Biological Opinion for Programmatic Management Activities

The Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to review their actions to ensure they do not jeopardize the continued existence of federally listed species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of listed critical habitat. If federal actions may affect federally listed species, the agency must consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. To streamline the process, the Olympic National Forest requested consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on multiple projects that have a similar design and occur repeatedly.

The document Biological Opinion for Programmatic Forest Management Activities on the Olympic National Forest June 15, 2020 to June 15, 2030  is a multi-program consultation for activities expected to occur on the forest over 10 years. These activities include the Olympic National Forest’s restoration thinning program, as well as other activities routinely conducted (e.g., campground and road maintenance and repair). The forest proposes to thin both younger and older forest stands. Older forest stands may be greater than 80 years of age and/or greater than 20 inches in diameter.

This programmatic consultation evaluates potential effects of the management actions to three federally listed threatened species (spotted owl, marbled murrelet, and bull trout) and their designated critical habitats. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the 10-year program of actions, as proposed, is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the species and is not likely to destroy or adversely modify designated critical habitats.

Olympic National Forest managers monitor actions so that they stay in compliance with this programmatic consultation. Both agencies expect that this programmatic consultation document will be updated as time goes along. As the actions under the programmatic consultation are implemented, the Olympic National Forest and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will together look for places to clarify, correct, or improve the document.

• Letter: Biological Opinion for Programmatic Forest Management Activities on the Olympic National Forest 6/15/2020- 06/15/2030 (.pdf)
• Appendices (.zip)

Learn more about Commerical Thinning used in Forest Management

Thinning is one of many forest management tools employed to meet ecological, social, and economic objectives. On the Olympic National Forest, commercial thinning is used to diversify forest structure and composition as well as produce valuable timber. This increases habitat and forage for wildlife, enhances visual quality, and even provides economic opportunities for local businesses.