RCW in longleaf pine forest.
FAQs
Why is the Safe Harbor Program important?
Conservation efforts on non-federal lands can boost RCW numbers by providing habitat buffers around established RCW populations, by linking isolated populations, increasing breeding success to improve population resilience, and by protecting valuable habitat.
How does the Safe Harbor Program benefit landowners?
The Safe Harbor Program benefits landowners by providing regulatory assurances that no additional land use restrictions will be imposed as a result of their management actions. Landowners enrolled in the Safe Harbor Program may make any lawful use of their property as long as they fulfill their baseline responsibilities and complete any other agreed upon habitat management.
What are baseline responsibilities?
Baseline responsibilities are a condition of the Safe Harbor Management Agreement between the Service and the landowner. Landowners agree to maintain and/or enhance RCW cavity trees and foraging habitat on their property at the time an agreement is signed.
How will my baseline be determined?
The Service expresses baseline responsibilities in terms of the number of active clusters (breeding groups of RCWs) and the amount and quality of foraging habitat (i.e., number and size of mature pine trees). Typically, a landowner will hire a qualified natural resources professional (e.g., permitted biologist or forester) knowledgeable about the species鈥� biology to conduct your baseline RCW survey. Many factors need to be considered before determining baseline responsibilities. Therefore, to better serve you, we recommend that your first step be to contact the program鈥檚 administrator (linked above), who can clarify the process and answer questions.
What do RCWs look like? How do I know if I already have them on my land?
The RCW is one of eight species of woodpeckers in North Carolina and can be distinguished from the others by large, white cheek patches and by a lack of noticeable red color on the head. It is the only woodpecker that excavates a cavity in living pine trees instead of dead trees. It is also a highly social bird that lives in family groups. Each group of red-cockaded woodpeckers occupies a cluster of cavity trees allowing each member of the group to have its own cavity for roosting.
To determine definitively whether you have existing RCWs nesting or foraging on your land, you will need a survey done by a qualified natural resources professional.
What types of habitat management benefit RCWs?
RCWs need older pine forests that have an open midstory and a grass-dominated understory for nesting and finding food. Many previously occupied nesting sites (called 鈥榗lusters鈥�) have been abandoned by RCWs because of hardwood encroachment into the midstory and overstory. This encroachment transforms open, pine-dominated forests preferred by RCWs into dense pine-hardwood forests that are not optimal for the birds鈥� ability to successfully nest and forage.
Landowners can remove and control hardwood encroachment by using prescribed fire on a recurring basis, by applying chemicals to vegetation, or by mechanically removing hardwoods and shrubby vegetation. Landowners also can plant longleaf pine and lengthen timber harvest rotations to grow the older pine trees preferred by RCWs. In addition, landowners are encouraged to thin overstocked stands to create and maintain the more open pine habitats preferred by RCWs.
Can I enroll in the program if my property currently has no RCWs?
Yes. A property can be enrolled even if it does not have RCWs; in this case, the landowner has no baseline responsibilities. However, the property should have the potential to provide suitable RCW habitat within the foreseeable future (i.e., have pine trees that are mature or reaching maturity soon). As part of the Safe Harbor Agreement, landowners would be expected to implement habitat management on the property that creates or maintains suitable RCW habitat. The program administrator will determine whether proposed habitat management is suitable for the program.
Can I terminate the agreement?
Yes, landowners can voluntarily withdraw from the program at any time, with 30 days advance written notice to the Service. Termination of a management agreement results in a loss of the regulatory assurances and the RCW incidental take authority provided to a landowner by the agreement. A landowner鈥檚 responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act will return to those outlined in the .
Can I sell my land? Are these agreements transferrable?
Yes, you can sell or transfer your land to another owner. If ownership is transferred, the Service or NCWRC will honor the agreement. The new owner must willingly sign the original agreement or a new mutually agreeable one within 6 months of the transfer to receive the benefits. Transfer of ownership requires a 30- day prior written notice. If the new landowner does not wish to participate in the Safe Harbor Program, then the agreement may be terminated upon the sale and the new landowner will not be required to continue the agreement and will not be eligible for program benefits.
Is financial and/or technical assistance available?
A landowner is solely responsible for funding and completing all agreed upon habitat management activities. However, the Service may provide technical assistance whenever possible. This assistance is not guaranteed. Financial and technical assistance is also available from other sources; for example, other government agencies, private consultants, and private groups. Being enrolled in the Safe Harbor program can help landowners to compete for cost share funding and other resources to help with management or conservation of their land, depending on the policies of the entity providing the assistance. The Service or NCWRC also can help landowners find and acquire financial and technical assistance.
I thought RCWs were endangered? What does the threatened status mean?
The RCW was recognized as endangered in 1970. After more than a century of major habitat loss, it was estimated that there were around 1,470 active clusters (an aggregate of cavity trees used by a group of woodpeckers) in scattered, isolated, and declining populations. Since then, RCWs have benefitted from and relied upon active conservation efforts on both public and private lands, including private lands enrolled in Safe Harbor programs. As a result of these efforts, it is estimated that there were approximately 7,800 clusters as of 2024, and some federal lands have achieved or surpassed their recovery plan population size objectives.
Thanks to these successes, the Service announced the downlisting of RCWs from endangered to threatened status in October 2024. The term 鈥渢hreatened species鈥� is defined by the Endangered Species Act as a species which is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. While the red-cockaded woodpecker鈥檚 status has improved, the species has not fully recovered. It remains a threatened species, at risk of becoming endangered again due to habitat loss, random events like hurricanes, ice storms, and wildfires as well as the challenges posed by small population sizes. The Service will continue working with its coalition of partners to help the red-cockaded woodpecker thrive and advance toward a full recovery. The protections afforded to the red-cockaded woodpecker remain similar to those under its endangered status and still prohibit take (e.g., the harming, harassing, collecting, or killing of the species), while providing some exceptions for beneficial management practices. The RCW continues to rely on active management strategies for success, and the Safe Harbor program remains an important component of ensuring the continued survival of the species.
