All articles tagged with #coastal marten
Oregon State University researchers used remote cameras and hair snares across 150 square miles of Northern California forests and confirmed coastal martens are still present (46 individuals), but the species remains at risk due to habitat loss, climate-driven wildfires, and logging, with Indigenous groups like the Yurok Tribe actively restoring habitat to aid conservation.
A rediscovered coastal marten (Humboldt marten) in northern California is estimated to number about 500 individuals, occupying roughly 5% of its historic range. Researchers used 135 remote cameras and 285 hair snares over 400 square kilometers to gather data, finding 28 males and 18 females and a density of about one marten per three square kilometers. The species favors complex, high-canopy forests with large trees, snags, and hollow logs. Habitat loss, climate change, and logging threaten its survival, underscoring the need for forest protection and continued monitoring.
A three-month study in northern California using 135 remote cameras and 285 hair snares estimates about 500 Humboldt/Coastal martens remain, occupying only about 5% of their historic range with a density of roughly one animal per three square kilometers. Genetic testing found 28 males and 18 females; cameras logged 86 photographs. Martens prefer high-elevation, old-growth forests with dense canopy and abundant coarse woody debris, and the findings will guide conservation as climate-change threats loom.
Oregon State University researchers conducted a three-month study in 2022 in a 150-square-mile coastal area near Klamath to map the coastal marten’s population and habitat using hair-based genetic analysis, identifying 46 martens (28 males, 18 females). Martens favored high-elevation, snow-rich ridges and lower-elevation riparian/coastal forests with complex structure—forests with more than 50% canopy, many large trees, snags, and coarse woody debris. The coastal marten, once ranging from northern Oregon to northern California, declined due to fur trapping; current distribution and demography remain incompletely understood, underscoring the need for further conservation-focused research.