| Together with partners, the Pacific Southwest Region of the United States Forest Service is in the process of compiling science (Conservation Assessments) and developing conservation measures (Conservation Strategies) for two old-forest dependent species of conservation interest: Pacific fisher and California spotted owl. The goal is to use compiled scientific information and proposed conservation measures, as part of a broader ecological framework, to plan for effective and adaptive species conservation in the development of forest management plans and activities. This complex endeavor has been made even more challenging by: (1) rapidly changing environmental conditions (extended extreme drought and resulting tree mortality), (2) rapidly evolving and incomplete scientific information (the majority of information comes from fire-excluded habitats as an era of mega-fires gets underway), and (3) perceived tradeoffs between long-term ecosystem integrity and diversity conservation/sustainability (coarse filter) and near-term species needs (fine-filter). This talk will discuss some of the challenges and initial lessons learned in this ongoing conservation planning effort. |