While the influence of lands administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Department of Defense, as well as private, state, and tribal lands, was considered in these standards and guidelines, no new management direction for them is presented. It is assumed that these other federal lands will be managed according to existing management plans and applicable federal law. Late successional forests are those forest seral stages that include mature and old-growth age classes. Another goal of forest management on federal lands is to maintain biological diversity associated with native species and ecosystems in accordance with laws and regulations. The intent is to maintain natural ecosystem processes such as gap dynamics, natural regeneration, pathogenic fungal activity, insect herbivory, and low-intensity fire.
Forest ecosystems are quite variable throughout the range of the northern spotted owl.
Standards and guidelines and land allocations on the existing plans not directly superseded will remain in effect. These standards and guidelines and land allocations will be incorporated into plans which are being developed. Resource management and the quantity of timber offered for sale will reflect the implications of these standards and guidelines and the land allocations.