Monitoring Forest Owls on TFL 37, Northern Vancouver Island: 2006 PHASE I - INTERIM REPORT

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1 Monitoring Forest Owls on TFL 37, Northern Vancouver Island: 2006 PHASE I - INTERIM REPORT Prepared for: Patrick Bryant, Strategic Planning Forester Canadian Forest Products Ltd., Coastal Operations Cedar Street Campbell River, BC V9W 7Z8 Prepared by: Wayne R. Matkoski, RPBio WRM Resource Consulting Ltd Hector Road Comox, B.C. V9M 3Y7 March 30, 2006

2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY From February 6 to March 29, 2006, Phase I of the Nimpkish Owl Survey was conducted on TFL 37 on northern Vancouver Island by WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. for Western Forest Products Inc. (WFP). The survey is to be completed in two phases: Phase II is scheduled to be completed in April Phase I consists of two survey censuses, while Phase II will consist of one census. Each census includes surveying each of ten survey transects one time. The 2006 owl inventory was part of WFP s commitment to monitoring the effectiveness of ecosystem-based management under their Sustainable Forest Management Plan. Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (Canfor) began long-term monitoring of owls in 2002 (Smith, 2003), but had completed previous owl inventories on TFL 37 in 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1997 (AXYS, 1998; Deal and Lamont, 1996; Matkoski, 1997). Surveying is split into two phases for 2006 (as was the 2004 and 2005 surveys) due to fiscal year considerations. Both phases have been funded by the Forest Investment Account (FIA). Surveying targeted all five owl species known to occur in the Nimpkish Valley: northern pygmyowl (Glaucidium gnoma swarthi); northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus); western screechowl (Otus kennicottii kennicottii); barred owl (Strix varia); and, great horned owl (Bubo virginianus). All but the northern pygmy-owl, are yellow-listed in B.C. according to the Conservation Data Centre (2003) and the populations are therefore considered to be secure and not at risk of extinction. The swarthi subspecies of the northern pygmy-owl occurs only on Vancouver Island (Fraser et al., 1999) and is blue-listed in B.C. as vulnerable, or particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events (Fraser et al., 1999). Each survey used a series of ten road transects of ten points each, with each point placed approximately 1.6 km apart, for an approximate total length of 14.4 km for each transect. Surveyors listened for voluntary owl calls for two minutes, then played a series of three northern pygmy owl recordings on a portable tape player, with 30 seconds of silence in between, followed by a further three minutes of listening. The same procedure was completed for the remaining four owl species listed above, in the order listed. Sixty-one owls in total were detected at the 200 points surveyed during Phase I of the 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey, including 20 northern pygmy-owls, 19 northern saw-whet owls, 15 western screech-owls, seven barred owls and zero great horned owls. Fourteen of the 61 owl detections were voluntary (i.e. calls were heard before call playback) and 47 were responses to tape playback. WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March 2006 i

3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Western Forest Products Inc. for continuing with the Nimpkish Owl Survey after taking over management of TFL 37 and Patrick Bryant, Planning Forester, Canadian Forest Products for administering this FIA project. Thanks also to John Deal, Manager, Wildlife & Biodiversity, Canadian Forest Products Ltd., for his dedication towards implementing studies such as the Nimpkish Owl Inventory. I would also like to thank Forest Investment Account for their financial support and providing the opportunity to conduct the Nimpkish Owl Survey. WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March 2006 ii

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...ii LIST OF TABLES...v INTRODUCTION... 1 OBJECTIVES... 3 STUDY AREA... 3 WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March 2006 iii

5 ... 4 METHODS... 5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION... 8 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS CONCLUSION WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March 2006 iv

6 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Summary of the 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey completion dates and starting times.6 Table 2. Summary of Owl species detected during the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Phase I Nimpkish Owl Surveys and owl status in the Nimpkish Valley....8 Table 3. Summary of the 2006 Phase I Nimpkish Owl Survey detections..8 WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March 2006 v

