Ecological Risk Assessment of the Effects of Military Fog Oil Obscurant Smoke on the Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Abstract : To satisfy its mission of wartime readiness, the U.S. Army relies on extensive troop training at military installations. These installations must comply with the mandates of Congressional directives and other regulations, including the Endangered Species Act (16 USC 1531-1544). Because the military is required to protect State and Federally listed threatened and endangered species on its lands, the Army and other military services must evaluate any activities that are potentially harmful to threatened and endangered species and their habitats. Toward that end, the Army has initiated studies to evaluate any potential impacts and effects of certain military-specific soldier training actions and activities on threatened and endangered species. Considerable study and management effort have been devoted to the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), in part because of its relatively widespread occurrence on installations. This report provides an assessment of the ecological risks that fog oil obscurant smoke training may pose to individual red-cockaded woodpeckers, red-cockaded woodpecker populations, and red-cockaded woodpecker habitat. The risks from military fog oil obscurants do not appear to be significant in field use.