Management Guidelines for Whitebark Pine on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Sensitive Species List

                                                                        December 16, 2014

In Reply Refer To:
6843/6840/5860 (931) P

 

EMS TRANSMISSION:  12/17/ 2014
Instruction Memorandum No. ID-2015-012
Expires: 09/30/2018

To:           District Managers  

From:       State Director         

Subject:   Management Guidelines for Whitebark Pine on the Bureau of Land Management          (BLM) Sensitive Species List

Program Areas:  Forestry, Threatened and Endangered Species, Special Status Species

Purpose:  This Instruction Memorandum (IM) provides Management Guidelines for Whitebark Pine on the Idaho Bureau of Land Management Sensitive Species List.

Policy/Action:  The Districts will, as funding and time permits, initiate the accurate mapping, inventory and assessment of the health of the whitebark pine stands within their boundaries.  The Forestry Program Lead at the Idaho State Office will be the focal point for funding needs, project development and technical expertise.  In cases where active management of vegetative resources involves, or may impact whitebark pines, management guidelines in Attachment 2, Whitebark Pine Management Guidelines for Idaho BLM, will be followed.  Districts will analyze impacts to whitebark pine in National Environmental Policy Act documents where the species is present.

Geographic Information System (GIS) database development for the mapping of whitebark pine stands will be developed in coordination with the Branch of Engineering and Geographic Sciences (ID-956), for a consistent statewide mapping database.

Any needed Resource Management Plan, revision, amendment or maintenance actions should be coordinated through the ID-931 Land Use Planning Program Lead.

Timeframe:  This IM is effective upon issuance. 

Budget Impact:  There are no anticipated budget impacts.

Background:  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued their twelve (12) month finding on a petition to list whitebark pine as a threatened or endangered species on July 19, 2011, in Federal Register Volume 76, Number 138.  The finding was that of “warranted but precluded” with a Listing Priority Number (LPN) of 2.  The LPN of 2 indicates that the species has a very high priority for listing as threatened or endangered because of eminent threats to the species.  The Idaho BLM Special Status Species list, ID-IM-2003-057, was updated July 15, 2011, to include whitebark pine as Type 1 sensitive species with global/state rank of G3/G4. 

A synopsis of whitebark pine distribution, health and current project status on Idaho BLM lands can be found in Attachment 1, Idaho BLM Whitebark Pine Status Summary.  Whitebark Pine Management Guidelines for Idaho BLM (Attachment 2) is based on research and range-wide management strategies referenced in the attachment and on the Idaho BLM Forestry web page:  http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/forestry/five_needle_pines.html.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected:  None. 

Coordination:  This IM has been coordinated with the Districts, the Forestry, Threatened and Endangered Species and Land Use Planning program leads (ID-931), and GIS/Mapping Science (ID-956) at the Idaho State Office.

Contact:  Questions regarding this IM should be directed to Joe Adamski, Forestry Program Lead, (208) 373-4022; Scott Hoefer, Threatened and Endangered Species Program Lead, (208) 373-4045; Anne Halford, Botany Lead, (208) 373-3824; or Dana Perkins, Five Needle Pine Coordinator, (208) 879-6200.

Boise District with Union:  Management is reminded to notify and satisfy any bargaining requirements prior to implementation.

Signed by                                                                    Authenticated by                   

Timothy M. Murphy                                                   Sylvia V. Graves

                                                                                    Administrative Specialist