There is more to it than that. The owl needs corridors in which to fly. The forests are too thick to provide that. The mice that the owls eat need groundcovers as a source of food. The forests are too thick to provide that.
Either way, thin that forest. Use the money to stay on top of the regeneration.
Add to that all the feathered little victims that have been turned to ashes because of the fires due to the insane "forced lack of forrest maintainence."