The Northern Goshawk on the Southern Blue Mountains and Malheur National Forest: A Technical Review of its Status, Ecology and Management

• Main Authors: Goodell, John M., Seager, S. Trent
• Other Authors: College of Forestry
• Format: Report
• Language: English; unknown
• Published: The Nature Conservancy, Portland, OR
• Subjects: Accipiter gentilis; Northern Goshawk; Tundra
• Online Access: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/defaults/47429970d

Stakeholders in the southern Blue Mountains have reported a need for a scientific review of the northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis atricapillus; hereafter, goshawk) in relation to dry forest restoration and management activities. Here, we provide a compilation of relevant synthesis papers, existing peer-reviewed research, and goshawk monitoring efforts in the region to assist stakeholder discussions regarding restoration planning and implementation. The goshawk is not currently considered a species of special conservation status in North America, and as such is afforded the same legal protection as other non-priority forest raptors by regulatory entities (USFWS, CITES, IUCN), including the land management agencies within the southern Blue Mountains region (BLM, USFS). However, starting in the early 1990s, there were multiple petitions to list the goshawk under the Endangered Species Act. In response, the US Forest Service Region 6 implemented interim wildlife standards (Eastside Screens) in 1994, which included specific guidelines for the protection of active goshawk nests on National Forests on the eastside of Oregon and Washington. This was intended to secure protections until further information was available. A review of scientific literature on the goshawk shows the species nests across a broad gradient of forest types throughout the western US, and in more diverse habitat types (e.g., contiguous hardwood forests, open tundra) throughout North America. The Forest Service proposed nine goshawk bioregions along geographical areas of similar ecological conditions across the continental US. Four of those bioregions occur in Oregon, speaking to the diverse forests the goshawk inhabits in this state alone. While early research appeared uncertain, a series of long-term, rigorous studies in dry forest systems have now markedly improved our understanding of goshawk ecology. The legacy of contentious litigation should not cloud stakeholder understanding of the species’ conservation status. Rather the volume and ...