Todd M. Fearer

Oaks (Quercus spp.) are one of the most widely distributed tree genera in North America and prevalent in most of the major forest type groups in the eastern United States. In spite of this prevalence, concern exists that oak forests are aging with an insufficient base of young stands to replace them. Using data from the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program collected in 1989 and 2000, I estimated the current distribution and abundance of select oak forest types and oak species within the red and white oak subgenera in 29 eastern states. I also examined trends in the distribution...

Annual recruitment of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) should be closely monitored to regulate fall turkey seasons and reduce risk of over-harvest. However, previous studies have not encompassed the spatial or temporal scales needed to produce models that can consistently predict recruitment over a large region. Our objective was to assess the ability of using long-term data sets of sex-age ratios, oak (Quercus spp.) mast, and weather variables to forecast annual wild turkey recruitment in western Virginia. We conducted a thorough literature search on factors believed...