In this week's episode, we have the pleasure of chatting with Page Rice, a Service Forester in the state of Ohio. Page is a breath of fresh air in the forestry space, bringing knowledge, expertise, and a quick wit to her communication about forest management. In this episode, we discuss,

• Getting deer hunters and deer managers to look at the bigger picture and manage for ecosystems rather than just whitetail deer
• Why it's important to manage and remove invasive species.
• The difference between a consulting forester and a service forester.
• Invasive species' impact on migrating songbirds.
• How the right forest management can solve a lot of the problems facing our forests today.
• Her experience working as a female forester in a male-dominated industry.
• The difference in managing for quality for a generalist species like whitetails vs managing for quantity, as well as quality, with specialist species like ruffed grouse and bobwhite quail.

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In this week's episode, we chat about two of our favorite things, filming ruffed grouse and prescribed fire!

• We share stories about filming grouse from this past Spring and what we learned about the bird and its habitat.
• Including how grouse responded to a recent prescribed fire.
• Grouse behavior in the burn unit.
• How fire compares to timber harvesting for creating and maintaining grouse habitat.
• How fire creates ideal brooding habitat for ruffed grouse.
• Exploring different passions in the natural world like birding.

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In this week's episode, have a light-hearted but educational debate with our friend and conservationist, Brian Banbury, and answer the question, who is the real King of Spring, the Ruffed Grouse or the wild turkey? Strong points were made from both sides for each species, and to determine the winner, we discuss:

• Which species is tougher?
• Is the ruffed grouse or the wild turkey more emblematic of what it means to be an American?
• Does the wild turkey or the Ruffed Grouse have the biggest impact on conservation?
• The hunting influence, culture, and difficulty of both the ruffed grouse and wild turkey?
• Which is stronger, the thunderous drum of a Ruffed Grouse or the iconic gobble of a wild turkey on a Spring morning?
• The table fare of both species.

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In this week's episode, we catch up with our friends from the North, Mark Symes and Andrew Lowles, of Ruffed Grouse Society Canada, to learn about the ruffed grouse and forest management in Canada. Both coming from backgrounds in science, biology, and forestry, Mark and Andrew provide us with a unique outlook and perspective on the challenges and opportunities that RGS Canada faces in conserving a species like the ruffed grouse in a country where populations are abundant. We discuss:

• How RGS Canada can learn from our mistakes in the US regarding the management of ruffed grouse and our forests.
• The difficult nature of creating an organization to advocate for a species like the ruffed grouse, where populations are plentiful.
• The social licensing and public perception of logging and forest management in Canada.
• The forest product market in Canada and how their forests are managed differently in the different forest ecosystems across the country.
• Is the future of forest management and logging brighter in Canada than it is in the United States?

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In this week's episode, we have the pleasure of discussing ruffed grouse and forest management with wildlife biologist Dr. Karl Malcolm. A gifted communicator and educator, Karl gives us an incredible education and offers a perspective and insight that only a biologist, scientist, and wildlife professional can. In this episode, we discuss:

• First, who is the real King of Spring, the wild turkey or the ruffed grouse?
• The future of the US Forest Service is in question, given the recent changes by the administration.
• Breeding behavior and physiology of ruffed grouse.
• West Nile Virus can have on ruffed grouse and how a healthy forest ecosystem and good habitat can offset it's impact.
• The social licensing and public perception of forest management and logging, and how we can better communicate the positive impacts.
• How nonnative invasive species can disrupt native habitats and how they impact specialist species like ruffed grouse.
• The impacts of high deer densities on ruffed grouse.
• The unlikely relationship between the extinct passenger pigeon, ruffed grouse, and young forest habitats.

