Ecology

In the Habitat Business

October 31, 2025 by Ruffed Grouse Society

by Troy Holcomb, Minnesota DNR Division of Forestry

It’s a frosty 10-degree morning in early February—the perfect time to find a northern Minnesota logger in their natural habitat.

“It’s a good time to be a logger,” said Gene Ruud of Timber Transport, and he has good reason. Consistent low temperatures and minimal snow cover made accessing timber harvest areas with heavy equipment easier than previous years. To loggers, cutting trees isn’t just a job– they carry out their mission with a zeal and passion akin to an experienced pointing dog in their prime. Each year across Minnesota, between two and three million cords of wood are harvested. How that comes to happen and the impacts that it has is a story that touches everything from paper products like the magazine in your hands to young aspen forests used by grouse and woodcock.

Logging has many benefits. From a forester’s perspective, logging is an efficient and effective tool to manage large-scale forest health issues, reduce wildland fire risk and keep watersheds healthy.

Economics are another huge driver. The forest products industry is the fifth largest manufacturing sector of Minnesota’s economy, supporting approximately 71,650 jobs, many of them in rural areas. All of those people created and sold nearly $25.3 billion dollars’ worth of forest products in 2022.

Ruffed grouse and woodcock hunters are one group that has a lot to gain from a strong forestry economy because, when it comes to wildlife habitat management in Minnesota’s Northwoods, the rubber really hits the road when the feller buncher fires up. The most efficient way to create the early successional habitat required by the King of Gamebirds is a well-planned commercial timber harvest.

A look at logging

“The forest products industry is critical for creating and managing wildlife habitat,” says Rick Horton, Executive Vice President of Minnesota Forest Industries (and former RGS & AWS biologist). “We can create landscape-scale habitat that isn’t possible through small projects. The economic driver of the industry provides funding and opportunities to create thousands of acres of critical young forest habitat annually.”

The work of timber harvesting in Minnesota is completed by loggers qualified through the Minnesota Logger Education Program. These professionals wear many hard hats: forester, businessperson, mechanic, accountant. They must be able to implement a harvest project according to a forester’s prescription to fill a volume quota at a wide range of mills in a dynamic environment of fluctuating weather, markets, labor force and fuel prices. The mills where the logs are delivered range from a local sawmill with a few employees to a large multinational paper company. Having these producers and consumers in place provides landowners a way to manage habitat and respond to forest health issues in a profitable way.

Forest managers in Minnesota work within a comprehensive set of Best Management Practices designed to guide sustainable timber harvest. Because of our strong adherence to responsible forest management, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) has been recognized by two different independent, third-party verification organizations: the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

Minnesota’s forest products industry capacity has steadily declined since its peak in the 1990s, most recently with the Verso mill closure in 2020. But forest growth is exceeding harvest, paving the way for potential expansion.

The story across the Lakes States is very similar. Even though wood is a renewable resource, changing consumer preferences is leading to reduced timber markets. In Minnesota, in recent years, just over half of the trees harvested went to making pulp and paper. As the use of paper declines, so, too, will the opportunity to conduct commercial timber harvests.

For species like ruffed grouse, American woodcock and golden-winged warblers that rely on young forest, the loss of a mill where a logger sells the timber they harvest will create a reduced ability to provide quality habitat. The strength and size of our timber markets have a direct impact on society’s ability to manage for wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire risk and respond to forest health outbreaks.

When it comes to creating grouse and woodcock habitat, aspen is king. It’s no coincidence that the range of ruffed grouse in North America closely mirrors that of our two native aspen species. In Minnesota, we use 22% more aspen than all other species combined. In 2022, the year for which the most recent data is available, 1.3 million cords of aspen were harvested from all ownerships. That equates to 52,000 acres of grouse and woodcock habitat created annually in a profitable way! Aspen harvest peaked in the 1990s with approximately 95,000 acres of aspen harvested annually. Interestingly, there was even a time in Minnesota in the mid-1980s where contractors were being paid to harvest aspen stands just to get the aspen to regenerate to maintain habitat diversity.

Due to long-term market trends, Minnesota is currently harvesting one million cords less annually than we were 30 years ago. In fact, our current harvest level of 2.77 million cords is significantly lower than the 4.1 million cords of naturally caused mortality occurring across Minnesota’s forestland, according to a 2020 U.S. Forest Service examination. Our forests are currently growing more than twice as fast as we harvest them each year. That’s a lot of opportunities for active habitat management!

