Natural Resources University

Natural Resources University is a podcast network focused on delivering science-based natural resource management. The series housed within this network aim to deliver expert-based knowledge for their corresponding genre of natural resource management.

Bat Exposure and Exclusion: From Risk Assessment to Resolution | Fins, Fur, & Feathers #628 10/20/2026

The Skinny Hen Hypothesis | Wild Turkey Science #627 10/19/2026

The Largest Whitetail Culling Study Ever Conducted | Deer University #626 10/17/2026

The squirrely way oak ecosystems are shaped | Wild Turkey Science #625 10/12/2026

Emerald Ash Borer with Dr. Colin Bonser | Timber University #624 10/10/2026

Emerald Ash Borer with Dr. Colin Bonser | Timber University #624 Emerald ash borer continues to spread across the South, threatening ash trees in forests, urban areas, and important bottomland hardwood ecosystems. In this episode of Timber University, Dr. Colin Bonser, an entomologist with Forest Health Protection in the USDA Forest Service, joins us to discuss emerald ash borer, how it is detected and monitored, and what its continued spread could mean for southern forests. Dr. Bonser explains how emerald ash borer attacks ash trees by feeding on vascular tissue beneath the bark, eventually girdling and killing the tree. We discuss common signs of infestation, including crown dieback, epicormic branching, D-shaped exit holes, and increased woodpecker activity. The conversation also covers Forest Service monitoring efforts, including the use of prism traps and attractant lures to detect new infestations. Recent detections in Louisiana are particularly important for Mississippi. Bonser discusses new detections in parishes along the Mississippi River and ongoing monitoring on the Mississippi side, including the Delta National Forest. Because ash is an important component of southern bottomland hardwood forests, widespread mortality could significantly alter forest composition and create longer-term ecological consequences. The episode also examines management options. Individual high-value ash trees can sometimes be protected through systemic insecticide treatments, but treating large numbers of trees is costly and generally impractical at the forest scale. We also discuss the economic consequences of losing ash, including impacts on timber value and industries that have historically relied on ash for products such as furniture, flooring, baseball bats, and musical instruments. This episode is a useful listen for forest landowners, consulting foresters, forest health professionals, forestry students, Extension professionals, and anyone interested in invasive species, bottomland hardwood management, and the future of ash in southern forests. Questions for Timber University can be sent to /episode/index/show/naturalresourcesuniversity/id/43195683

Deer Biomechanics and Deer-Friendly Fencing | Deer University #623 10/09/2026

From Quail Cover to Duck Water: Preseason Habitat Management | Gamebird University #622 10/08/2026

Adaptive Strategies to Manage CWD in Missouri | Deer University #621 10/07/2026

How to Tell if Your Pond is Too Old | Fins, Fur, & Feathers #620 10/06/2026

Cool Season Food Plots | Deer University #619 10/06/2026

Offspring sex ratio in birds | Wild Turkey Science #618 10/05/2026

At the River's Edge: Agriculture, Flood Risk and Conservation | Wild Ag #617 10/05/2026

Summer Recap | Deer University #616 10/03/2026

Which Oaks Should You Cut? | Wild Turkey Science #615 09/28/2026

How to Pay for Wildlife Habitat Improvements on Private Land | Fins, Fur, & Feathers #614 09/23/2026

Where is the line between anecdote and research? | Wild Turkey Science #613 09/21/2026

How to transform fields into brooding cover | Wild Turkey Science #612 09/14/2026

How to transform fields into brooding cover | Wild Turkey Science #612 We break down native early successional (old field) management for turkeys — how to identify the plants that really matter, when and why to use fire versus spot-spraying, and how to keep a field cycling through the diverse structure that makes great brooding cover. Resources: Enter our raffle for a chance to win a Wild Turkey Science hunt with Dr. Will Gulsby and Dr. Marcus Lashley at the historic Westervelt Hunting Lodge: We’ve launched our second online wild turkey course ! Enroll in to learn about the principal biology, mating, behavior, food selection, human dimensions, hunter interactions, and historical context of wild turkeys. This course is accredited by the Society of American Foresters as a Category 2 course worth 7 Continuing Forestry Education credits. Participants can also earn up to 5 CEUs in Category I of The Wildlife Society’s Certified Wildlife Biologist Program. Enroll now: Be sure to check out our first comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE hours! Dr. Marcus Lashley , Dr. Will Gulsby , Turkeys for Tomorrow UF Game Lab , Want to help wild turkey conservation? to take part in our research! Do you have a topic you’d like us to cover? or send us an email at ! - Thank you! Check out the DrDisturbance YouTube channel! Want to help support the podcast? Our friends at have an option to donate directly to Wild Turkey Science at checkout. Thank you in advance for your support! for a chance to win free gear! This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to . Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak /episode/index/show/naturalresourcesuniversity/id/42892365

