provide (1) nesting, post-fledging, and foraging areas for goshawks, and (2) habitat to support abundant populations of 14 primary goshawk prey. Thinning trees in the understory, creating small openings in the forest, and prescribed fires should help produce and maintain the desired forest conditions. Other habitat elements critical for maintaining both goshawk and prey populations include abundant snags and large downed logs, woody debris, interspersion of different tree sizes across the landscape, and the majority of a goshawk's home range in older-aged forests. These guidelines should also benefit forest health, soil productivity, and the habitats of other old-growthdependent plants and animals. Management Recommendations for the Northern Goshawk in the Southwestern Executive SummaryThe northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis atricapillus) (hereafter called the "goshawk") is the largest North American member of the genus Accipiter, which includes both the sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) and the Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii). It breeds in coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests throughout much of North America.The goshawk is a: forest habitat generalist that uses a variety of forest types, forest ages, structural conditions, and successional stages. It preys on small-to medium-sized birds and mammals (robins and chipmunks to grouse and hares), which it captures on the ground, in trees, or in the air. A single goshawk rna y consume one-to-two prey per day.The principal forest types occupied by the goshawk in the Southwest are ponderosa pine, mixed-species, and spruce-fir. There is a concern that populations and reproduction of the goshawk are declining in these forests and elsewhere in the western United States. These declines may be associated with forest changes caused by timber harvesting. However, fire suppression, livestock grazing, drought, and toxic chemicals may be involved. Because of the concerns over the effects of timber harvesting, the goshawk was listed as a "sensitive species" by the ...

Ponderosa pine and dry mixed-conifer forests in the Southwest United States are experiencing, or have become increasingly susceptible to, large-scale severe wildfire, insect, and disease episodes resulting in altered plant and animal demographics, reduced productivity and biodiversity, and impaired ecosystem processes and functions. We present a management framework based on a synthesis of science on forest ecology and management, reference conditions, and lessons learned during implementations of our restoration framework. Our framework focuses on the restoration of key elements similar to the historical composition and structure of vegetation in these forests: (1) species composition;(2) groups of trees; (3) scattered individual trees; (4) grass-forb-shrub interspaces; (5) snags, logs, and woody debris; and (6) variation in the arrangements of these elements in space and time. Our framework informs management strategies that can improve the resiliency of frequent-fire forests and facilitate the resumption of characteristic ecosystem processes and functions by restoring the composition, structure, and spatial patterns of vegetation. We believe restoration of key compositional and structural elements on a per-site basis will restore resiliency of frequent-fire forests in the Southwest, and thereby position them to better resist, and adapt to, future disturbances and climates.

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Effective wildlife conservation strategies require an understanding of how fluctuating environmental conditions affect sensitive life stages. As part of a long-term study, we examined post-fledging and post-independence survival of 89 radio-marked juvenile Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) produced from 48 nests in northern Arizona, USA, during 1998-2001. Information-theoretic methods were used to examine within- and among-year variation in survival relative to environmental (prey abundance, weather), territory (hatching date, brood size), and individual (gender, body mass) sources of variation. The results support age- and cohort-specific differences in survival that were best explained by behaviors occurring at distinct stages of juvenile development, annual changes in the density of primary bird and mammal prey species, and gender-related differences in body mass. Survival between fledging and independence increased linearly with age and varied among annual cohorts of radio-marked juveniles from 0.81 (95% CI = 0.60-0.93) to 1.00 (95% CI = 0.95-1.00) in association with annual differences in prey density; the slope coefficient for the additive effect of prey density on survival was 1.12 (95% CI = 0.06-2.19). Survival declined to 0.71 (95% CI = 0.60-0.93) shortly after juveniles initiated dispersal (weeks 8-12 post-fledging) and moved to more open habitats at lower elevations. Survival was not closely associated with weather or territory-level parameters. A comparison of the predictions of environmental-, territory-, and individual-based models of survival demonstrated that food availability was the primary factor limiting juvenile survival. This finding indicates that forest management prescriptions designed to support abundant prey populations while providing forest structural conditions that allow goshawks to access their prey within breeding areas should benefit juvenile survival.

Burns, chartered this team to recommend an ecological basis for ecosystem management. This report is not intended to provide details on all aspects of ecosystem management; it simply provides information and makes recommendations for an ecological basis for ecosystem management. The report is not a decision document. It does not allocate resources on public lands nor does it make recommendations to that effect.The report of this Study Team may be relied upon as input in processes initiated under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), National Forest Management Act (NFMA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), Administrative Procedures Act (APA), and other applicable laws. The information contained in this report is general in nature, rather than site specific. Implementation of ecosystem management and allocation of resources on Forest Service administered lands is the responsibility of the National Forest System in partnership with Forest Service Research and State and Private Forestry. Implementation is done through Forest and project plans that are subject to the NEPA process of disclosing the effects of proposed actions and affording the opportunity for public comment. The Southwestern Region follows a planning process for projects called Integrated Resource Management (IRM).The opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily represent the policy or position of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, or the Arizona Game and Fish Department.The Study Team acknowledges the valuable input of more than 50 individuals from various agencies, universities, professional organizations, and other groups who provided thoughtful comments of an earlier draft of this document. Some of their comments are included in Appendix 3. (Upper left) Road expansion to accommodate increased traffic in forested areas. Photo from Bev Driver. (Upper right) Cypripedium calceolus, a rare species found on the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico. Fine filter analyses help protect uncommon species. Photo by Reggie Fletcher. (Lower) Small openings in a ponderosa pine forest created by hotspots in a low-intensity fire. Photo by Ron Moody.

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