Guide to threatened and endangered species on private lands in Virginia

Nearly 80% of all listed threatened and endangered (T&E) species occur on private lands, and active management of these lands is extensive. For example, in Virginia there were over 4000 timber harvests on private land in 2008. These forest management activities have the potential to both positively and negatively impact T&E plants, wildlife, and habitats. The presence of listed species on a property can impact future management decisions and, in some cases, may have legal implications related to management activities. For these reasons, private landowners and management professionals need to be aware of T&E species and their habitats and of their legal obligations. Yet cohesive information is difficult to find. In many cases landowners and managers may not even know where to begin to learn about T&E species and habitats.

The new peer-reviewed Virginia Cooperative Extension publication, Guide to Threatened and Endangered Species on Private Lands in Virginia, provides comprehensive information for anyone interested in learning about T&E species and the legal implications of finding them on private property. In this piece, we provide definitions for key terms pertaining to T&E species and habitats. A discussion of historic and current endangered species legislation at both federal and state levels, and the key agencies responsible for enforcement, follow.

The second part of the publication focuses on practical aspects, including an introduction to species and habitats listed in Virginia, how to determine their presence, and what to do if a T&E species or habitat is identified on private forestland. The third section examines forest certification systems and how they incorporate T&E species and habitats into their standards of sustainability.

The publication concludes with a list of resources for loggers, landowners and natural resource professionals who want to know more. The intent of this publication and the fact sheets that will follow is to educate readers about the importance of managing for T&E species and habitats, legal obligations when managing endangered species habitat, and the sources of assistance available to do so. A series of fact sheets will follow this publication, providing detailed identification and management information on specific species and habitats.

The target audience for this publication is anyone who owns or manages forestland in Virginia. This includes forest landowners, loggers, foresters, and other natural resource professionals.

This publication was printed at the end of 2010, so measurable impacts are not available. However, this publication has the potential to help protect threatened and endangered species on private lands and to help dispel the myth that state and federal agencies don’t want to work with landowners who find these species on their lands. Our hope is that by dispelling this myth, people will be more willing to look for threatened and endangered species and contact the proper agencies before implementing an activity. In fact, all the natural resource professionals we spoke with while developing this publication stressed the fact that they don’t want to impeded active forest management; they much prefer to work with the landowners for a mutually beneficial outcome.

Files

Guide to threatened and endangered species on private lands in Virginia

PDF version of the full publication. Also available at: http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/420/420-039/420-039.html