Fish Kills: My Fish are Dead – Now What?!? | Fins, Fur, & Feathers #611 09/08/2026

What we’ve learned in four years of turkey science | Wild Turkey Science #610 09/07/2026

Partners on the Land: An Inside Conversation | Wild Ag #609 09/07/2026

Chemical Thinning and Mixed-Species Forestry in the US South | Timber University #608 09/05/2026

Chemical Thinning and Mixed-Species Forestry in the US South | Timber University #608 Forest management decisions are made under biological, financial, and market conditions that can change considerably during the life of a stand. In this episode of Timber University, Dr. Adam Polinko, formerly of Mississippi State University (now at Northern Arizona University), joins us to discuss two applied research projects examining how landowners and foresters can respond to those challenges: chemical thinning in overstocked pine stands and the long-term development of mixed cherrybark oak and sweetgum plantings. Dr. Polinko's research focuses broadly on silviculture and forest stand dynamics, including how forests respond to disturbances such as thinning, harvesting, and other management interventions. The first part of the conversation examines whether chemical thinning could help landowners manage dense pine stands that can no longer be commercially thinned because of weak pulpwood markets. Dr. Polinko explains how a modified “hack-and-squirt” treatment can be used to thin a stand from below by killing smaller trees in place, opening growing space for larger trees, and accelerating a process that would otherwise occur gradually through natural self-thinning. We discuss how chemical thinning differs from conventional row thinning and why it may be particularly useful on smaller properties where logging access, tract size, or limited markets make a commercial thinning difficult. Because the work can be completed by people on foot using relatively simple equipment, it could give some landowners a practical way to place an overstocked stand back on a more productive growth trajectory. The episode also explores the risks and trade-offs of killing trees in place. The research team is examining how treatment timing affects Ips engraver beetles, southern pine beetles, tree stress, and mortality. The study will also evaluate how standing dead trees, dry needles, fallen woody material, and changing fuel loads may influence wildfire behavior. At the same time, increased sunlight reaching the forest floor could stimulate vegetation that provides additional forage and habitat benefits for wildlife. The second half of the episode turns to a mixed-species study established in the early 1980s to examine the development of planted cherrybark oak and sweetgum. The study was designed to test observations from natural stands suggesting that sweetgum may initially grow as fast as, or faster than, cherrybark oak, while the oak eventually overtakes it. Recent measurements indicate that sweetgum remained highly competitive for approximately the first 25 years, after which its height growth began to level off, and the cherrybark oak pulled ahead. The result today is a stand containing large, high-quality cherrybark oak and much smaller sweetgum. Dr. Polinko explains that sweetgum may provide a valuable “training effect” for cherrybark oak. Competition between the species can help the oak maintain apical dominance, straighter stems, smaller branches, and better overall form than might develop in a widely spaced, single-species oak planting. The study also provides a rare opportunity to compare mixed stands directly with nearby pure sweetgum and mostly pure cherrybark oak stands on the same site. The conversation highlights why mixed-species forestry may offer more than biological benefits. Growing different species together can diversify future management options, reduce dependence on a single timber market, and give landowners greater flexibility when deciding which species to thin, retain, or manage as the final crop. Because forest rotations are long and markets can change much faster than stands can be replaced, this kind of biological and financial diversification may become increasingly valuable. This episode is a useful listen for forest landowners, consulting foresters, wildlife managers, forestry students, researchers, Extension professionals, and anyone interested in pine thinning, mixed-species management, stand dynamics, forest health, and the challenge of managing forests under changing market conditions. Questions for Timber University can be sent to /episode/index/show/naturalresourcesuniversity/id/42786020