Private woodland owners are key to maintaining healthy habitats

The ownership map of Minnesota’s forests looks like a patchwork quilt. Large tracts of public forests are managed by county, state and federal governments. The goals of these agencies differ slightly, but they’re all managing for the public good by offering timber for sale, protecting sensitive habitats and watersheds and providing recreational opportunities. On these public lands, foresters, biologists, ecologists and botanists develop long-range plans that guide what gets harvested, where and when. Emphasis isn’t just placed on what gets logged, but also what gets reserved. Tribal Nations and some major mills also own and manage forest resources.

However, at 45%, the single largest ownership group are private owners. Due to their range of goals, smaller parcel sizes and potential lack of knowledge, this group may be underserved when it comes to managing their woods to meet their goals. This is important to understand because wildlife doesn’t care about the boundaries of a 40-acre parcel. Helping landowners manage their woods sustainably benefits all citizens – human and animal.

Woodland assistance is available to landowners from a variety of sources that each have their own niche: local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, private forestry consultants, state forestry agencies, outreach foresters with the university extension service and even RGS & AWS staff all help landowners access the education, motivation and assistance they need.

All this lead to the Timber Transport logging on this private parcel today. The landowner recognized that he had a property growing almost exclusively mature aspen. In search of advice to help meet his goals of maintaining game species habitat, he reached out to his local MDNR Forestry office. The forester explained to the landowner that while stands of older timber can be good habitat for furbearers and cavity nesting species such as woodpeckers and owls, aspen at the end of its lifespan is also highly susceptible to trunk rot and windstorms. Together, they developed a plan to conduct a series of harvests over the next 10 years to diversify the age class structure of the woods, harvest the volume of wood before the trees die and fall over and generate revenue. The forester helped the landowner advertise the timber harvest for bids to a group of loggers and get a contract signed.

This regeneration harvest will allow sunlight to reach the ground. In response, berry producing shrubs will flourish, and the aspen will sprout back vigorously from the stumps and roots. This will provide great nesting and brood rearing habitat for ruffed grouse and woodcock. As the “root suckers” and stump sprouts shoot up, they become the primary food source for deer and moose through long, cold winters. Through active management and collaborating with a forester, the landowner was able to meet his goal and create a more diverse and resilient forest.

So, it’s clear that while logging may be a big business to the local and statewide economy, to hunters, logging is habitat business. Wildlife biologists, loggers and foresters are the boots on the ground, keeping our woods healthy and productive. And, because we have been able to hang on to our forest products industry, we can continue this work in a way where everybody benefits.

Troy Holcomb is a private lands assistance forester for the MDNR Division of Forestry. His favorite hunting dogs are pudelpointers.

Improving Woodcock and Quail Habitat on the Delmarva Peninsula and in Southern Maryland

October 29, 2025 by Seth Heasley

Developing new collaborations in the Atlantic Flyway

by Ben Larson, Mid-Atlantic Forest Conservation Director

During my time at RGS & AWS, I’ve focused on heavily forested parts of the Mid-Atlantic, including northern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. However, for the last year and a half, I’ve started to develop partnerships and projects in the partly forested parts of the region, particularly the Delmarva Peninsula (an abbreviation of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) and southern Maryland (southeast of Washington, D.C.).

The reason is simple: for migrating woodcock, the Delmarva Peninsula and southern Maryland provide critical stopover habitats along the Atlantic Flyway. The American Woodcock Conservation Plan, developed in 2008 by the Woodcock Task Force through the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, emphasizes that in the Mid-Atlantic portions of the Atlantic Flyway, “stopover habitats available as feeding covers are critically important to migrating woodcock.”

Comprised of an equal mix of farmland and forestland, the Delmarva Peninsula and southern Maryland are similar to southern New Jersey and the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions of Virginia and the Carolinas.

Integration With Our New AWS Forest Conservation Director and AWS Chapters

Our woodcock habitat work in the Delmarva Peninsula and in southern Maryland will augment the work of our new Carolina Coastal Plain and Piedmont Forest Conservation Director, Sara Cerv, and our RGS & AWS chapters. Habitat restoration and management efforts in the Carolinas will prioritize the establishment and maintenance of early successional forests, providing critical wintering grounds for woodcock.

