What distinguishes a forest, woodland, and savanna? How does wildlife and plant diversity differ between them? How do we restore woodlands and savannas? Join Jarred as he talks with Dr. Andy Vander Yacht about his research into restoring oak woodlands and savannas and the wildlife that thrive within in.

In part 2, we discuss how birds and bats responded to restoration treatments (thinning and fire), and how Andy’s research can inform oak woodland restoration on public and private land.

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Research & Resources discussed in the episode

Dr. Andy Vander Yacht - https://www.esf.edu/faculty/vander_yacht/index.php

Ecology and Management of Oak Woodlands and Savannahs - https://utia.tennessee.edu/publications/wp-content/uploads/sites/269/2023/10/PB1812.pdf

Bat response to prescribed fire and overstory thinning in hardwood forest on the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112715005435

Avian occupancy response to oak woodland and savanna restoration - https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jwmg.21097

What distinguishes a forest, woodland, and savanna? How does wildlife and plant diversity differ between them? How do we restore woodlands and savannas? Join Jarred as he talks with Dr. Andy Vander Yacht about his research into restoring oak woodlands and savannas and the wildlife that thrive within in.

This is a two-part series. In part 1, we discuss the historical context of forests, woodlands, and savannas in the eastern US, and Andy’s research into how fire and thinning influence plant composition and diversity.

Give us some feedback or potential topics you would like to here by filling out our listener survey:

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Research & Resources discussed in the episode

Dr. Andy Vander Yacht - https://www.esf.edu/faculty/vander_yacht/index.php

Vegetation response to canopy disturbance and season of burn during oak woodland and savanna restoration in Tennessee - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112716311513

Litter to glitter: promoting herbaceous groundcover and diversity in mid-southern USA oak forests using canopy disturbance and fire - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42408-020-00072-2

Reversing Mesophication Effects on Understory Woody Vegetation in Mid-Southern Oak Forests - https://academic.oup.com/forestscience/article/65/3/289/5232699

Restoration of oak woodlands and savannas in Tennessee using canopy-disturbance, fire-season, and herbicides - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112717307776

Fuel dynamics during oak woodland and savanna restoration in the Mid-South USA - https://www.publish.csiro.au/wf/wf18048

Webinar: Litter to glitter: releasing the herbaceous groundlayer potential stored in oak forest floors - https://vimeo.com/493748345

Ahead of a forthcoming mini-series on forest management for birds, Adam and Jarred discuss a paper reviewing the state of the science examining bird responses to forest management in the eastern U.S. The paper published last year by Michael Skresh and colleagues presents a compelling case for the importance of managed disturbances in eastern forests to benefit birds of conservation concern. Jarred also foreshadows some conversations he has planned in the coming episodes.

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Research & Resources discussed in the episode

Here's the paper we discussed: Akresh, Michael E., David I. King, Savannah L. McInvale, Jeffery L. Larkin, and Anthony W. D'Amato. 2023. “ Effects of Forest Management on the Conservation of Bird Communities in Eastern North America: A Meta-Analysis.” Ecosphere 14(1): e4315. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4315

Here’s a paper Adam’s written about forest management for birds: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/Product/15963 h

Here’s the episode we mentioned with Marcus Lashley and fire disturbance regimes: https://habitatuniversity.libsyn.com/episode-03-aldos-tools-getting-creative-with-prescribed-fire

In this episode we talk with Dr. Mark McConnell, Assistant Professor of Upland Birds at Mississippi State, about wildlife conservation in agricultural landscapes and his research into creating win-win solutions for wildlife and agricultural producers. We cover a variety of topics in this episode from reacting to Adam’s new mustache, Mark’s use of memes to help wildlife student engage with farmers, and using precision conservation to delivery economically targeted conservation.