What Affects Jake Survival? | Wild Turkey Science #607 08/31/2026

Mourning Doves | Fins, Fur, & Feathers #606 08/25/2026

We’re talking about sperm, folks | Wild Turkey Science #605 08/24/2026

We’re talking about sperm, folks | Wild Turkey Science #605 In this episode, we dive into turkey reproductive physiology, focusing on how photostimulation and photorefractoriness influence turkey breeding cycles. Resources: Enter our raffle for a chance to win a Wild Turkey Science hunt with Dr. Will Gulsby and Dr. Marcus Lashley at the historic Westervelt Hunting Lodge: We’ve launched our second online wild turkey course ! Enroll in to learn about the principal biology, mating, behavior, food selection, human dimensions, hunter interactions, and historical context of wild turkeys. This course is accredited by the Society of American Foresters as a Category 2 course worth 7 Continuing Forestry Education credits. Participants can also earn up to 5 CEUs in Category I of The Wildlife Society’s Certified Wildlife Biologist Program. Enroll now: Be sure to check out our first comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE hours! Dr. Marcus Lashley , Dr. Will Gulsby , Turkeys for Tomorrow UF Game Lab , Want to help wild turkey conservation? to take part in our research! Do you have a topic you’d like us to cover? or send us an email at ! - Thank you! Check out the DrDisturbance YouTube channel! Want to help support the podcast? Our friends at have an option to donate directly to Wild Turkey Science at checkout. Thank you in advance for your support! for a chance to win free gear! This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to . Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak We’re talking about sperm, folks | #198 In this episode, we dive into turkey reproductive physiology, focusing on how photostimulation and photorefractoriness influence turkey breeding cycles. Resources: Enter our raffle for a chance to win a Wild Turkey Science hunt with Dr. Will Gulsby and Dr. Marcus Lashley at the historic Westervelt Hunting Lodge: We’ve launched our second online wild turkey course ! Enroll in to learn about the principal biology, mating, behavior, food selection, human dimensions, hunter interactions, and historical context of wild turkeys. This course is accredited by the Society of American Foresters as a Category 2 course worth 7 Continuing Forestry Education credits. Participants can also earn up to 5 CEUs in Category I of The Wildlife Society’s Certified Wildlife Biologist Program. Enroll now: Be sure to check out our first comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE hours! Dr. Marcus Lashley , Dr. Will Gulsby , Turkeys for Tomorrow UF Game Lab , Want to help wild turkey conservation? to take part in our research! Do you have a topic you’d like us to cover? or send us an email at ! - Thank you! Check out the DrDisturbance YouTube channel! Want to help support the podcast? Our friends at have an option to donate directly to Wild Turkey Science at checkout. Thank you in advance for your support! for a chance to win free gear! This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to . Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak /episode/index/show/naturalresourcesuniversity/id/42514060

100 Years of Pheasants: The Making of a Game Bird | Wild Ag #604 08/21/2026

Are we losing the hardwoods that turkeys depend on? | Wild Turkey Science #603 08/17/2026

Are we losing the hardwoods that turkeys depend on? | Wild Turkey Science #603 We’re bringing back the episode where we dig into decades-old crop-content studies to quantify exactly how much of a turkey's diet is acorns, and what the trends in declining oak forests mean for the future of wild turkeys. Resources: Get your tickets to our 2nd Annual UF Game Lab Banquet here: Can’t attend the banquet but still want to bid on our live auction items? Email or send a DM to our UF Game Lab or . Can’t attend the banquet but still want to support us? Please donate here: . Thank you in advance for your support! Enter our raffle for a chance to win a Wild Turkey Science hunt with Dr. Will Gulsby and Dr. Marcus Lashley at the historic Westervelt Hunting Lodge: We’ve launched our second online wild turkey course ! Enroll in to learn about the principal biology, mating, behavior, food selection, human dimensions, hunter interactions, and historical context of wild turkeys. This course is accredited by the Society of American Foresters as a Category 2 course worth 7 Continuing Forestry Education credits. Participants can also earn up to 5 CEUs in Category I of The Wildlife Society’s Certified Wildlife Biologist Program. Enroll now: Be sure to check out our first comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE hours! Dr. Marcus Lashley , Dr. Will Gulsby , Turkeys for Tomorrow UF Game Lab , Want to help wild turkey conservation? to take part in our research! Do you have a topic you’d like us to cover? or send us an email at ! - Thank you! Check out the DrDisturbance YouTube channel! Want to help support the podcast? Our friends at have an option to donate directly to Wild Turkey Science at checkout. Thank you in advance for your support! for a chance to win free gear! This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to . Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak /episode/index/show/naturalresourcesuniversity/id/42431410

Pond Misinformation | Fins, Fur, & Feathers #602 08/11/2026

How much turkey predation is actually avian? | Wild Turkey Science #601 08/10/2026

How much turkey predation is actually avian? | Wild Turkey Science #601 Will leads us through a deep dive of the scientific literature on the relative contribution of avian predators to wild turkey predation. Resources: MSU Gamebird Program , Wildlife Investments , Get your tickets to our 2nd Annual UF Game Lab Banquet here: Can’t attend the banquet but still want to bid on our live auction items? Email or send a DM to our UF Game Lab or . Can’t attend the banquet but still want to support us? Please donate here: . Thank you in advance for your support! Enter our raffle for a chance to win a Wild Turkey Science hunt with Dr. Will Gulsby and Dr. Marcus Lashley at the historic Westervelt Hunting Lodge: We’ve launched our second online wild turkey course ! Enroll in to learn about the principal biology, mating, behavior, food selection, human dimensions, hunter interactions, and historical context of wild turkeys. This course is accredited by the Society of American Foresters as a Category 2 course worth 7 Continuing Forestry Education credits. Participants can also earn up to 5 CEUs in Category I of The Wildlife Society’s Certified Wildlife Biologist Program. Enroll now: Be sure to check out our first comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE hours! Dr. Marcus Lashley , Dr. Will Gulsby , Turkeys for Tomorrow UF Game Lab , Want to help wild turkey conservation? to take part in our research! Do you have a topic you’d like us to cover? or send us an email at ! - Thank you! Check out the DrDisturbance YouTube channel! Want to help support the podcast? Our friends at have an option to donate directly to Wild Turkey Science at checkout. Thank you in advance for your support! for a chance to win free gear! This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to . Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak /episode/index/show/naturalresourcesuniversity/id/42365950

