Marten and Fisher Surveys

Principal Investigator: Dr. Katie Moriarty, Senior Research Scientist, Western Forest Wildlife Ecologist, NCASI

Collaborators: Conservation Biology Institute

Supported by: USDA Forest Service, Lassen, and Plumas National Forests. Award 22-PA-11050600-014 for $294,610.00.

Project Summary: NCASI will provide an evaluation of recent wildfires on forest carnivores, focused on fishers (Pekania pennanti) and Pacific martens (Martes caurina). An initial assessment of the effects of this fire on populations, distributions, and habitat refugia of the martens, fishers, and other members of the carnivore community directly following an unprecedented fire will be done. This will be accomplished using the wealth of prior data on these carnivores to design a directed study, initially focusing on resurveying areas with remote cameras.  Results from this effort could be used for both a foundation for a time series detailing carnivore persistence or re-colonization.  Further, these data could be used experimentally to evaluate management actions, such as post-fire salvage logging or designated restoration practices for conservation.

Contact Katie Moriarty at kmoriarty@ncasi.org