In southern New Jersey, our Jersey Shore RGS & AWS chapter has completed woodcock projects for years with New Jersey Fish and Wildlife. Our Central Maryland chapter members are involved in our southern Maryland collaboration, eager to roll up their sleeves to help with a habitat project. I’m excited to work2 with our new Piedmont Virginia RGS & AWS chapter on habitat projects. And, with Emily Sliski, our Mid-Atlantic engagement coordinator, we look forward to forming am RGS & AWS chapter on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Complementing Quail Habitat

Our woodcock habitat work will complement ongoing quail habitat work. When I spoke with partners about my interest in woodcock habitat in these areas, they said I should connect with Quail Forever because quail hunters often flush woodcock. And, more broadly, the increasing recognition of the need to diversify forest habitats in Maryland grew out of the well-established consensus and collaboration to improve early successional habitats in grass-based ecosystems, primarily for quail, but also for nongame birds and other wildlife.

Quail share a need for dense woody cover – either shrubs or saplings. While quail obviously need a mosaic of native, fire-maintained, warm season grasses and fields, they also need dense brush or thick stands of young trees for escape and thermal cover during winter. The quail community in Maryland has identified the lack of shrubs and stands of young trees as one of the critical challenges quail are facing, despite significant progress on promoting and establishing warm season grasses in focal areas.

With interested landowners, we’ll establish shrubs and early successional stands of trees mostly through plantings, but also with some management of existing stands. With the University of Maryland (UMD) Extension and the Maryland Forest Service, we’ll promote the planting of eligible shrubs and small trees through Maryland’s 5 Million Trees Initiative.

Though we’ll work with state and county agencies that own and manage lands for habitat, our work on the Delmarva Peninsula and southern Maryland will focus on private lands, which are critically important since most of the land in the region is owned by private landowners. To deliver technical and financial assistance to private landowners, we’re meeting with landowners and connecting with Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, Soil & Water Conservation Districts, and foresters and farm managers.

New Funding

Thankfully, our approach has attracted partnerships and funding. We partnered with the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDDA) on a $500,000 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to improve habitats for rare and declining species on working lands across the state – an unusual example of coordinated assistance for farmland and forestland. RGS & AWS will receive about $100,000 to assist private landowners with forest management in one of our three landscape-scale projects.

Along with the Maryland Forest Service, we and other partners will help implement a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service, made possible with Inflation Reduction Act funding, to plan for landowner outreach for three landscape-scale focal projects.

In western Maryland, RGS & AWS is helping The Nature Conservancy plan and implement a dynamic forest restoration block around Jennings Randolph Lake and Dan’s Mountain Wildlife Management Area (WMA); Tall Timbers will lead planning and implementation of their landscape-scale project in the northern areas of the Marshyhope watershed; and in southern Maryland, RGS & AWS and the UMD Extension will coordinate landscape-scale projects along the Patuxent River.

Landscape-Scale Quail and Woodcock Projects Work on the Delmarva Peninsula and in Southern Maryland

On the Delmarva Peninsula, Tall Timber’s game bird biologist and prescribed fire coordinator Kyle Magdziuk, UMD Extension’s Luke Macaulay, Quail Forever, the Delaware Department of Environmental Control and Natural Resources, the Delaware Forest Service and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) are working on several focal projects on public and private lands, including a landscape-scale collaboration, promoting the use of prescribed fire, in the Marshyhope watershed, crossing the Maryland/Delaware line and connecting Taber State Forest in Delaware and Idylwild WMA in Maryland.

In southern Maryland, we’re building on the remarkable vision and skill of Quail Forever’s first ever national volunteer of the year, Eddie Beck, who, in partnership with Macaulay, pulled together dozens of county and state agency staff and conservation organizations to develop a collaboration along the Patuxent River, which roughly bisects southern Maryland. Going forward, RGS & AWS will provide ongoing staff support to coordinate the collaboration, which includes Prince George’s County Soil Conservation District, UMD Extension, MDNR, MDDA and others.

Our work with Quail Forever on the Delmarva Peninsula and in southern Maryland is an example of how we can successfully implement our April 2024 Memorandum of Understanding with Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever that seeks to “join conservation networks and build capacity for impactful solutions at a landscape scale for management-dependent species.”

Within the large watershed of the lower Patuxent, we and partners will identify four to five focal areas, usually anchored by a county or state property, and focus our outreach on nearby private landowners. We also look forward to applying woodcock migration data to help identify critical habitats in this portion of the Atlantic Flyway.

