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Documents
White Papers White Paper on Verifiable Auditing / Monitoring Program
Guiding Documents Washington SFI ® Implementation Committee Bylaws Washington SIC Inconsistent Practices Process Washington SIC Inconsistent Practices Process Flow Chart Sustainable Forestry Initiative 2005-2009 Standard Washington SIC Contractor Training Recommendations Verifiable Auditing and Monitoring
Washington State Species and Communities of Special Concern: Information for Family Forest Landowners As a good land steward, it is important to be aware of plant and animal species of special concern that may occur on your lands, and how forest management activities may affect these species. The Washington State Implementation Committee (WA SIC) for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is pleased to provide a series of factsheets on species of special concern that may occur on forested lands within Washington State. Each species factsheet includes a description of the species, habitat, range, and information on known threats to populations in Washington. These factsheets
provide information on species that have been ranked as G1, G2, S1,
or S2 by NatureServe and the Washington Natural Heritage Program.
According to NatureServe, “NatureServe and its Natural Heritage
member programs have developed a consistent method for evaluating
the relative imperilment of both species and ecological communities”.
These methods involve ranking species according to their conservation
status. The following are NatureServe’s definitions for the
four Natural Heritage ranks we use in the factsheets: G2: Imperiled at the global level because of rarity or because other factors demonstrably make it very vulnerable to extinction (extirpation), typically with 6-20 occurrences. S1: Critically imperiled at the state level because of extreme rarity or because it is somehow especially vulnerable to extinction or extirpation, typically with 5 or fewer occurrences. S2: Imperiled at the state level because of rarity or because other factors demonstrably make it very vulnerable to extinction (extirpation), typically with 6-20 occurrences. Some of these species are also listed under federal or Washington State Endangered Species Acts. The following are the definitions of the federal and Washington state listing categories: Federally Endangered: According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “an “endangered” species is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” This is a legal status; protections of listed species are enforceable by law. Federally Threatened: According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “a “threatened” species is one that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.” This is a legal status; protections of listed species are enforceable by law. For more information, see: United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Species Information Threatened and Endangered Animals and Plants, http://www.fws.gov/Endangered/wildlife.html. State Endangered: According to Washington Administrative Code, "any wildlife species native to the state of Washington that is seriously threatened with extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range within the state." For more information, see: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Listed Species Categories, http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/diversty/soc/definitn.htm. State Threatened: According to Washington Administrative Code, "any wildlife species native to the state of Washington that is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout a significant portion of its range within the state without cooperative management or removal of threats." State Sensitive: According to Washington Administrative Code, "any wildlife species native to the state of Washington that is vulnerable or declining and is likely to become endangered or threatened throughout a significant portion of its range within the state without cooperative management or removal of threats." These sheets are intended to provide a brief introduction to species of special concern that occur in forested lands on Washington State. You may want to consider looking into each species in further depth, or learning more about other critically imperiled and imperiled species that are not covered in these sheets. Please see our links page to learn how to find sources of more information. Why Should the
WA SIC Provide this Information? |
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