Final Report, Red-cockaded Woodpecker Status on the Blackwater River State Forest

Hardin, Dennis

INTRODUCTION: The Blackwater River State Forest (BRSF), the largest state forest in Florida, occupies portions of Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties in northwest Florida and consists of about 184,000 acres, of which an estimated 150,000 acres are comprised of forests dominated by longleaf pine (Pinus palustris). Pine timber on the BRSF has been managed, since the 1960's, under a sixty year rotation and a ten year cutting cycle using the multiple use concept combining timber management, recreation, wildlife and water management (Florida Division of Forestry 1982). The Division of Forestry is in the process of revising its management program to place greater emphasis on ecosystem processes and to use a combination of uneven-aged management and longer rotation even-aged management in an effort to improve the quality and health of all resources and ecosystems at BRSF. The red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis, RCW) population at BRSF was estimated to be 50 active colonies (clusters) by Wood and Wenner (1983), the largest on state owned lands in Florida in their assessment. However, the BRSF has never been systematically surveyed for RCWs; known clusters were opportunistically discovered during the course of timber management, inventory and other activities. An assessment of the status of known RCW clusters and cavity trees was undertaken in 1989, and an annual cluster monitoring program was initiated in 1990. Efforts to identify previously unknown clusters were subsequently increased. Although a few more known clusters were discovered, all evidence strongly suggested that the BRSF RCW population was a small, fragmented population that was either unstable or declining over most of the Forest. The BRSF population is the central portion of a regionally significant population, including those at Conecuh National Forest and Eglin Air Force Base that may be critical to RCW recovery (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1985). The lack of a systematic survey for RCW on BRSF hampers management for RCWs, fire, timber, wildlife, and recreation. Such a survey is the necessary first step to managing the BRSF RCW population to prevent its demise. Approximately 1 7, 734 acres were surveyed in 1994 using funding obtained from Florida’s Gas Transmission Company (FGT) as mitigation for pipeline construction through RCW foraging habitat and abandoned clusters. The objective for this project was to conduct a systematic survey of BRSF to determine the status and distribution of RCW clusters on the BRSF.