Cherokee National Forest Timber Sale Adds Habitat Diversity

September 2, 2025 by Ruffed Grouse Society

by Zac Chandler | RGS & AWS Forest Wildlife Specialist – All-Lands Tennessee Forester

Ruffed grouse populations in the Southern Appalachians are declining, mainly due to the loss of suitable habitat. As the bulk of Appalachian forests increase in age, this results in a drop in ruffed grouse numbers as they primarily depend upon early successional forests for much of the year.

Ruffed grouse thrive in forests kept young and vigorous through repetitive, active forest management like prescribed fire and timber harvesting. These repeat disturbances create an abundance of woody and herbaceous diversity, maintaining critical food and cover resources necessary for supporting healthy and productive ruffed grouse populations. Where active forest management tactics like fire and timber harvests are frequent, mast-producing species like oaks and hickories thrive and are able to maintain dominance over less desirable species such as poplars, maples and certain types of pines.

To address these problems and promote active forest management on a landscape scale in Tennessee, RGS & AWS and the Cherokee National Forest (CNF) entered into a stewardship agreement, entitled the “Double G Project,” where both parties work together on the CNF to create and improve forest habitat and ecosystems for ruffed grouse and other wildlife species. CNF is the largest public landholding in Tennessee with over 650,000 acres of forest lands that are in dire need of intentional, active forest management. Our stewardship agreement seeks to combat the lack of early successional forest age classes and their accompanying habitats, reduce open understories used as ground forage for wildlife and decrease regeneration of mast-producing species.

This agreement exchanges CNF timber for early successional habitat creation and improvement, road maintenance and timber sale preparation and administration performed by RGS & AWS, which will provide added capacity to increase the amount of active forest management objectives accomplished on the CNF as part of their forest plan. More capacity to deliver on-the-ground forest and land improvements means more forest management projects completed faster, leading to more acres of forest lands improved and, ultimately, more vital habitat created for at-risk wildlife.

Our stewardship agreement allows us to sell CNF timber to a contractor to harvest the timber and contract out any service work objectives like forest stand improvement treatments not involving harvesting timber also on CNF lands. The revenue generated from selling the timber can be used for offsetting the costs of the sale and for completing the additional agreed upon service work with forest product revenues remaining within the project area for continued improvement. During these operations, we administer and inspect the timber harvest units being completed to ensure operational and environmental standards are met. Each step of this process is managed by our forestry staff, providing added capacity to the CNF by allowing their personnel to allocate more time and resources to other active forest management goals.

The Double G timber sale on the Tellico Ranger District of the South Zone CNF in Monroe County, Tennessee, is our first stewardship timber sale and subsequent success story in relation to our agreement with CNF. This sale sought to increase forest structural diversity for the benefit of native plant communities and the conservation of at-risk wildlife. In just two years, the Double G timber sale met its four main goals:

Commercial timber harvests (135 acres) were completed across seven cutting units to create young forest stand conditions, increase mast production and enhance the development of native vegetation. Eastern white pine and specific mature hardwoods were removed to establish more open forests with select, high-quality oaks retained to serve as the seed source for regenerating these stands and as critical hard mast for wildlife consumption.
Post-harvest site preparation treatments were completed across six of the seven cutting units, totaling 123 acres. Cutting the smaller stems interlaced between the retained overstory oaks further opens forest understories to encourage native grass and shrub establishment, and promotes regeneration post-harvest. It also creates nesting and cover habitat necessary for ruffed grouse and other ground-dwelling species.
Wildlife opening expansion (3 acres) completed across three existing CNF wildlife openings, helping them dry out quicker, control erosion and promote the growth of desirable forbs growing or planted along openings. Where forested land meets grassland encourages great species and structural biodiversity by supporting numerous soft and hard mast-producing herbaceous and woody vegetations. Maintenance of these openings is necessary to ensure they remain open for establishment of native grass and forbs used by invertebrates, pollinators, game and non-game species.
Road maintenance was completed on all forest service access roads used to reach each harvest unit. Roads were reconstructed at two landslides along forest service road #40832 (Maple Camp Lead Rd.). This maintains and improves these roads, which are used daily by local residents and CNF staff once the harvests are complete. This work also provides critical access to future project areas throughout the forest by repairing and reinstating roads otherwise unsafe for vehicle use.

