Under the Growth Management Act (GMA), all cities and counties in Washington must designate and protect five different kinds of critical areas. WDFW serves as technical advisors for Fish and Wildlife Habitat Conservation Areas (FWHCAs). When amending their Critical Areas Ordinances (CAOs), local jurisdictions must:
- Include the best available science
- Allow "no net loss" of ecosystem functions and values
- Give special consideration to anadromous (primarily salmon and steelhead) fisheries
- Support viable, connected populations over the long term by preserving and enhancing habitat and wildlife connectivity
To support this process, WDFW has defined the following land use planning priorities and offers a wide array of resources. There are also a number of questions that WDFW asks of land-use planners as they designate and protect critical areas in their jurisdiction.
For assistance with land-use planning, contact a WDFW planner in your area.
Priority Habitats and Species (PHS) Program
The Priority Habitats and Species (PHS) Program is WDFW's primary means of transferring fish and wildlife information to local jurisdictions, landowners, and others who use it to protect habitat. PHS information is a form of best available science for land use planning. It is used by cities and counties to implement and update land use plans and development regulations, and landowners use PHS as they consider ways to conserve priority habitats and species on their property.
Among the questions land-use planners should ask themselves as they develop local regulations:
- Are PHS Priority Habitats and Priority Species designated and protected as Fish and Wildlife Habitat Conservation Areas (FWHCAs)?
- Are the PHS list, maps, and management recommendations adopted and incorporated by reference in your Critical Area Ordinance?
- Good example: Clark County Code 40.440.010.C (2)
- Have you obtained and evaluated the most current PHS list for your county?
- Have you obtained and evaluated the most current PHS maps or spatial (GIS) data?
- Online forms: Sensitive PHS Data Requests and Non-Sensitive PHS Data Requests
- Have you reviewed the most current PHS publications?
Riparian standards and mapping
WDFW offers several resources specific to riparian areas (ecosystems along rivers and streams), which are among the first priority habitats designated by WDFW. This includes designating Riparian Management Zones (RMZs), which are intended to provide fully functioning riparian ecosystems in support of water quality, salmon recovery, and climate resilience, among other ecosystem services.
- WDFW’s Riparian Ecosystems, Volume 1: Science Synthesis and Management Implications
- WDFW’s Riparian Ecosystems, Volume 2: Management Recommendations
- Site Potential Tree Height Mapping tool
- Site Potential Tree Height GIS polygon downloads
- Riparian Management Zone RMZ-CAO checklist (PDF) (PDF) designed to help translate Volume 2 recommendations into CAO amendments
- See checklist Addendum (PDF) (PDF) for CAO examples
In addition, WDFW asks land-use planners:
- Does your jurisdiction have a current stream inventory?
- What water typing resources/GIS/mapping are you currently using?
Salmon recovery
Salmon recovery is among WDFW's highest priorities, an effort that spans the entire state and affects many other fish and wildlife species, including the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population. In addition to these conservation objectives, salmon recovery is also critical for Washington's cultural and economic landscape.
Land-use planners should consider the following resources and ask questions about how their work affects salmon recovery, depending on their location and potential impact to salmon populations:
- Land Use Planning for Salmon, Steelhead and Trout: A land use planner's guide to salmonid habitat protection and recovery (WDFW)
- Salmon distribution, listing status, and habitats - Salmonscape
- What has been your jurisdiction’s involvement in salmon recovery and planning at the watershed or WRIA scale?
- Is your jurisdiction active in the Local Integrating Organization and/or Lead Entity process?
- Do your land-use policies and regulations cross reference and support salmon recovery plans?
- Have you applied for any grants to support salmon recovery planning?
- Puget Sound Partnership grant opportunities
- Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead funding
- Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Fund
- Recreation and Conservation Office grant programs
- Washington State Conservation Commission grant programs
No Net Loss of critical area functions and values
Protection of Critical Areas means providing for no net loss of ecosystem functions and values, which is included in Washington state law (WAC 365-196-830(4)). Existing habitat conditions should not deteriorate due without equivalent mitigation for any losses. No Net Loss is achieved through mitigation sequencing, as outlined in WAC 197-11-768.
Consider the following resources and questions when evaluating for no net loss in local jurisdictions:
- Do you have a functional monitoring and adaptive management program at the jurisdiction scale?
- WDFW’s Riparian Volume 2, Chapter 5
- Commerce’s Critical Areas Handbook, Chapter 7
- Do you account for Critical Areas before allowing lot subdivision to minimize the need for Reasonable Use Exemptions?
- Do other regulations conflict with your CAO and inadvertently impact critical area functions and values (e.g., clearing, grading, and filling ordinances or lack thereof)? If so, does your code include a provision that the regulation which provides greater protection to critical areas shall apply?
Habitat connectivity
Animals move throughout Washington in pursuit of food and other resources, to migrate between seasonal habitats or find mates, and in response to environmental changes. Habitat connectivity and wildlife corridors help ensure animals can move across the landscape within their natural habitats and maintain viable populations.
Consider the following when planning for habitat connectivity:
- Do you have open-space corridors and other regulatory and voluntary mechanisms to maintain and enhance habitat connectivity (WAC 365-196-335)?
- Landscape Planning for Washington’s Wildlife: Managing for Biodiversity in Developing Areas (WDFW)
- PHS Biodiversity Areas and Corridors (if mapped in your jurisdiction)
- WDFW High Resolution Data Products (includes tree canopy data)
- Puget Sound Regional Council’s Open Space Conservation Resources
- We recommend FWHCAs include “seasonal ranges, breeding habitat, winter range, and movement corridors” (WAC 365-190-030(6)(a)).
- WildWays video (WDFW) – Why Keeping Washington’s Habitat Connected matters.
- Do you have a fish barrier removal plan for your jurisdiction?
- WDFW’s Fish Passage Web App
Climate resilience
Growing evidence shows that climate change is increasingly impacting our region's ecological systems. Land use planning can contribute to climate resilience by considering current and future impacts of climate change. City and county planners must adopt policies and regulations to bolster climate resilience in their jurisdictions.
- Department of Commerce’s GMA Climate Program
- MRSC’s local Government Climate Change documents and interactive map
- Puget Sound Conservation Districts’ Trees for Resilience Toolkit
- WA Native Plant Society’s Stewardship Resources
- WA DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry Grants
- Upgrade water crossings to climate-smart culverts and bridges
- WDFW publication on Climate Change Resilient Culverts
- Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) & other wildfire hazard mitigation efforts
- Do all of your vegetation management requirements and/or plans ensure no net loss of critical area functions and values?
- The State Building Code Council rescinded 2021 International WUI Code from WAC.
Additional resources
- Department of Commerce’s Critical Areas Checklist.
- The Sound Choices Checklist, a tool to gauge comprehensive plans in Puget Sound recovery.
- Habitat at Home, a free WDFW backyard habitat program to increase backyard biodiversity.
- Voluntary Stewardship Program
- For counties enrolled in VSP, does your CAO have language pertaining to “new” agricultural activities (PDF) (PDF)? See Thurston, Chelan, and Yakima counties for examples.