Northwest Forest Plan

Northern Spotted Owl Monitoring

The northern spotted owl monitoring program assesses status and trends in northern spotted owl populations and habitat to answer the basic questions:

• Will implementing the Northwest Forest Plan reverse the downward trend in spotted owl populations?
• Is the Plan maintaining or restoring owl habitat necessary to support viable owl populations?

Population monitoring documents survival, reproductive success, and annual rate of population change in northern spotted owl demographic study areas. Maps depicting habitat suitability are produced using habitat models applied to current vegetation maps developed by the LSOG monitoring program.