The Double G timber sale was sold by us to Frerichs Sawmill & Log Homes of Tellico Plains, Tennessee, a local, family-owned and operated logging operation with a long-standing reputation for exceptional forestry work in southeast Tennessee. The Frerichs harvested the timber on the seven cutting units, completed the opening expansion work on the three wildlife openings, and maintained and improved the forest service roads they used during operations. The two landslide reconstructions along forest service road #40832 was completed by Valley Resource Construction of Kodak, Tennessee.

The projects already accomplished, currently in progress and pending on National Forest lands in Tennessee wouldn’t be possible without the exceptional CNF team. Their fantastic ability to collaborate on monumental forest management initiatives helps us move forward to benefit our fleeting populations of at-risk ruffed grouse and other forest wildlife species.

Together, we’re actively engaged in other habitat improvement projects across the North and South Zones, including both commercial timber harvests and noncommercial forest stand improvement management actions. We’re currently working with CNF on assessing and identifying more than 50,000 acres for active forest management, implementing stand exams and intricate landscape analysis on 2,000 acres and assisting with the layout and completion of 700 acres of forest stand improvement treatments. The successful Double G timber sale and partnership laid the foundation for the continued benefit of forests and wildlife in East Tennessee.

Our work in Tennessee extends beyond the boundaries of CNF. In my role at RGS & AWS, I tackle active forest management on critical state lands and targeted private lands in addition to National Forest lands. Cross-boundary forest management is the necessary approach that we’re taking to promote healthy forests and abundant wildlife through instilling a conservation ethic in all types of landowners.

Through partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee Department of Forestry, Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Tennessee Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy and many other key organizations, we’re able to enact forest habitat conservation, restoration and management across East Tennessee in a landscape-scale approach to benefit the Southern Appalachians and the wildlife that call these woods home.

Zac Chandler is the Tennessee all-lands forest wildlife specialist for RGS & AWS. A Texas native, Chandler earned his bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Texas Tech University and continued his education at Mississippi State University. Chandler’s professional interests include active ecological conservation and management for game and non-game wildlife species and the use of prescribed fire for various land management goals.

Wild Plum (Prunus americana)

September 1, 2025 by Ruffed Grouse Society

by Ashley Strabel | RGS & AWS Forest Wildlife Specialist, Department of Natural Resources

From New Mexico to Quebec, people and wildlife alike enjoy savoring the succulent fruits of the wild plum (Prunus americana). The wild plum fruit can grow about an inch long and ranges in color from yellow to red to purple, reaching a perfect ripeness at the time when it falls off the stem into your hand when you try to pick it. Although it’s smaller than the plums you may find in grocery stores grown from domestic cultivars, this native fruit can be consumed in a variety of ways, from jellies and sauces to a fresh snack straight from the tree. Indigenous populations also found medicinal uses for both the plum tree and the fruit.

The wide distribution of the wild plum is complimented by its wide uses by wildlife. Wild plum is one of the first shrubs to bloom in spring. As the snow melts and the earth begins to reclaim its lively lushness, these five-petalled, white flowers growing in clusters on spur shoots are the first on the scene. The flowers give pollinators the critical energy they need when little food is available in the early spring. Wild plum often grows in dense patches because it spreads by root suckers. As its green leaves unfurl, a dense thicket of plum creates the perfect spot for a doe rabbit to hide her nest of new bunnies. In the plum thicket, the bunnies will have the company of a wide variety of birds nesting and seeking cover in the branches overhead. When the warm days of summer begin to dip into cooler nights, around the end of August, what used to be flowers hanging from the branches will have evolved into a round drupe. At this time, wildlife – from birds to mammals to insects – will be drawn to the plum trees to consume the fresh fruit. As winter comes and the leaves fall off, a deer may find refuge in the plum thicket and seek protection from its spiny branches. There’s no shortage to the benefits of wild plum to wildlife.

Many game bird species benefit from wild plum on the landscape. When wild plum is growing in open prairies and grasslands, sharp-tailed grouse utilize wild plum thickets for food and winter cover. In areas where the habitat is conducive for ruffed grouse like forest edges, they will similarly use these thickets for food and cover. Woodcock don’t eat soft masts like plums, but they also benefit from the cover provided by a wild plum thicket. Turkeys have been known to nest in wild plum thickets and they also eat the fruits. With wild plum being one of the first to bloom in spring, it supports early insect production, which then serves as food for all of these game bird species.

