![pacific northwest fires pacific northwest fires](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FYw5lK0UEAAvZAa.jpg)
These forests include critical habitat not only for Endangered Species Act protected chinook and other salmon, but also steelhead, bull trout and other aquatic species.
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Salmon, the Pacific Northwest’s “life blood,” require the coldwater streams of the upper forested watersheds found on national forest lands to successfully spawn and free-flowing rivers from the mountains down to the Salish Sea and beyond to literally navigate their amazing anadromous lifecycle. Much of the region’s remaining old forest habitat was protected within “Late Successional Reserves” (LSRs) on national forests and other federal lands, as allocated in the region’s hallmark Northwest Forest Plan, originally enacted in 1994.Ī host of carnivores-the Pacific fisher, American marten, Sierra Nevada red fox, wolverine, Canada lynx, gray wolf and some of Washington state’s last remaining grizzly bears-many of them struggling to keep a foothold in the Lower 48, call these forests home and travel the wildlands and riparian corridors. The endangered northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet both require old growth trees for nesting (and also for foraging, roosting and dispersal in the owl’s case). The temperate rain forests on the west side of the Cascade crest, dominated by Douglas fir and western hemlock, and the more-fire adapted dry forests on the east side that include Ponderosa and lodgepole pine, both offer high-quality habitat to many of the region’s important yet imperiled species. Climate change, unprecedented wildfire events, invasive species and escalating human disturbance, including rapid growth into previously undeveloped forested areas, all pose significant risks to the integrity of our Northwest forests. Continued and enhanced protection, particularly of old forest habitats and aquatic ecosystems, is required for these forests and the flora and fauna they hold as threats mount.
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However, a long history of anthropogenic impacts, primarily intensive logging, extensive road building and fire suppression, means that much of this landscape requires thoughtful conservation and proactive restorative management to ensure it remains healthy and resilient.
#PACIFIC NORTHWEST FIRES PLUS#
Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM), contain immeasurable value, providing clean water and air for downstream communities plus cultural significance and first foods to the region’s Tribes, sequestering carbon, and serving as important habitat for the region’s distinctive biodiversity. Pacific Northwest forests, including those managed by the U.S.