Management considerations (not mandatory)

Wildlife tree patches can be used to protect individual nests.

Landscape unit planning considerations (not mandatory)

Maintenance of semi-open forest with some large snags and green recruitment trees is recommended (ponderosa pine, black cottonwood, Douglas-fir preferred). Open forested linkages between riparian areas, semi-open forest and reserve areas of similar quality is necessary. The relative location and proximity of other preferred habitats (e.g., recent burns; partially logged areas showing low crown closures, and desirable habitat attributes such as snags and large hardwoods; orchards, crop fields or pastures), should also be considered when planning at the landscape level.

Cross references

White-headed woodpecker

White-headed woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus)

WHA planning objectives

Provide adequate supplies of suitable live and dead wildlife trees for foraging and nesting.

Wildlife habitat area

Two types of WHAs are required for this species corresponding to foraging areas and nest sites. Nest WHAs may occur within foraging WHAs.

Foraging WHAs should be established over remaining high suitability forests throughout the breeding range of the species (i.e., ponderosa pine or Douglas-fir age classes 6 to 9; structural stages 6 or 7).

Nest WHAs are 20-40 ha located at breeding sites, either historical or currently occupied. These should contain a mix of large (>60 cm dbh) live and standing dead trees (ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir preferred). If a high suitability habitat no longer exists at the site, locate the WHA within a 1 km radius of the site at (in order of preference):

• a previously constrained area containing appropriate structural stages and habitat features (i.e., an OGMA)
• a high suitability site
• a high capability area managed to produce a high suitability habitat.

One recruitment WHA should be established in the vicinity of every historical breeding site unless a previously constrained area within 1 km provides adequate white-headed woodpecker nesting and foraging habitat.

GWM management objectives

Provide adequate supplies of suitable live and dead wildlife trees for foraging and nesting.

Maintain stand structure.

Maintain mature cone-producing ponderosa pine to ensure winter food supplies.

Minimize access to prevent habitat fragmentation and firewood cutting.

General wildlife measure

These measures must be applied within a WHA approved for the species. Nest WHAs Access Do not construct roads unless the district manager and regional fish and wildlife manager are satisifed there is no other practicable option and the variance is approved by the district manager and regional fish and wildlife manager. Deactivate temporary roads immediately after logging. Silviculture Do not salvage timber unless variance is approved by the district manager and regional fish and wildlife manager. Protect and retain all ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir live and dead trees >60 cm dbh for nesting and insect foraging. Maintain at least six dead standing trees per ha. Where it is not possible to retain six >60 cm, use the largest available. The highest practical density of snags is preferred. Hazardous snags or trees can be incorporated into group reserves (plan as no work zones if appropriate); otherwise maintain snags within the operational setting as described in the Wildlife/Danger Tree Assessor's Course Workbook. Where hazard trees or snags must be removed, leave high-cut (5 m) stumps wherever possible. Use partial cutting silvicultural systems to maintain widely spaced (40-70% canopy cover) late seral ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. Group selection (openings ­0.5 ha), with group reserves, or single tree selection with group reserves are the recommended silvicultural systems. Maintain sufficient understorey ponderosa pine across the natural variation of diameter classes in order to provide eventual recruitment of trees into the larger (>60 cm) diameter classes. Extend the rotation as necessary. Within this constraint, minimize the risk of stand-replacing fire. Restoration and enhancement Topping and "planting" large diameter snags with an excavator may be appropriate in areas where standing dead trees are few. Additional potential nest sites in intensely managed stands may be provided by leaving some high-cut (5 m in height) stumps of large (_60 cm dbh) ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. Foraging WHA Access Do not construct roads in stands of late seral ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir unless the district manager and regional fish and wildlife manager are satisifed there is no other practicable option and the variance is approved by the district manager and regional fish and wildlife manager. Wherever practicable, retain >100 ha areas as unroaded, including inoperable areas. Silviculture Retain at least 25 of the largest ponderosa pine trees per hectare. Trees _50 cm dbh are preferred. Retain at least three large snags per hectare. Snags _60 cm dbh are preferred. Where hazard trees or snags must be removed, leave high-cut (5 m) stumps wherever possible. Use partial cutting silvicultural systems to maintain uneven-aged stands, a full range of diameter classes, and an open canopy (40-70%). Plan for the recruitment of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir into the larger (>60 cm) diameter class. Do not salvage timber. Implement protection measures to reduce the risk of stand-replacing fire. Use biological control methods to prevent and control insect infestations. Do not use insecticides.

Landscape unit planning considerations (not mandatory)

Because of this species' potentially large home range size (100-200 ha in continuous old forest and 300-350 ha in fragmented forests), WHAs should be connected by forested linkages to other areas with similar structural features. Linkages should be composed of large areas of connecting habitats, rather than merely corridors (e.g., relatively large reserve areas containing drier, open-canopied mature and old growth ponderosa pine). A landscape objective for the range of this species is to maintain and restore the historical distribution and complexity of late seral ponderosa pine habitats.

Reductions of mature, cone-producing ponderosa pine stands could jeopardize critical winter food supplies. Ponderosa pine only produce heavy cone crops beginning at 60-100 years of age and at 4-5 year intervals.

Cross references

Lewis's woodpecker
Ponderosa pine-black cottonwood-Nootka rose-poison-ivy