Themes in the episode: meeting farmer where they are, building your conservation team, economics and Precision Agricultural/Conservation. Targeted Conservation Delivery, Economically Targeted Conservation, Wildlife-Friendly Farming

Give us some feedback or potential topics you would like to here by filling out our listener survey:

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Research & Resources discussed in the episode

Research on who farmers trust when making decisions about agricultural practices - https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/fnr-488-w.pdf

Bridging the gap between conservation delivery and economics with precision agriculture (McConnell 2021) - https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wsb.995

Economically targeting conservation practices to optimize conservation and net revenue using precision agriculture tools (Meng et al. 2022) - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11119-022-09890-7

Farming and the fate of nature (Green et al. 2005) - https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1106049

Wildlife-friendly farming benefits rare birds, bees and plants (Pywell et al. 2012) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22675140/

Crop Advisors as Conservation Intermediaries (Eanes et al. 2019) - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837718310238

Creating Environmentally Resilient Agriculture Landscapes Using Precision Agriculture Technology: An Economic Perspective (McConnell 2019) - https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/bk-2019-1334.ch007

CRP Menu Tool - https://crpmenu.gri.msstate.edu/

In the final episode of our second season, Jarred and Adam review the conversations we’ve had on the theme of private lands habitat conservation, discuss some things “left on the bone,” and share with the listeners where Habitat University is heading in the new year! Be sure to check out the previous episodes in the podcast, including those from Season 2 discussed in this episode, and Season 1 if you haven’t already! And as always please help us improve the podcast by taking this Habitat University Listener Feedback Survey: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5oteinFuEzFCDmm

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Bird friend coffee: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/bird-friendly

Bird friendly beef: https://www.audubon.org/conservation/ranching

Learn more about the Land sparing and land sharing debate with this article: https://e360.yale.edu/features/sparing-vs-sharing-the-great-debate-over-how-to-protect-nature

For a much more thorough treatment of the history of Native peoples’ relationships to much of what we today know as private land, check out the exceptional book: An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

We are joined this week by Matt Ross from the National Deer Association to chat about the importance of private lands and private land management for America’s favorite game species, the white-tailed deer. We discuss how whitetails can be a catalyst for private lands habitat management and all the work NDA does to assist private landowners.

Resources discussed:

National Deer Association – https://deerassociation.com/

2023 Deer Report - https://deerassociation.com/2023-deer-report/

Deer Steward Program - https://deerassociation.com/steward/

Land Certification Program - https://deerassociation.com/land-certification/

Cooperative Program - https://deerassociation.com/coop/

Golden, K. E., M. N. Peterson, C. S. DePerno, R. E. Bardon, and C. E. Moorman. 2012. Factors shaping private landowner engagement in wildlife management. Wildlife Society Bulletin 37:94–100. https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wsb.235

Macaulay, L. 2016. The role of wildlife-associated recreation in private land use and conservation: Providing the missing baseline. Land Use Policy 58:218–233. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837716306159

Mitterling, A. M., B. A. Rudolph, and D. B. Kramer. 2021. The Influence of Private Land Deer Management Cooperatives on Harvest Outcomes and Hunter Satisfaction. Wildlife Society Bulletin 45:456–464. https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wsb.1209?af=R

Pruitt, H. P., B. B. Boley, G. K. D’Angelo, and M. D. McConnell. 2022. Deer management cooperative members’ likelihood of engaging in conservation initiatives: an importance-likelihood analysis. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 0:1–20. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10871209.2022.2077483

In this episode, Jarred and Adam explain the Wildlife Habitat Education Program, which engages kids from throughout the country in wildlife habitat management through 4-H and FFA. Adam and Jarred first discuss the structure of the program and how it’s implemented in states across the country, and then they explore the national competition, including featuring voices of competitors from the 2022 National Competition in Kentucky.

If you’re interested in starting a WHEP club in your community, you should reach out to your local or state 4-H or FFA leaders. Learn more about the program and how to get involved at the link below.

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Resources from the episode:

Learn more about WHEP at: https://www.whep.org/

When it comes to getting boots on the ground for private lands conservation, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever is a leader. This episode we are joined by Quail Forever Tennessee State Coordinator, Brittney Viers, to discuss all the work PF & QF does for wildlife on private lands. From Farm Bill Biologists to Precision Ag & Conservation Specialists, tune in to learn about the wide-ranging roles of PFQF employees, and how they work to create and enhance habitat on private lands.

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Resources from the episode:

Find your local Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever Biologist: https://quailforever.org/Habitat/findBiologist.aspx

Contact a Precision Ag & Conservation Specialist: https://www.pheasantsforever.org/Conservation/Precision-Agriculture/Contact.aspx