Barred Owls have been increasing in forests from Northern California to British Columbia for several decades and are now imperiling Northern Spotted Owls throughout their range. The newcomers outcompete the smaller owls for both territory and prey.
To address this problem, several Barred Owl removal studies have been initiated. In Northern California, these studies have included are- as of local long-term demographic studies on Green Diamond timber company property, the Hoopa Indian Reservation, and the Six Rivers and Shasta-Trinity National Forests.
Peter Carlson, currently working for Colorado State University as a long-time member of the research team for the studies on national forest lands, will discuss some of the impacts of Barred Owls, the species’ recent trends, and status of the removal studies. While the impacts of Barred Owls are of real concern, that is only one of several ongoing threats to the Spotted Owl. Carlson will place the Barred Owl issue in the context of multiple stressors on Spotted Owls. These include catastrophic wildfires, historical forest management practices, and climate change.
Carlson began studying Spotted Owls in the San Bernardino mountains in 1992 and has worked on the NW California demography study since 1994. He worked briefly with Barred Owls and other raptors in their native habitat in Illinois in 1986, prior to beginning his MS work in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Florida.
He previously worked for Humboldt State University as the field coordinator for the demography study, and since 2005 has worked through Colorado State University as a Research Associate for the study. He lives in Arcata CA.
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