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Land Management Plan - Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy

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September 2005 <strong>Land</strong> <strong>Management</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>Part</strong> 2<br />

<strong>Los</strong> <strong>Padres</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Forest</strong> <strong>Strategy</strong><br />

Wildlife management is focused on maintaining or improving habitat capability (WL 1 -<br />

Threatened, Endangered, Proposed, Candidate, and Sensitive Species <strong>Management</strong> and WL 2 -<br />

Wildlife, Fish and <strong>Plan</strong>t Habitat <strong>Management</strong>), removing invasive species (IS 1 - Invasive and<br />

Nonnative Species Prevention and Control), and reducing conflicts with other activities (REC 2 -<br />

Sustainable Use and Environmental Design and <strong>Land</strong>s 2 - Non-Recreation Special Use<br />

Authorizations). There is also an emphasis on minimizing habitat loss and fragmentation<br />

through the conservation and management of habitat linkages within and, where possible,<br />

between the national forests and other public and privately conserved lands (<strong>Land</strong>s 1 - <strong>Land</strong><br />

Ownership Adjustment). Program managers expect to implement one to two recovery tasks per<br />

year (WL 1 - Threatened, Endangered, Proposed, Candidate, and Sensitive Species <strong>Management</strong>)<br />

and accomplish 200-300 acres of habitat restoration per year (WL 2 - Wildlife, Fish and <strong>Plan</strong>t<br />

Habitat <strong>Management</strong>). The national forest is placing a high priority on preventing and controlling<br />

nonnative species that prey on or compete with threatened and endangered fish and wildlife<br />

(IS 1 - Invasive and Nonnative<br />

Fish crew at Prewitt Creek<br />

Species Prevention and Control).<br />

The national forest expects to<br />

implement control measures on an<br />

average of 250 acres per year in<br />

areas where invasive plants and<br />

animals are known to be adversely<br />

affecting listed species. There will<br />

be emphasis on improving our<br />

knowledge base regarding<br />

threatened and endangered species<br />

through basic inventory of suitable<br />

habitat, focused on surveys of nonwilderness<br />

areas (AM 2 - <strong>Forest</strong>wide<br />

Inventory). Managers also<br />

expect to increase emphasis on<br />

maintenance and restoration of<br />

habitat in areas where high-use<br />

recreation and threatened, endangered, proposed, candidate, and sensitive species coincide<br />

(WL 1 - Threatened, Endangered, Proposed, Candidate, and Sensitive Species <strong>Management</strong> and<br />

REC 2 - Sustainable Use and Environmental Design).<br />

Vegetation management is carried out to maintain healthy forest ecosystems, protect critical<br />

habitats, to reduce fire and erosion risks, and to replant burned or otherwise damaged vegetation.<br />

The national forest Restoration Program incorporates an integrated set of vegetation management<br />

actions designed to meet multiple objectives including restoration of forest health and<br />

community protection. Close coordination between the fire, fuels and aviation management staff<br />

and resource management staff is required. The national forest has identified the following<br />

vegetation management project categories related to community protection and forest health:<br />

• Mortality Removal - Annual Need: 100 acres. This includes the removal of dead<br />

vegetation to reduce fire hazard. This category includes the use of timber sales to remove<br />

merchantable trees, and the contract removal of non-merchantable trees and shrubs.<br />

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