Reference Information – BC Fisher Habitat

Species and Habitat Information

Reference Information

Species Information.

Raley, C.M.; Lofroth, E.C.; Truex, R.L.; Yaeger, J.S.; Higley, J.M. Habitat ecology of fishers in western north America. In Biology and Conservation of Martens, Sables, and Fishers: A New Synthesis; Aubry, K.B., Zielinski, W.J., Raphael, M.G., Proulx, G., Buskirk, S.W., Eds.; Cornell University Press: Ithaca, NY, USA, 2012; pp. 231–254. (PDF, 1MB)
Lofroth, E. C., C. M. Raley, J. M. Higley, R. L. Truex, J. S. Yaeger, J. C. Lewis, P. J. Happe, L. L. Finley, R. H. Naney, L. J. Hale, A. L. Krause, S. A. Livingston, A. M. Myers, and R. N. Brown. 2010. Conservation of Fishers (Martes pennanti) in South-Central British Columbia, Western Washington, Western Oregon, and California–Volume I: Conservation Assessment. USDI Bureau of Land Management, Denver, Colorado, USA. (PDF, 272MB)
Lofroth, E. C., J. M. Higley, R. H. Naney, C. M. Raley, J. S. Yaeger, S. A. Livingston, and R. L. Truex. 2011. Conservation of Fishers (Martes pennanti) in South-Central British Columbia, Western Washington, Western Oregon, and California–Volume II: Key Findings From Fisher Habitat Studies in British Columbia, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and California. USDI Bureau of Land Management, Denver, Colorado, USA. (PDF, 3.3MB)
Naney, R. H., L. L Finley, E. C. Lofroth, P. J. Happe, A. L. Krause, C. M. Raley, R. L. Truex, L. J. Hale, J. M. Higley, A. D. Kosic, J. C. Lewis, S. A. Livingston, D. C. Macfarlane, A. M. Myers, and J. S. Yaeger. 2012. Conservation of Fishers (Martes pennanti) in South-Central British Columbia, Western Washington, Western Oregon, and California–Volume III: Threat Assessment. USDI Bureau of Land Management, Denver, Colorado, USA. (PDF, 3.4MB)
Weir, R.D. 2003. Status of the fisher in British Columbia. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, Conservation Data Centre, and Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Biodiversity Branch, Wildlife Bulletin Number B-105. Victoria, British Columbia. (PDF, 2.4MB)
Fisher Identified Wildlife Management Strategy (IWMS) account. (PDF, 0.2MB)
BC Conservation Data Centre / BC Species and Ecosystem Explorer webpage for fisher.

Habitat Management.

BC Fisher Habitat Working Group. 2024. Incorporating Fisher Habitat Conditions and Targets into Forest Planning: Recommendations for Harvesting in the Interior Cedar Hemlock Zone.
BC Fisher Habitat Working Group. 2023. Incorporating Fisher Habitat Conditions and Targets into Forest Planning: Recommendations for Harvesting Operations during Wildfire Salvage.
BC Fisher Habitat Working Group. 2019. Incorporating Fisher Habitat Conditions and Targets into Forest Planning: Recommendations for Partial Cutting Silvicultural Systems. (PDF, 0.2 MB)
BC Fisher Habitat Working Group. 2019. Guidance on Fisher Open Area Analysis. (PDF, 0.2MB)
Nenqay Deni Fish and Wildlife Accord. 2018. Proposal for Joint Recommendation on Fisher Habitat Management. Unpublished report prepared for Forest, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations (PDF, 1.6 MB)
Davis, L. 2016. Fisher (Pekania pennanti) artificial reproductive den box study; with 2018 addendum. Unpublished report prepared for Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program and the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. (PDF, 3.0MB; 2020 Updated Fisher Den Box Drawings – PDF, 0.5MB)
2010 Chief Forester’s Guidance on Coarse Woody Debris Management. (PDF, 0.1MB)
Weir, R. D., and P. Lara Almuedo. 2010. British Columbia’s Interior: Fisher Wildlife Habitat Decision Aid. BC Journal of Ecosystems and Management 10(3):35–41. (PDF, 0.6MB)
2005 Chief Forester Guidance on Landscape- and Stand-level Structural Retention in Large-Scale Mountain Pine Beetle Salvage Operations. (PDF, 0.4MB)

Research Projects and Articles.

