<< back to Bald Eagle FAQs

What is a Standard Bald Eagle Plan or County Short Plan?

The “standard bald eagle plan” is also known as the “county short plan”. It can be used for activities in Bald Eagle management Zone 2. The following basic conditions are applied:

1. Retain all known perch trees and all conifers greater than or equal to 24 inches diameter at breast height (24" dbh, measured at 4 ½ ft above the ground).

2. Retain all cottonwoods greater than or equal to 20" dbh, in counties where cottonwood nests occur.

3. Retain at least 50% of pre-clearing or pre-construction conifer stand with diameter distributions representative of the original stand (>6 feet tall).

4. Windowing and low limbing of trees is acceptable provided no more than 30% of the live crown is removed. Topping of trees is not allowed.

The conditions listed above are pre-approved by WDFW for activities that do not require a DNR permit (forest practice application). The standard plan is available from many county and city permit desks for parcels and activities that meet the distance definitions. No site visit by WDFW is necessary in these cases.

If the standard conditions cannot be met for any reason, then a “site-specific” or “custom” plan can be used.