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In this week's episode, we catch up and discuss some of the things we've learned about ruffed grouse since we started the Give for Grouse Initiative, and we talk about some of the guests we've had and what we've learned from them. From the nuances of forest management to filming and photographing grouse, we talk about a little bit of everything in this episode! Follow Us On Instagram Like Us on Facebook Subscribe to our YouTube Ruffed Grouse Billboard

In this week's episode, we borrow the title of guest Ethan Tapper's award-winning book and discuss How to Love a Forest. Ethan is an author, forester, ecologist, and naturalist blessed with an incredible ability to communicate the nuances of forest management, conservation, and our relationships with ecosystems. In this conversation, we discuss:

• What does it really mean to take care of our forests?
• The difference between a conservationist and a preservationist mindset.
• Ethan's thoughts and experience using herbicides as a conservation tool.
• The emotional tug of war between cutting a tree, but loving a forest or shooting a deer and yet loving the species.
• It takes a sacrifice and compromise to build a healthy forest ecosystem.
• Why Ethan loves trees, but loves forests more.
• Choosing to do nothing is a bigger act of negligence in conservation than active forest management.
• The reality that our forest products market is dying and the impact that has on wildlife.
• How Ethan would fix our struggling forest products market, implement landscape-level forest management, and increase our biodiversity.

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This week's episode is all about prescribed fire as we sit down with Caleb Haynes, a Forest Restoration Technician for The Nature Conservancy. Caleb helps manage the Warm Springs Mountain Preserve in Bath County, where prescribed fire is their primary management tool, and helps conduct controlled burns for the US Forest Service. Caleb's extensive knowledge and experience with prescribed fire are evident in this episode as we discuss:

• How does prescribed fire help create Ruffed Grouse habitat?
• How The Nature Conservancy uses prescribed fire to enhance biodiversity on its properties.
• The public perception of prescribed fire and educating the public on its benefits.
• Using fire as a management tool to restore native habitat and ecosystems.
• How many acres does the US Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy burn annually in the Alleghany Highlands?
• How do grouse respond to a prescribed fire, and how long does it take them to return to their home range?
• The logistics involved in burning several hundred, and sometimes several thousand acres, of burn units in the mountains.
• Using dormant season burns instead of growing season burns.
• The most fascinating story you will ever hear about ruffed grouse and prescribed fire.

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In this week's episode, we sit down with Jesse Owen, a wildlife forester specializing in Golden-Winged Warbler projects with the NRCS. We discuss forest managment, logging, and healthy forests with a focus on wildlife from ruffed grouse and golden winged warblers to insects, turkeys, and whitetail deer. Jesse is a great communicator and educator of forest management for wildlife, and in this episode, we discuss:

• What does the habitat for Golden Winged Warblers look like?
• Is there any crossover between Golden Winged Warbler habitat and the habitat for ruffed grouse?
• The value of leaving residual trees in a timber harvest vs. a clear-cut.
• The impact high deer densities can have on the health of a forest.
• What does grouse habitat look like in terms of forest age classes and species composition?
• The benefits and value of a mature forest, as well as the species of wildlife that utilize woodland habitats.
• Jesse's favorite native shrubs for wildlife.
• Why oaks are so important to the health of a forest beyond just acorn production.

If you're interested in learning more about the Golden Winged Warbler program or implementing a harvest or working with Jesse and the NRCS, shoot him an e-mail at [email protected] Follow Us On Instagram Like Us on Facebook Subscribe to our YouTube Ruffed Grouse Billboard

In this week's episode, we chat with the Chief Conservation and Operations Officer for the Ruffed Grouse and American Woodcock Society, Mark Hatfield. With a career managing wildlife throughout the United States, Mark brings an impressive resume and extensive experience to RGS, advancing its mission and improving Ruffed Grouse populations. In this episode, Mark gives us an update on the work that RGS is doing, as well as:

• On a scale of 1-10, how are Ruffed Grouse doing in Appalachia?
• On a scale of 1-10, at what urgency is RGS operating to turn the tide?
• The biggest challenges of managing our Eastern Forests include invasive species, disease pathogens, and preservationist mindsets.
• RGS Dynamic Forest Restoration plan to implement forest management intentionally on a landscape scale.
• The lack of social acceptance of logging, what good forest management actually is, and how we can better educate the general public on active forest management.
• Why it's important to keep grouse hunting seasons open in states like Indiana and Ohio.
• Mark's most memorable memory of a Ruffed Grouse in the Great Smoky Mountains.

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