Our goal is to employ a data-driven approach to forest management planning for the benefit of birds and people. Over a five-year period, researchers, land managers, landowners, and other community members will co-design a regional forest management plan and begin its implementation, monitoring and assessment.

Conservation planning for migratory birds requires cooperation across state lines and property boundaries , bringing together scientists, government agencies, and private landowners. Organizations like Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV) play a key role in connecting these partners and engaging local private landowners in conservation planning and delivery. But AMJV needs better scientific information to manage birds throughout their full annual cycle, during both breeding and migration, and that science needs to  build from input from regional landowners and other managers who will apply it on the ground. Private landowners in particular are rarely included in this kind of planning, even though private land is essential to large-scale conservation efforts.  Finally, Appalachian Mountain forests support numerous migratory bird species but improving the health, resilience, and structure of these forests requires intensive management efforts. The task is urgent as migratory bird species have declined dramatically over the past half century, including in the AMJV region.

The project will bring together the state-of-the-art technologies of active remote sensing, meteorological surveillance radar, and interpretable machine learning to transform understanding of the habitat needs of birds during breeding and migration. See here for more information about our analytical approach.

Even when the science is available, its usefulness to inform management is often limited by a lack of input or buy-in from the land managers and owners that will ultimately need to apply recommendations on the ground. This project will address these research and implementation challenges through an approach that centers on collaboration between science producers and science users. See here for more information about our collaborative approach.

We will be recruiting and training community members to be involved in bird monitoring where forest management has been implemented. See here for more information and how to participate in years 4 & 5 of the project.

Once it is complete, we will share the forest management plan here.

Although this project is only funded through 2030, our hope is that it will continue beyond that. We envision the results of our monitoring efforts being integrated into future editions of the regional plan to ensure it accurately reflects the needs of wildlife and bird communities. Similarly, we hope surrounding communities and landowners will continue to be engaged in the development process so their needs are incorporated into the design and delivery of future plans.