7 INTRODUCTION Raptors, or birds of prey, are considered an indicator of environmental pollution and habitat destruction or degradation because they are relatively long-lived and feed high on the food chain (Resource Inventory Committee (RIC), 2001, now known as the Resource Information Standards Committee (RISC). Because of their close association with mature and over-mature forests for nesting habitat, some owl species have been used as indicators of ecosystem health throughout the world (Deal and Lamont, 1996). Four of the five owl species being surveyed in the Nimpkish Owl Inventory are secondary-cavity nesters, including the northern pygmy-owl (Glaucidium gnoma swarthi), the northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus), the western screech-owl (Otus kennicottii kennicottii) and the barred owl (Strix varia). The northern pygmy-owl swarthi subspecies is blue-listed by the B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (Fraser et al., 1999). This subspecies of the northern pygmy-owl occurs only on Vancouver Island. The Survey Methods for Raptors in B.C. (RIC 2001) ( noted coniferous forests as suitable or preferred habitat for all five owl species surveyed in Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 37. Most forested areas, such as that found in TFL 37, are made up of combinations of old-growth and second-growth forests with coniferous and deciduous trees. RIC (2001) stated it is evident that raptors are negatively affected by human activities because of the disproportionately high number of raptors on the red and blue lists in B.C. The committee further stated that raptors could also be positively influenced by certain human activities and management actions. Inventory and monitoring of owl populations is important for comparing present owl abundance with the past and future. It is also necessary for informed land-use decisions and better management. The distribution and relative abundance of owls on northern Vancouver Island is largely unknown because of the lack of inventory and research data, as well as the difficulty in surveying owls. Fuller and Mosher (1981) noted that owls are difficult to detect because of their low densities, nocturnal behaviour and rapid movement over large areas. RIC (2001) categorized owls as inconspicuous raptors because they have concealed nest sites, nocturnal lifestyles, and secretive hunting styles. Surveying for inconspicuous raptors such as owls requires surveyors to search using broadcast calls (call playback from a portable tape player) and listening for replies and/or visually detecting the owls. Raptors call to identify themselves, establish and defend territories, and to attract WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March

8 mates. The use of call playbacks takes advantage of this by putting an intruder into an already claimed territory (Smith, 1975). From February 6 to March 29, 2006, Phase I of the Nimpkish Owl Inventory was conducted on TFL 37 in the Nimpkish Valley on northern Vancouver Island. Phase I of the 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey resulted in 61 owl detections, including 20 northern pygmy-owls, 19 northern saw-whet owls, 15 western screech-owls, 7 barred owls and zero great horned owls. Fourteen of the 61 detections were voluntary and 47 were responses to tape playback. The 2005 Nimpkish owl survey was part of an ongoing commitment to monitor the landscape level effectiveness of ecosystem-based management practised by Western Forest Products (WFP) as part of their Sustainable Forest Management Plan. The 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey is the fifth year of an ongoing monitoring program designed to survey for the five owl species. Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (Canfor), the former tenure holder of TFL 37 (WFP took over management of TFL 37 in March 2006), has been monitoring owl presence on TFL 37 since Continuing surveys help to allow an understanding of the effect of these practices on wildlife species and also help to shape future management practices. Critical to this process is the monitoring of species that may be at risk, such as the western screech owl and northern pygmy-owl. Canfor had also made a commitment to the BC Nocturnal Owl Survey (BCNOS) to continue surveying owl populations in the TFL to aid in their efforts to monitor owl populations throughout B.C. The BCNOS survey methodology changed for the 2004 survey season, but Nimpkish Owl Survey data has still been forwarded to Dick Cannings of BCNOS. The BCNOS was started in BC in 2000 by Dick Cannings of Bird Studies Canada with the intention of long-term monitoring of owl populations and distributions throughout B.C. The BCNOS methodology originally consisted of listening for voluntary calls for two minutes at each station, and recording the species, location and time of each owl detection (Cannings, 2002). For 2004 the BCNOS survey methodology was changed. The BCNOS survey still requires a two minute listening period prior to commencing call playback (as does the Nimpkish Owl Survey), but BCNOS now requires two series of western screech owls calls be played. That requirement does not fit with the survey method used for the Nimpkish Owl Survey. Data gathered during both phases of the Nimpkish Owl Survey will still be forwarded to Dick Cannings for BCNOS use. WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March

