Focus Species Forestry - Maine Audubon

Appendix 4. Other Special-value Habitats
Focus species management is designed as a tool to help guide management of the bulk of the landscape
and a vast majority of species commonly encountered by forest managers. However, focus species
management may not account for rare species with unique habitat requirements, rare forest types, species
that are highly sensitive to timber harvesting, or other specialized habitats. Landowners should also
integrate management of these important ecological features into the management plan for their property.
Element Description Information Source/Management
Rare, threatened,
or endangered
plants
Plants listed under the federal Endangered
Species Acts and other species listed S1,
S2, or S3 by MNAP 1
Threatened or
endangered
animals
Rare or exemplary
natural
communities
Animals listed under the federal and
Maine endangered species acts
Natural communities classified as S1, S2,
or S3 or “exemplary” communities
Maine Natural Areas Program
Good: Protect known occurrences.
Foresters should be able to identify rare
forest communities.
Better: Manage appropriately if
MNAP data suggests possible
occurrences.
Best: Conduct on-site surveys
Old growth forests Stands over 150-200 years old with light
harvest history
Protect existing stands and allow some
additional old growth to develop.
Significant
wildlife habitat
Threatened or endangered species habitat,
high- and moderate-value deer wintering
areas and travel corridors; high- and
moderate-value waterfowl and wading
bird habitat; Atlantic salmon spawning
and nursery areas; and other non-forest
areas listed by the Natural Resources
Protection Act
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries
and Wildlife (MDIFW) or Maine
Natural Areas Program. Mapped
Significant Wildlife Habitats are
protected by law. Protection of
unmapped habitats is voluntary unless
within a wetland or other protected
resource.
Deer wintering
areas
Spruce, fir, cedar or hemlock stands with
>50% crown closure and >30 ft. tall with
historical deer “yarding”
Review Beginning with Habitat map.
Consult with regional MDIFW
biologist.
Heron Rookeries Look for concentrations of large stick MDIFW
nests, usually in hardwoods (occasionally
softwoods), near rivers, wetlands, or on
islands.
See Biodiversity in the Forests of Maine: Guidelines for Land Management (Elliott 1999) for more
information on identifying and managing these special habitats.
1
Maine Natural Areas Program (MNAP) classifies rare plants and natural communities with the following
system:
S1: Critically imperiled in Maine because or rarity (5 or less occurrences) or because it is
especially vulnerable to extirpation
S2: Imperiled in Maine because of rarity (6-20 occurrences or few remaining acres) or because
other factors make it vulnerable to further decline
S3: Rare in Maine (on the order of 20-100 occurrences)
S4: Apparently secure in Maine
S5: Demonstrably secure in Maine
Focus Species Forestry 79