Wild plum can grow up to 24 feet tall, but it’s often found at a shorter height in dense patches. It’s more common for it to reproduce from root sprouts than from seed. The ability for it to resprout from its roots enables it to grow back after being top-killed by fire; however, this species’ prevalence was historically limited by wildfires prior to the modern practice of fire suppression. It grows best in sun to partial shade areas, and can be found growing in fencerows, shrub communities and along forest edges. Depending on the region, wild plum may be found encroaching prairies, along streambanks, in oak savannas or in the forest understory. The soils that suit wild plum range from well-drained to moist. The current range of wild plum covers the eastern and central U.S., up into Canada, and there’s even a population in Washington State. This range was likely expanded over history by both people indigenous to North America as well as early European settlers.

The indigenous people of North America used wild plum as both food and medicine. Wild plum was cultivated by indigenous people, and the fruit was consumed both fresh and dried. The bark and root from the trees were used to treat diarrhea, and the roots were used to make a salve for cuts. The fruit was also used to treat mouth sores. It’s no surprise wild plum was transported by people to be planted in new locations due to its numerous uses.

Planting wild plum is beneficial to both wildlife and the general ecosystem. Establishing wild plum for wildlife provides cover and food from both browse and fruit for a wide variety of species. Wild plum can also be utilized to prevent soil erosion and serve as a wind or snow break. It can be planted as a landscape species that provides beautiful white blooms early in spring. Honeybees are the most common pollinator of wild plum, so, in addition to the beautiful blooms, the pollinators will also benefit when this plant is utilized in landscaping. Plant wild plum in an area where it has space to expand with its root sprouts or else you should plan to cut around the tree to limit its spread. Plum trees are sometimes found growing near old homesteads and will colonize old pastures. It’s common for these plum trees to be hybridized species of wild plum and domestic cultivars. Wild plum has also been hybridized with commercial plum cultivars.

Humans can enjoy the fruit of wild plum as a tasty fresh snack or processed into other goods such as jam. There’s a large pit in plums, which must be removed prior to consumption. Not only is the pit undesirable to eat, but it’s actually poisonous. The pit contains cyanide, which is toxic to humans. When consumed, cyanide can cause headaches, respiratory issues and even death. However, the cyanide in the plum pit will only cause poisoning if it’s chewed or ground up. You’d have to consume many ground pits to experience serious side effects. So, if you accidentally swallow a plum pit, no worries, death by plum pit isn’t a concern!

A Nuanced Approach to Habitat Management for Ruffed Grouse and Other Wildlife

July 29, 2025 by Ruffed Grouse Society

by Sean Barry | RGS & AWS Forest Conservation Coordinator, Southern Appalachians

Laurel Bed Lake at Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Virginia

The faint change of leaves glistened along Laurel Bed Lake’s shore as early fall made itself vaguely known. One of those mornings that begins brisk and then warms up – a start in a jacket, end in a t-shirt type of day. The plan was to mark boundaries for a crop tree release at Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in southwest Virginia. This work is part of our project with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and made possible with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). The goal of this crop tree release is to promote valuable trees for wildlife by reducing competition from other surrounding trees (see diagram Miller et al., n.d.) In our case, we’re looking to release oaks and hickories in stands roughly 20 to 30 years old. Other tree species of interest include cherry, service berry, black gum, flowering dogwood and magnolia. Although these stands are aging out of the early successional stage, promoting this combination of hard mast and soft mast producing tree and shrub species has a plethora of benefits for wildlife. Eventually, these mature forest stands will generate important food sources for many wildlife species and provide habitat for mature forest obligates like the wood thrush, one of the focal wildlife species for the NFWF grant.

_{Miller et al., n.d. “Technical Guide to Crop Tree Release in Hardwood Forests.” University of Tennessee Extension.}

After a successful morning, Spencer Marshall, RGS & AWS Virginia forest wildlife specialist, and I made our way into the units in the higher elevation of the WMA. Following a fair amount of drive time up the windy old forest road, we both concluded that the area looked “grouse-y.” What was the giveaway? Mainly suitable cover alongside the road. Soon enough there they were – two grouse darting across the road into the younger adjacent stand. It’s amazing how quickly they can awkwardly run and then disappear into cover like they were never there. Not long after finishing up marking our final boundary of the day, another grouse flushed out from underneath the thick cover with that distinct flutter. Both sightings had a similar theme in common: elevation. All the grouse we spotted that day were right around 3,800 feet. Does this mean grouse can only be found at 3,800 feet in southwest Virginia? Not exactly. Grouse use different elevations and cover types throughout the year depending on the “physical and biotic resources” available. However, forest type and the corresponding elevation should certainly be considered when targeting focal areas for grouse, especially in the southern Appalachians.