Timber Cruising and Forest Inventory with Dr. Joshua Granger | Timber University #600 08/05/2026

Timber Cruising and Forest Inventory with Dr. Joshua Granger | Timber University #600 Forest inventory and timber cruising provide the information landowners and foresters need to understand what is growing on a property, how much timber is present, and how that timber should be managed or valued. In this episode of Timber University, Dr. Josh Granger from Mississippi State University joins us to discuss the different methods used to measure forests and why a well-designed inventory can be one of the most important investments a forest landowner makes. Dr. Granger is an Associate Professor in Mississippi State University’s Department of Forestry, where he teaches dendrology, forest measurements, and forest description and analysis. His work helps students develop the practical skills needed to identify trees, measure forest resources, design timber cruises, and use inventory data to support forest management decisions. In this conversation, we discuss why the purpose of an inventory should determine how it is designed. Dr. Granger explains the differences among fixed-area plots, prism or variable-radius sampling, strip cruises, nested plots, and 100-percent inventories. He also discusses why no single method is best for every situation and how foresters often combine methods to efficiently collect the information needed. We also explain basal area, trees per acre, total height, merchantable height, and the level of precision needed for different types of forestry work. The conversation explores why a diameter measurement to the nearest tenth of an inch may be useful for research, growth monitoring, or carbon accounting, while broader diameter classes may be adequate for some operational timber cruises. The episode also emphasizes the financial importance of obtaining a reliable inventory before buying or selling timber. Without an independent estimate of timber volume, quality, and product composition, landowners may have little basis for determining whether an offer reflects the true value of their timber. Forest inventories can also support property appraisals, timber-basis calculations, casualty-loss documentation, carbon projects, wildlife management, invasive-species monitoring, and long-term assessments of forest growth and condition. This episode is a useful listen for forest landowners, consulting foresters, forestry students, timber buyers, land managers, appraisers, extension professionals, and anyone interested in understanding how forests are measured and valued. Questions for Timber University can be sent to . /episode/index/show/naturalresourcesuniversity/id/42314360

Impacts of vegetation structure on hen survival and nest success | Wild Turkey Science #599 08/03/2026

Impacts of vegetation structure on hen survival and nest success | Wild Turkey Science #599 Dr. Mark Turner joins us to discuss his newly accepted, peer-reviewed study examining how vegetation around wild turkey nests impacts both nest success and hen survival during incubation. Resources: Dr. Mark Turner , Check out Dr. Mark Turner’s podcast , Get your tickets to our 2nd Annual UF Game Lab Banquet here: Can’t attend the banquet but still want to support us? Please donate here: . Thank you in advance for your support! Enter our raffle for a chance to win a Wild Turkey Science hunt with Dr. Will Gulsby and Dr. Marcus Lashley at the historic Westervelt Hunting Lodge: We’ve launched our second online wild turkey course ! Enroll in to learn about the principal biology, mating, behavior, food selection, human dimensions, hunter interactions, and historical context of wild turkeys. This course is accredited by the Society of American Foresters as a Category 2 course worth 7 Continuing Forestry Education credits. Participants can also earn up to 5 CEUs in Category I of The Wildlife Society’s Certified Wildlife Biologist Program. Enroll now: Be sure to check out our first comprehensive online wild turkey course featuring experts across multiple institutions that specialize in habitat management and population management for wild turkeys. Earn up to 20.5 CFE hours! Dr. Marcus Lashley , Dr. Will Gulsby , Turkeys for Tomorrow UF Game Lab , Want to help wild turkey conservation? to take part in our research! Do you have a topic you’d like us to cover? or send us an email at ! - Thank you! Check out the DrDisturbance YouTube channel! Want to help support the podcast? Our friends at have an option to donate directly to Wild Turkey Science at checkout. Thank you in advance for your support! for a chance to win free gear! This podcast is made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization dedicated to the wild turkey. To learn more about TFT, go to . Music by Artlist.io Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak /episode/index/show/naturalresourcesuniversity/id/42295295

Natural Resources University

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