Often, the term “clearcut” is viewed as a 4-lettered word when it comes to forest or wildlife management. But, can clearcuts provide vital resources for songbirds – including those species typically associated with mature closed canopy forests? Join us for our conversation with Dr. Patrick Ruhl as we explore his research into songbird use of clearcuts in Indiana.

Dr. Patrick Ruhl - https://ruhlresearch.wixsite.com/patrickjruhl

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UEACzAEAAAAJ&hl=en

Resources mentioned in episode:

Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment - https://heeforeststudy.org/

Confirmation of Successful Chestnut-sided Warbler Breeding in South-Central Indiana - https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/ias/article/download/23245/22567/37006

Ecological factors explain habitat associations of mature-forest songbirds in regenerating forest clearcuts - https://doi.org/10.1676/1559-4491-132.1.145

Characterization of Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) breeding habitat at the landscape level and nest scale - https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/faculty_publications/1677/

Roost preference, postfledging habitat use, and breeding phenology of adult female Worm-eating Warblers (Helmitheros vermivorum) on the breeding grounds - https://doi.org/10.1676/16-222.1

Using stable isotopes of plasma, red blood cells, feces, and feathers to assess mature-forest bird diet during the post-fledging period - https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjz-2019-0109

View from a clearcut

Relationship between Scarlet Tanagers and Ripe Blackberries

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.

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

https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5oteinFuEzFCDmm

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:

https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5oteinFuEzFCDmm

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