Here are some notable points compiled from research and suggestions from management practices and strategies. While grouse can be found in a variety of forest types, they appear to be most abundant in northern hardwood, mixed-mesophytic and oak/hickory forests in the southern Appalachians. In northern hardwood forests, you’ll find species like sugar maple, beech, cherry and yellow birch. In mixed-mesophytic areas, look for many of the same species as above plus basswood, northern red oak, white pine, buckeye and sweet birch, to name a few. I’m sure you can guess what comprises an oak/hickory forest type; however, still be on the lookout for beech, hemlock and yellow pine species. According to Tirpak et al., mesic forests play a critical role in factoring “core area use” for grouse due to the widespread access to food and an advantageous microclimate. In addition to mesic sites, keep in mind other habitat features. For example, examine the forest structure and age class diversity present in the area. Look for areas with high stem density comprised of forests aged five to 20 years, 10 years being a good target, juxtaposed in areas with more mature hard mast-producing tree species like oaks and hickories. Find well-managed openings or old roads with native forbs or legumes. This interspersion of habitat types can provide more productive areas for grouse.

Ruffed grouse are a climate-sensitive bird and vulnerable to warming trends. Experts at Audubon predict this warming could continue to push their range further north, resulting in nearly a 35% loss of breeding range in roughly half a century (see maps from Audubon). With the southern Appalachians being the southernmost extent of the ruffed grouse’s range, we should be mindful of this trend and think about the implications it might have on the population over time. While grouse have many threats, the primary driver of their decline is a lack of suitable habitat, primarily a lack of young forest habitat. An interesting point to consider is, as the climate continues to change, so will the forests in the southern Appalachians. In fact, many tree species are expected to have to either adapt to new conditions or shift their ranges to more favorable environments in response to climate change. For this reason, grouse might be under additional stress from changing forest types, pushing them into new areas in the future. Forest types where you primarily find grouse today, might very well transform in the next few decades.

Forest types have certainly been altered over time through natural and anthropogenic causes, so this concept is not new or necessarily surprising. Look at red spruce in the central and southern Appalachians for example. Red spruce and spruce-fir ecozones used to be a major component of the landscape. Due to a period of intensive cutting many years ago and the widespread wildfires that followed, red spruce saw drastic declines and never recovered. It now makes up only a small portion of the landscape at the highest elevations, though it is part of a critical ecosystem for a number of flora and fauna. Grouse are known to be spotted in these high-elevation areas as well (see picture).

Grouse in “Spruce Country” by Will Evans, Ecological Restoration Coordinator, The Nature Conservancy

Why should we care? Spruce-fir ecosystems in the central and southern Appalachians are a good example of what can happen when we experience severe landscape-level changes. However, it also showcases the opportunity for restoration and collaboration. There’s renewed energy for spruce restoration in the region. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) convened the Red Spruce Technical Advisory Board (RSTAB), which works with technical experts like the Central Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (CASRI) and the Southern Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (SASRI). This collective group has provided recommendations to the U.S. Forest Service as they work on evaluating the Red Spruce Restoration Project, a multi-state, multi-forest partnership. TNC, along with partners in CASRI and SASRI, have been working on this issue for over 20 years. Millions of red spruce have been planted across thousands of acres targeting degraded pastures or previously mined lands on public and private lands.

Additional types of forest management are also implemented for spruce to thrive. Just as we do release treatments with hardwoods as mentioned above, spruce can also benefit from release treatments. These release treatments can be done commercially or non-commercially and usually involve work in spruce/hardwood forests where spruce in the midstory or understory is being suppressed. These releases can be done in areas with high potential for spruce while maintaining residual hardwood trees valuable to wildlife like cherry. This is just one example showcasing the importance of sustainable forest management to achieve desired conditions in areas that previously looked very different. I expect examples like this will become increasingly important to consider as climate change impacts the range of grouse and forest types in the southern Appalachians. Our management strategy must be fluid and dynamic to respond to these complex factors.

Example of a spruce release treatment: a maple treated via “hack and squirt” suppressing a red spruce by Will Evans, Ecological Restoration Coordinator, The Nature Conservancy

We are proud to call TNC one of our partner organizations in the region committed to achieving more diverse and resilient forests in Appalachia through their resilient and connected network. Our mutual intent is to work together on planning and implementing dynamic forest restoration blocks (focal areas) to benefit at-risk forest wildlife species, forest ecosystem health and the people of Appalachia. Partnerships like this are critical for getting work done across the region. We certainly can’t do it alone.