Fogarty, R.D., Weir, R.D., Larsen, K.W., 2025. Forestry, fire, and fur: Factors influencing densities of endangered fishers (Pekania pennanti) in central British Columbia, Canada. The Journal of Wildlife Management, e70010.
Weir, R.D., 2025. Differentiation and adaptation among fishers in Western Canada: Evidence for validity of Pekania pennanti columbiana subspecies. Stacks Journal, 25002.
Weir, R.D., Rankin, A.A., Robinson, L., Pilgrim, K.L., Schwartz, M.K., Lucid, M.K., 2024. Genetic structuring of fishers in British Columbia, Canada: Implications for population conservation and management. Journal of Mammalogy 105, 465-480.
Lofroth, E.C., Weir, R.D., Davis, L.R., Hansen, I.-J., 2023. A tale of two populations: vital rates of fishers in British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Wildlife Management 87, e22315.
Fogarty, R.D., Weir, R.D., Lofroth, E.C., Larsen, K.W., 2022. Trapping mortality accelerates the decline of the fisher, an endangered mesocarnivore, in British Columbia, Canada. Endangered Species Research 49, 1-12.
Davis, L.R., Weir, R.D., 2021. Density of fishers (Pekania pennanti) at the southwestern edge of the species’ range in British Columbia. Northwestern Naturalist 102, 232-238.
Weir, R.D., Lofroth, E.C., Phinney, M., Harris, L.R., 2013. Spatial and genetic relationships of fishers in boreal mixed-wood forests of northeastern British Columbia. Northwest Science 87, 114-125.
Weir, R. D., M. Phinney, and E. C. Lofroth. 2012. Big, sick, and rotting: Why tree size, damage, and decay are important to fisher reproductive habitat. Forest Ecology and Management 265: 230-240. (PDF, 0.7 MB)
Proulx, G. 2011. Verification of a forest rating system to predict fisher (Martes pennanti) winter distribution in Sub-Boreal forests of British Columbia, Canada. Can. Field Nat. 125(1): 7–11. (PDF, 0.1 MB)
Weir, R. D., E. C. Lofroth, and M. Phinney. 2011. Density of fishers in boreal mixed-wood forests of northeastern British Columbia. Northwestern Naturalist 92:65-69. (PDF, 2.0 MB)
Weir, R. D., and F. B. Corbould. 2010. Factors affecting landscape occupancy by fishers in north-central British Columbia. Journal of Wildlife Management 74:405-410. (PDF, 0.3 MB)
Davis, L. R., 2009. Denning ecology and habitat use by Fisher (Martes pennanti) in pine dominated ecosystems of the Chilcotin Plateau. Master Thesis. Simon Fraser University. 109 pp. (PDF, 0.5 MB)
Weir, R. D., A. S. Harestad, and F. B. Corbould. 2009. Home ranges and spatial organization of fishers in central British Columbia. Canadian Field-Naturalist 123(1):126-132. (PDF, 0.6MB)
Weir, R. D., and F. B. Corbould. 2007. Factors affecting diurnal activity of fishers in north-central British Columbia. Journal of Mammalogy 88:1508-1514. (PDF, 0.6 MB)
Proulx, G. 2006. Using forest inventory data to predict winter habitat by fisher (Martes pennanti) in British Columbia, Canada. Acta Theriologica 51(3): 275-282. (PDF, 0.2 MB)
Weir, R. D., and F. B. Corbould. 2006. Density of fishers in the Sub-Boreal Spruce biogeoclimatic zone of British Columbia. Northwestern Naturalist 87:118-127. (PDF, 1.6 MB)
Weir, R. D., A. S. Harestad, and R. C. Wright. 2005. Winter diet of fishers in British Columbia. Northwestern Naturalist 86:12-19. (PDF, 0.1 MB)
Weir, R. D., F. B. Corbould, and A. S. Harestad. 2004. Effect of ambient temperature on the selection of rest structures by fishers. Pages 196-210 in J. Harrison, A. K. Fuller, and G. Proulx, editors. Martens and Fisher (Martes) in Human-Altered Environments: An International Perspective. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell, Massachusetts, USA. (PDF, 0.5 MB)
Weir, R. D., and A. S. Harestad. 2003. Scale-dependent habitat selectivity by fishers in south-central British Columbia. Journal of Wildlife Management 67:73-82. (PDF, 2.3MB)
Weir, R. D., and A. S. Harestad. 1997. Landscape-level selectivity by fishers in south-central British Columbia. Pages 252-264 in Proulx, H. N. Bryant, and P. M. Woodward, editors. Martes: Taxonomy, ecology, techniques, and management. Provincial Museum of Alberta. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (PDF, 0.9MB)
Weir, R. D. 1995. Diet, spatial organization, and habitat relationships of fishers in south-central British Columbia. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. (PDF, 1.2 MB)