9 OBJECTIVES The objectives of Phase I of the 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey were to survey, map and provide relative abundance for northern pygmy-owls, northern saw-whet owls, western screech-owls, barred owls and great horned owls at long-term monitoring sites on TFL 37. The 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey is the fifth year of an ongoing monitoring program designed to survey for those five owl species. Locations of responding owls were map as accurately as possible. STUDY AREA The 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey was completed on Western Forest Products Inc. s (WFP) TFL 37 (Figure 1). Located on northern Vancouver Island, TFL 37 is approximately 189,000 ha and encompasses most of the Nimpkish River watershed. The Biogeoclimatic zones/subzones/variants represented in TFL 37 are CWHxm2, CWHmm1, CWHvm1, CWHvm2, MHmm1, MHmmp and ATc. The topography and landforms in TFL 37 are typical of the insular mountains physiographic region. Elevations range from sea level to 1,800 m. WFP s divisional office is located in the town of Woss, at latitude and longitude (See Appendix I for a map of the study area.) WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March

10 Figure 1. Location of long-term owl monitoring stations within TFL 37. WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March

11 METHODS The 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey followed both the RIC (2001) standard for raptor surveys (2001) and the British Columbia Nocturnal Owl Survey (BCNOS) guidelines (Cannings 2002). As recommended by the BCNOS, survey stations were located on approximately 14.4 km-long road transects with stations placed approximately 1.6 km apart to minimize broadcasting the taped owl calls into adjacent owl territories. Thus, there were ten stations per transect. Each survey point was visited twice during the months of February and March during Phase I of the 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey. Three censuses will ultimately be completed to compare surveying results at different times of the breeding season. The first census was completed from February 8 to 26, the second census from February 27 to March 29. Census three will be completed in April as Phase II of the survey. The ten transects are located along main or secondary logging roads throughout TFL 37 (see Figure 1) to maximize the chances of the roads being clear of snow and accessible through the winter and early spring. Basically all the lower elevation (i.e. the most snow-free) road systems of suitable length within TFL 37 were used in the ten transects. The transects were each assigned a unique name and each have their points permanently numbered from 1 to 10 to assist in record keeping and data control. The starting point or starting time (relative to sunset) for the second census was always different than the starting point/time for the first census. Usually surveyors would begin at the opposite end of a transect, but may begin in the middle of a transect to vary surveying times at the various survey points. For example, if the Back Road transect was surveyed on the first pass beginning at the southern end, then the second pass would typically begin at the northern end of the transect. See Table 1 for start times, starting points and detections. Owl surveying began up to one-half hour before sunset and typically ended five hours later, depending on the number and nature of the owl detections that evening. During adverse weather conditions, such as wind estimated at 20 km/h or greater (which is a Beaufort 4 rating) or during periods of steady rain, owl surveys were not to be conducted (RIC 2001). There were no evenings when surveying had to be stopped due to bad weather conditions during Phase I of the 2006 survey. Due to parts of TFL 37 being turned over to BC Timber Sale (BCTS) lands, nine survey points were removed from BCTS land and re-positioned within TFL 37. That included four points on the south end of what was the Vernon transect being moved to the north end of that same transect and re-named Back Road transect. Five points on the west end of the Sebalhall transect were WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March

12 also moved to the north end and the transect was re-named Upper Nimpkish. Three points still remain just inside the BCTS land. These changes were made by John Deal while the study was still being administered by Canfor. Table 1. Summary of 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey completion dates and starting times. TRANSECT SURVEY # DATE START STN # START TIME (PST) OWL(S) DETECTED Upper Nimpkish 1 Feb :52 3 Back Road 1 Feb :44 2 Iron Mine 1 Feb :12 1 Lukwa 1 Feb :55 2 Mt Cain 1 Feb :22 0 Woss Lake 1 Feb :38 2 Noomas 1 Feb :06 6 Huson 1 Feb :09 4 Oktwanch 1 Feb :07 3 Klak Lake 1 Feb :48 3 Noomas 2 Feb :03 4 Klak Lake 2 Feb :30 5 Woss Lake 2 Mar :52 5 Oktwanch 2 Mar :02 6 Mt Cain 2 Mar :26 2 Lukwa 2 Mar :17 3 Huson 2 Mar :14 3 Iron Mine 2 Mar :29 1 Back Road 2 Mar :15 3 Upper Nimpkish 2 Mar :16 3 The monitoring program was designed to meet the needs of the BCNOS as well as Canfor s longterm monitoring objectives. When surveying for owls, the tape broadcast period was preceded by a two-minute silent listening period (to listen for voluntary owl vocalisations and partially meet the requirements of the BCNOS). If no voluntary calls were heard, then tape broadcasts were played. The cassette players were held at approximately chest level to maintain a consistent surveying height. The tape player was shifted 120 o for each set of calls (RIC 2001). At each survey point, three sets of northern pygmy-owl (NPOW) northern saw-whet owl (NSOW), western screech-owl (WSOW), barred owl (BAOW) and great horned owl (GHOW) calls were broadcast. After each of the first two call series was broadcast, the tape players were turned off and surveyors listened/looked for responses for 30 seconds. After the third set of each species calls was broadcast, surveyors listened for three minutes. WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March

