For spotted owls, the redwood and Douglas-fir forests of Northern California are a great place to call home. Unlike most birds, they do not make their own nests, preferring to nest in stick piles, snags and other protected cavities or deformities found in the forest. They also nest in spotted owl next boxes that we have constructed and placed in our forests.

A nocturnal species, spotted owls hunt for dusky-footed wood rats, brush rabbits or flying squirrels at night. They use openings in the woods to strike quickly and effectively. Spotted owls compete for territory with other large forest owls, including great-horned owls and barred owls.

For more than a decade, biologists from our Company, government biologists, and private consulting firms have studied the Northern spotted owl on our lands.
Among their findings:

• Spotted owls are not dependent on old-growth forests in the Redwood Region, instead requiring a mix of forest ages and types.
• Their main food source, the dusky-footed wood rat, thrives in forests between five and 30 years old.
• Spotted owls are much more concerned with natural predators than they are with the presence of humans or machinery.
• The mosaic of forest types produced by growth and harvest caters to the food and protection needs of the owl in the Redwood Region.
• Spotted owl reproduction is influenced more by rainfall in the spring than by the amount of older forests in their home range.

We continue to study the owls on our land, and we are constantly exploring new ways to protect the birds while maintaining the productivity of our forests.