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Grouse Ecology

Know Your Cover – Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

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by Jake Tomlinson Growing up hunting grouse in the hills of north-central Pennsylvania, I learned early that once we reached the hemlocks, we had to be ready to shoot. To this young hunter it seemed that there wasn’t a hemlock in all of northern Pennsylvania that didn’t offer an opportunity at a bird. The Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is Pennsylvania’s state tree and plays an incredibly important role in forests throughout the Northeast. This large conifer reaches heights of more than 100 feet and generally holds its branches to the ground, providing grouse and other wildlife with thick cover and buds to...

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The Appalachian Grouse Diet – What Do the Birds Eat and Why?

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by Nick Biemiller | RGS & AWS Forest Conservation Director – Southern Appalachians The Southern Appalachians are the southernmost extent of the ruffed grouse’s range in the Eastern United States. Appalachian grouse are different than Northern birds, in terms of both the forests they inhabit and the foods they eat. However, across the ruffed grouse’s entire range, the conservation requirement is the same: We need diverse forest habitats that provide an abundance of food options for ruffed grouse and other wildlife species. Luckily, decades of scientific evidence helps us understand Appalachian grouse and their need for habitat diversity. The Appalachian Grouse Cooperative...

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RESEARCH CONFIRMS RUFFED GROUSE CAN SURVIVE WEST NILE VIRUS INFECTION

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Providing High-Quality Habitat may be our Best Option to Protect Ruffed Grouse by Ashley Peters Bird hunters in Minnesota provided scientists with hundreds of ruffed grouse samples throughout 2018 and 2019. These samples were then tested for active West Nile Virus (WNV) infection and antibodies indicating infection with WNV. The results of that study were published earlier this year in The Journal of Wildlife Diseases.   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that WNV is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the U.S. Humans can catch WNV through mosquito bites, which can cause flu-like symptoms. However, WNV isn’t usually lethal...

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Know Your Cover – Species-group profile: Cherries

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by Stefan Nelson, RGS & AWS Forest Wildlife Specialist The Upper Great Lakes states have three species of native cherries, all belonging to the Prunus genus and the Rosaceae family (roses, apples, plums, cherries, hawthorns, etc.). Cherries are utilized by many interest groups, including for timber harvest/forestry products, firewood and horticulture, and comprise a seasonally important forage for a variety of wildlife species. Like many other plants in this family, these cherry species have bright white aromatic flowers during late spring and early summer. Cherries are somewhat shade-tolerant and grow well in forest understory, fence rows, canopy gaps and new clear-cuts....

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RGS & AWS Northeast Forest Conservation Update: Part 1

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A primer for those curious about ecological issues impacting the Northeastern Region of the U.S.

By Todd Waldron, Northeast Forest Conservation Director

Photo by Todd Waldron

February 22, 2021 – If you and your dog have been covering countless miles through New England’s autumn woods and have only been flushing a fraction of the birds that you used to see – there is a reason for it.

[Read more…] about RGS & AWS Northeast Forest Conservation Update: Part 1

Timber Management in the George Washington and Thomas Jefferson National Forest

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The need for increased commercial timber harvest is at an all-time high. The Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) were encouraged to see a recent highlight addressing this critical issue for providing diverse, healthy forest habitat for abundant wildlife.

[Read more…] about Timber Management in the George Washington and Thomas Jefferson National Forest
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