13 When an owl was detected while surveying, no more taped calls were broadcast except when necessary to positively identify the species. Surveying was halted to minimize the risk of nest or territory abandonment by frightening the owl (Deal and Lamont 1995). The RIC guidelines (2001) also stated that taking the time to respond to taped calls may alter the time budget of the bird, which may interfere with critical breeding behaviour (feeding, courtship, mating). Owl locations were determined by estimating distances and taking a compass bearing with a hand-held compass, by triangulation with a hand-held compass or by checking the direction on the field map. (There is a high risk of error in determining the actual location of an owl based solely on its vocalization.) In cases where an owl changed locations, the place it was first heard or seen was noted then comments made about its moving behaviour. When an owl was detected while surveying, no more taped calls were broadcast except when necessary to positively identify an owl. Surveying was halted to (i) minimize the risk of nest or territory abandonment, (ii) minimize the time defending its territory, and (iii) minimize the risk of predation from a larger owl (Deal and Lamont, 1996). RIC (2001) supported Deal and Lamont (1996) by stating that taking the time to respond to taped calls may alter the time budget of the bird, which may interfere with critical breeding behaviour such as feeding, courtship or mating. The recordings on the cassette tapes were taped so that a series of each owl species calls were recorded three successive times (i.e. three sets of calls per series). Pre-recorded owl calls from the Peterson Western Bird Songs CD and the Righter and Keller Bird Songs of the Rocky Mountain States and Provinces were used. The order on the tape was from smallest owl species to largest. The tapes, therefore, consisted of one series of three call recordings for each species in the following order: NPOW; NSOW; WSOW; BAOW; and GHOW. The total survey time for each species was approximately 315 seconds. Each recording was approximately 25 seconds long. For each species there was the following progression: recording one (25 seconds); wait 30 seconds; recording two (25 seconds); wait 30 seconds; recording three (25 seconds); wait three minutes. This resulted in a total of approximately 30 minutes for each owl survey station (including the initial two minutes voluntary listening period). Sony model CFS-W328 cassette players were used. They have a playback power rating of 14 watts with a minimum frequency of 40 Hz to 12 Hz and power output of 1.2 watts at 1 khz. Power amplifiers or additional speakers were not used. Temperature, cloud cover, rain, snow and wind levels were noted at each transect. Survey start and end times, as well as the time each owl was detected, were also noted. WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March

