The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is proposing to reduce the northern spotted owl habitat by 200,000 acres of the 9.6 million acres currently designated as critical habitat in Oregon.
“The proposed exclusions will allow fuels management and sustainable timber harvesting to move forward while supporting the recovery of the northern spotted owl,” USFWS Regional Director for the Columbia-Pacific Northwest Robyn Thorson said.
The proposed reduction of the acreage is on Bureau of Land Management land in 15 Oregon counties and 20,000 acres are on tribal lands. The proposed rule changes are in response to a settlement between the federal government, timber companies, and counties that legally challenged a 2012 critical habitat rule.
