Conserve and Enhance Wildlife and Fish

Animals inhabiting our forests, including the waters flowing over it and the air above it, are important to a large segments of society. Some come to view the animals and birds, others to hunt or fish. Some are content just to know that these creatures exist in the wild in viable numbers. Several Federal laws such as the National Forest Management Act and Endangered Species Act mandate viable wildlife populations. Recent research has demonstrated the importance of factors at multiple spatial scales on the viability of wildlife populations. For example, the vegetative composition and structure of a forest stand affects the abundance of birds breeding there, but the reproductive success of individuals may be affected by factors ranging from a nest site microhabitat to a landscape or region. Our scientists have also studied the ability of hardwood forests to regenerate when white-tailed deer populations are excessive. The NRS has one unit dedicated to wildlife and fish research and scientists in several other units who study wildlife as part of their forest ecosystem management research.

Northeastern and Midwestern forests are home to a wide variety of animal species. Some of these have exacting requirements for maintaining sustainable populations (Kirtland’s warbler for example); other species are quite adaptable and can live in many environments, even urban forests (think racoons and coyotes). Because much of the forested lands in the NRS region are privately owned and managed, NRS scientists focus much of their research on wildlife living in managed forests. Species studied include early-succession shrubland birds in old fields and powerline rights-of-way, neotropical migrants and songbirds; as well as terrestrial salamanders, fish, bats, and butterflies.

Research Studies

Effects of forest composition on Northern Goshawk nest occurrence and productivity
The Northern Goshawk is a forest raptor found at low densities throughout northern hardwood forests of the Great Lakes region, and is a species of management concern for the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (CNNF), Wisconsin.  The species has a circumboreal distribution and appears to be quite flexible in its nesting requirements and prey base, which limits the applicability of literature on nesting and foraging requirements from outside of the Great Lakes region.  Therefore, there is a need for local information on these aspects of Northern Goshawk biology to inform land managers of the most effective means to conserve the species. 

Stream habitat for Atlantic salmon fry and parr
The NRS roster of scientists even includes a fisheries biologist! His research focuses on the effects of change in habitat, land use, hydrology, and food-web structure on Atlantic salmon and trout in New England stream ecosystems. Large woody debris (LWD, that is, fallen logs and branches) are an important component of good aquatic habitat for trout and salmon, as they control the flow speed and thus sediment load, create pools, and provide nutrients for invertebrates. Our scientists works with New England and international groups that are working to preserve wild runs of salmon in the east and to reintroduce the Atlantic salmon into its historical habitat on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Researchers focus on their local animals
Other wildlife biologists specialize in the animals of their regional ecosystems. Thus our Pennsylvania researchers focus on species such as the cerulean warbler and on the controversial white-tailed deer in Allegheny Plateau forests; our West Virginia researcher on white-tailed deer and non-game species such as the Allegheny woodrat, the endangered Virginia northern flying squirrel, and several bat species; and our northern New England researcher on salamanders, small mammals, bats, fur-bearers, raptors, and songbirds, mostly in New Hampshire and western Maine.

Bats in the Forest
In Missouri, our researchers study songbird nesting success and its relation to habitat. Although urban habitats, because of their proximity to a large number of people, provide areas where many people can enjoy birds, they may not be as suitable for some songbirds as habitats in less developed settings. Forest bats are also being studied; many bat species are vulnerable to habitat management. Because some species, including the Indiana bat, are difficult to catch with nets, the team is using acoustical devices to pick up the bats’ unique echolocation signals to track their locations and habits. They have found that Indiana bats prefer heavily wooded habitats, whereas the red bat and pipistrelle prefer the edges of forest openings. Our scientific team is working to gain a better understanding of the bats’ home range, movements, and habitats and to translate that into management guidelines that could help maintain healthy populations of all species.