I hope this article has given you more information about the type of work we’re doing, where you might be able to find a grouse the next time you are in the woods, the importance of multiple forest management and stewardship strategies and the significance of partnerships for conservation work in the region. As conservationists who believe in healthy forests and abundant wildlife, taking a holistic approach to managing our forests to achieve desired future conditions is paramount for success.

Sean Barry serves as the forest conservation coordinator for the Southern Appalachian Region at the Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society. In this role, Sean leads a range of conservation projects that promote healthy forests and abundant wildlife across Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Based in western North Carolina, Sean enjoys spending time in the mountains with his wife and dog.

Green Mountain National Forest – Howe and Boy Blue Timber Sale Projects

July 10, 2025 by Ruffed Grouse Society

Featured Habitat Project – Covers Winter 2025

by Amelia “Melly” Napper | RGS & AWS Vermont Public Lands Forester

In September 2023, RGS & AWS entered into its latest agreement with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to support forest management and implement on-the-ground habitat improvements on 6,000 acres across four iconic American national forests from Minnesota to Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest.

The Somerset and South of Route 9 Integrated Resource Projects (IRP) on Green Mountain National Forest include management activities that aim to achieve multiple goals related to the Forest Plan. Creating forest habitat for diversity is an important objective for both projects. Using timber harvests, we’re creating conditions that restore and enhance the quality and diversity of habitat structure across the forest.

Some of the project area includes northern hardwood dominated stands as softwood habitats are under-represented across the forest. The treatments aim to shift the composition of some of the hardwood stands towards mixed wood and softwood stands. Creation of temporary openings increases the number of age classes and early successional habitat, which is currently not represented across the project areas.

Prior to the timber sale, there’s an extensive list of tasks that need to be completed to meet National Environmental Policy Act protocols and prepare the area for harvest. Working with the timber crew at the Manchester ranger district, I’ve been helping with the sale prep activities, such as marking timber, cruising timber and gathering geospatial data of the timber sale area to create an accurate representation of the resources being harvested.

Boy Blue is a timber sale, associated with the Somerset IRP, in Somerset, Vermont. Much of the area is dominated by American beech that have root sprouted in response to beech bark disease. The understory of many of these stands receive little light due to the intense competition with beech sprouts. The use of regeneration treatments will allow light to reach the forest floor and promote the regeneration of other species that aren’t as shade tolerant as beech and grow healthier, better-quality trees for the future.

Leave tree marking is used to implement the regeneration treatments; the trees being left behind are often high-quality crop trees that will provide seed.

Depending on the silvicultural treatment, tree retention is used to manipulate conditions to regenerate varied species. The hope is to shift most of the stands to sugar maple, yellow birch and red spruce. Throughout the timber sale, special attention is taken to preserve wildlife trees, such as bear clawed beech, cavity and certain legacy trees. Treatments such as group selections, clearcuts and shelterwoods also allow for the creation of temporary early successional habitat. Improvement cuts aim to promote healthy, superior quality trees for future sawtimber by removing single and groups of trees from a stand. This sale will likely be advertised in 2025.

Howe Pond in Readsboro, Vermont, is associated with the South of Route 9 IRP. Howe Pond is a much smaller timber sale and located on a poorer and rockier site than Boy Blue. Beech bark and leaf disease is present in most of the stands being treated. There is an effort to retain clean, non-symptomatic beech, in hopes that their genetic makeup may be resistant to the two different diseases. This sale also has a larger component of softwoods, mostly red spruce and hemlock.

Throughout the regeneration, treatments varying the amounts of tree retention are being used to create conditions that regenerate and promote red spruce. Similar to Boy Blue, the leave tree priority is sugar maple, yellow birch and red spruce. All of the hemlock within both timber sale boundaries will be retained for wildlife in response to hemlock wooly adelgid. Most of the timber sale is composed of regeneration treatments that aim to create a multi-aged stand with diverse habitat structures. This sale will be advertised this year.

Timber Sale	Acres of Regeneration (approximately)	Acres of Improvement (approximately)
Boy Blue	181	52
Howe Pond	51	16

Ecology

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Private woodland owners are key to maintaining healthy habitats

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