14 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 2006 SURVEY RESULTS One hundred survey points were each surveyed two times during Phase I of the 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey, resulting in 61 owl detections (Table 1 and Table 2). It is important to note that the 61 detections may not represent 61 individual owls. Since each survey point was visited two times, it is possible the same owls may have been detected on successive surveys at the same point or at adjacent points. Table 3 details the 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey Phase I detections. Table 2. Summary of Owl species detected during the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Phase I Nimpkish Owl Surveys and owl status in the Nimpkish Valley. SPECIES 2004 DETECTIONS 2005 DETECTIONS 2006 PHASE I DETECTIONS PERIOD OF ACTIVITY BREEDING CONFIRMATION 1 NPOW Diurnal & Probable Nocturnal NSOW Nocturnal Probable WSOW Nocturnal Confirmed June 10, 1992 BAOW Diurnal & Confirmed July 20, 1992 Nocturnal GHOW Nocturnal Unconfirmed 1 Lessard (1995); Campbell et al. (1990) Table 3. Summary of the 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey Phase I detections. DETECTION CENSUS TRANSECT POINT DATE TIME SPECIES VOL.1 OR Up Nimpkish 10 Feb :01 WSOW 2 1 Up Nimpkish 9 Feb :14 NPOW 3 1 Up Nimpkish 4 Feb :51 WSOW 4 1 Back Road 6 Feb :01 WSOW Back Road 2 Feb :06 WSOW 6 1 Iron Mine 2 Feb :02 WSOW 7 1 Lukwa 9 Feb :33 NSOW 8 1 Lukwa 5 Feb :30 NPOW 9 1 Woss Lake 2 Feb :21 NSOW 10 1 Woss Lake 7 Feb :10 BAOW 11 1 Noomas 8 Feb :16 NPOW 12 1 Noomas 6 Feb :04 NSOW 13 1 Noomas 5 Feb :13 NSOW Noomas 4 Feb :21 NSOW Noomas 2 Feb :08 NSOW 16 1 Noomas 1 Feb :44 NSOW 17 1 Huson Lake 9 Feb :46 NPOW WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March

15 DETECTION CENSUS TRANSECT POINT DATE TIME SPECIES VOL.1 OR Huson Lake 7 Feb :32 NPOW 19 1 Huson Lake 5 Feb :11 BAOW Huson Lake 2 Feb :39 NSOW 21 1 Oktwanch 2 Feb :57 WSOW 22 1 Oktwanch 5 Feb :29 WSOW 23 1 Oktwanch 9 Feb :37 BAOW 24 1 Klaklakama 7 Feb :45 WSOW 25 1 Klaklakama 3 Feb :48 WSOW 26 1 Klaklakama 1 Feb :32 NPOW 27 2 Noomas 2 Feb :49 WSOW 28 2 Noomas 5 Feb :19 NPOW 29 2 Noomas 6 Feb :27 NSOW Noomas 7 Feb :42 NPOW 31 2 Klaklakama 2 Feb :19 NPOW 32 2 Klaklakama 3 Feb :29 NPOW 33 2 Klaklakama 4 Feb :41 NPOW 34 2 Klaklakama 7 Feb :12 NSOW 35 2 Klaklakama 9 Feb :14 WSOW 36 2 Woss Lake 10 Mar :53 NPOW Woss Lake 6 Mar :52 NPOW 38 2 Woss Lake 4 Mar :57 BAOW 39 2 Woss Lake 3 Mar :22 NPOW 40 2 Woss Lake 2 Mar :29 NSOW Oktwanch 10 Mar :03 NPOW Oktwanch 9 Mar :24 NPOW 43 2 Oktwanch 6 Mar :46 NSOW 44 2 Oktwanch 5 Mar :55 NSOW Oktwanch 4 Mar :07 NSOW 46 2 Oktwanch 3 Mar :15 NSOW 47 2 Mt Cain 9 Mar :07 NSOW 48 2 Mt Cain 7 Mar :49 WSOW 49 2 Lukwa 6 Mar :28 WSOW 50 2 Lukwa 3 Mar :38 BAOW Lukwa 2 Mar :45 NSOW Huson Lake 5 Mar :34 NPOW 53 2 Huson Lake 8 Mar :45 NSOW Huson Lake 10 Mar :21 WSOW Iron Mine 2 Mar :06 NPOW 56 2 Back Road 1 Mar :16 NPOW Back Road 3 Mar :10 NPOW 58 2 Back Road 6 Mar :42 BAOW 59 2 Up Nimpkish 7 Mar :50 NSOW 60 2 Up Nimpkish 8 Mar :16 BAOW 61 2 Up Nimpkish 10 Mar :06 WSOW WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March

