The Northern Spotted Owl

In 1990, Northern spotted owls were officially declared “threatened,” a consequence of the overharvesting of their old-growth forest habitat. Since then, populations have declined by 65-85%, due to ongoing habitat loss and the appearance of new threats. The Barred Owl, invasive in the Pacific Northwest, travelled through the warming Canadian Boreal from its native habitat in Eastern North America, and is now pushing out the few remaining Northern Spotted Owls. Today, only a few thousand pairs survive. 80% of their old growth habitat is already gone. But the logging continues, and invasive competition persists, and with it the loss of the northern spotted owl. Washington Forest Protection Association, USGS

- Washington State Dept. of Fish & Wildlife

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Buy FSC-certified paper products and lumber to support sustainable forestry that protects old-growth habitat.

• Support efforts to conserve and restore old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, the critical home of the Northern Spotted Owl.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Audubon Society

• Defenders of Wildlife

• The Nature Conservancy (TNC)