New methods for assessing Marbled Murrelet nesting habitat: Air photo interpretation and low-level aerial surveys

This extension note summarizes the application of two new methods that were developed to assess the quality of forest habit that Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) use for nesting in British Columbia: air photo interpretation and low-level aerial surveys. Both methods use comparable sixlevel ranking systems that are based on the availability of forest attributes deemed important for nesting murrelets. The methods were developed and refined through preliminary work done in many varied coastal regions in British Columbia; they were designed to complement each other and be applicable to either small patches (1–2 ha) or to larger polygons used in mapping for forest management. Both methods were tested in comparisons with known murrelet nest sites and both are currently being applied by government and forest industry biologists. This note provides practitioners who are proposing to use one or both of these methods a concise guide to their suitability and limitations, and also provides links to relevant reports that offer greater detail on testing and applicability. keywords: air photo interpretation, Brachyramphus marmoratus, habitat mapping, habitat suitability, low-level aerial surveys, Marbled Murrelet. Contact Information 1 Associate Professor (Adjunct), Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3N5. Email: [email protected] 2 Research Wildlife Ecologist, BC Ministry of Forests and Range, Coast Forest Region, 2100 Labieux Road, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6E9. Email: [email protected] 3 Consultant, 4559 Morland Road, Victoria, BC V9C 4E5. Email: [email protected] 4 Consultant, 864 Dunsmuir Road, Victoria, BC V9A 5B7. Email: [email protected] 5 Adjunct Professor and University Research Associate, Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6. Email: [email protected] Published by FORREX Forum for Research and Extension in Natural Resources new methods for assessing marbled murrelet nesting habitat 5 JEM — VoluME 10, NuMbEr