16 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS The number of northern saw-whet owl detections has increased from the previous two seasons, in spite of only being two-thirds of the way through the 2006 survey season. There were six sawwhet owls detected in 2005 and 13 in 2004, but 19 saw-whet owls have already been detected in Northern pygmy owls are also showing an increase so far in 2006, with 20 being detected at the two-third point of the survey. Two pygmy owls were detected in 2004 and 21 in Conversely, western screech-owl detections are lower, with 15 detections to date in There were 31 screech-owls detected in 2004 and 46 in It may be reasonable to speculate that part of the reason for the decease in screech-owl detections is due to the increased rate of detections in the other two smaller owls. If a pygmy or saw-whet owl is detected, then screechowl calls are not played. A snowy owl was seen in late November or early December 2005 at the Beaver Cove Dryland Sort, at Beaver Cove at the north end of TFL 37. A snowy owl was also seen there in early December 2004 for a period of three days. Beaver Cove is on the ocean on the east side of northern Vancouver Island. (pers. comm. Brad Galeazzi and Rob Shambrook, WFP). Brad Galeazzi (pers. comm.) also mentioned that he had seen five or six owls (all small owls) while hunting on TFL 37 during the fall season. Brad stated that he believes he had only ever seen one owl before this year while hunting, and that he hunted approximately a similar number of days in 2005 as other years. CONCLUSION Phase I of the 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey saw ten owl survey transects, each consisting of ten survey points, sampled two times from February 6 to March 29, Sixty-one owls were detected, of which 20 were northern pygmy-owls, 19 northern saw-whet owls, 15 western screech-owls, seven barred owls and zero great horned owls. The 2006 Nimpkish Owl Survey should provide useful information about owl population trends in the Nimpkish Valley, as well as providing a baseline from which to continue with further owl research. WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March

17 LITERATURE CITED B.C. Conservation Data Centre, Endangered Species in British Columbia. B.C. Ministries of Sustainable Resource Management and Water, Land & Air Protection (Date of Access: March 26, 2003) AXYS, Owl abundance and habitat in the Nimpkish Valley, Vancouver Island., Prepared for Canadian Forest Products, Ltd., Woss, B.C. Campbell, R.W. et al., The birds of British Columbia, Volume 2. Mitchell Press, Vancouver, B.C., 636 pp. Cannings, R. J., B.C. Nocturnal Owl Survey Protocol. Bird Studies Canada (Date of Access: March 1, 2003) Deal, J.A. and Lamont, N., Nimpkish owl inventory Progress Report. Canadian Forest Products, Ltd., Woss, B.C. 35 pp. Fraser, D.F., Harper, W.L., Cannings, S.G. and Cooper, J.M., Rare birds of British Columbia. Wildl. Branch and Resour. Inv. Branch, B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, Victoria, B.C pp. Fuller, M.R. and Mosher, J.A., Methods of detecting and counting raptors: a review. In: J.M. Scott (Editor), Estimating the number of terrestrial birds. Stud. Avian Biol. #6, pp Lessard, S., Forest birds of the Nimpkish Valley. Canadian Forest Products, Ltd., Woss, B.C. 47 pp. Matkoski, W.R., Nimpkish Owl Inventory Progress Report., Canadian Forest Products, Ltd., Woss, B.C. Prepared for Canadian Forest Product Ltd. by WM Resource Consulting. Matkoski, W.R. and Smith, A.T., Monitoring forest owls in TFL 37, northern Vancouver Island: 2003 Final Report., Canadian Forest Products, Ltd., Woss, B.C. Prepared for Canadian Forest Product Ltd. by WM Resource Consulting, 15 pp. Matkoski, W.R., Monitoring forest owls in TFL 37, northern Vancouver Island: 2005 Final Report., Canadian Forest Products, Ltd., Woss, B.C. Prepared for Canadian Forest Product Ltd. by WRM Resource Consulting Ltd. 20 pp. Matkoski, W.R., Monitoring forest owls in TFL 37, northern Vancouver Island: 2004 Final Report., Canadian Forest Products, Ltd., Woss, B.C. Prepared for Canadian Forest Product Ltd. by WRM Resource Consulting Ltd. 17 pp. Resource Inventory Standards Committee, Inventory methods for raptors. Standards for components of British Columbia's biodiversity #11, Version 2.0. Environment Inventory Branch, B.C. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management (Date of Access: February 1, 2003) Smith, C.F., Distributional ecology of barred and great horned owls in relation to human distribution. M.Sc. Thesis, University of Connecticut. Smith, A.T., Forest owl inventory in TFL 37, Prepared for Canadian Forest Product Ltd., Woss, B.C. by WRM Resource Consulting Ltd. 18 pp. WRM Resource Consulting, Ltd. March