Tall Timbers Research

Game bird staff conducted Research on northern bobwhite population dynamics at core study areas in the red hills of Florida (Tall Timbers Research station, livingston place) and Georgia (albany quail project). At these core locations staff conducted year-round monitoring of survival and reproduction, as well as produced estimates of spring and/or fall bobwhite populations. In addition to these core long-term Research sites, two study areas in central Florida continue to aid in the development of techniques in saw palmetto/mesic flatwoods habitats and one each in north carolina in sandhills habitat and in the pineywoods ecosystem of east Texas provide regional management information outside the traditional red hills and albany regions. We radio-tagged over 1000 bobwhites as part of both long-term Research and graduate student Research on our study sites; we continued Research on bobwhite chick survival and habitat use in collaboration with researchers at multiple universities. Our wild bobwhite expansion continues via translocation by Tall Timbers moving over 7000 bobwhites to date; in 2022, we translocated wild bobwhites from fl and ga to sites in sc, fl, ga and al for both Research purposes and to establish new populations; we conducted the fourth year of our translocation to public lands as part of a larger Research initiative to understand public-lands management and factors limiting bobwhite hunting opportunity for the public. Quail management Research staff published 11 peer-reviewed papers, published the annual quail call newsletter, and visited over 80 properties in al, ar, fl, ga, la, nc, sc, tx and va to provide outreach on exemplary quail management.

In land conservation in 2022, Tall Timbers closed on 3 donated conservation easements located in southwest Georgia (2,907 total acres) and 2 donated conservation easements located in north Florida (130 total acres). In addition, Tall Timbers purchased a 40-acre parcel in madison county, Florida. The organization completed all annual monitoring responsibilities for its conservation easements (198 properties) and land holdings (2 properties) as well as one 3rd party monitoring enforcement property, totaling 507 hours, and completed 1380 hours of stewardship services. Tall Timbers successfully assisted in a Florida forever purchase conservation easement for the 4,102-acre norias property, protecting the northern shore of lake miccosukee in leon and jefferson counties. Tall Timbers continued implementation of a regional conservation partnership program (rcpp) grant ($7,066,883) from the natural resources conservation service to fund private land conservation and stewardship in the st. marks river and aucilla river watersheds. Contracts for land management activities were executed with 30 landowners in 2022 (20 in Florida and 10 in Georgia). Land management practices being implemented on these properties include prescribed burning, forest stand improvement, longleaf pine planting, invasive plant treatment, firebreak installation, and pollinator planting. Additionally, the rcpp grant is focusing on environmental outcomes monitoring, including surveys to collect baseline data and documenting current biodiversity. The second signup period that was undertaken in the fall of 2022 should result in approximately 39 additional rcpp land management contracts in 2023 (25 in Florida and 14 in Georgia). In biological monitoring work, after a ten-year process, the quail country candidate conservation agreement with assurances for north Florida and southwest Georgia was finally completed in 2022. In land use planning and advocacy, Tall Timbers began working to implement its legislative affairs program to: 1) enhance relationships with state and federal legislators, 2) establish Tall Timbers as a thought leader in key program areas to influence policy development, 3) strengthen connections with organizational partners for legislative success, and 4) identify legislative opportunities and stay vigilant against threats. Tall Timbers continued its advocacy work in the greater red hills and albany regions. Working with partners, we were successful in relocating the proposed ne park to a more suitable site in the welaunee development. We also continued working with partners to reduce impacts to wildlife and wildlands from utility-scale solar projects. And, Tall Timbers continued educating and informing leaders from government, the private and non-profit sectors through hosting leadership classes at our main campus.

Fire Research and outreach staff focused on critical Research on fuels, fire behavior, fire effects, and smoke in the south and across the us. Scientists produced 22 scientific publications in 2022. Per our strategic plan, we continued our increased focus on our national engagement: we presented Research at the fire across boundaries conference in italy, served on the forest service chief's national prescribed fire review team, assisted with revisions of the wildland fire leadership council's national cohesive strategy, and engaged on several Research panels. Staff made 18 presentations via webinars and conferences on the impediments to prescribed fire, fire-caused tree mortality, plant community responses to fire, development of next-generation fire behavior models, and continued Research on dendrochronology to determine fire history over the last five centuries. Scientists worked with university faculty and 9 graduate students from Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, and Washington. Staff assisted with fire training through the national interagency prescribed fire training center across the us. Staff led prescribed fire outreach and application on > 40 sites working with prescribed burn associations across the longleaf legacy landscape in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. Staff engaged with leadership of national fire management organizations in the departments of interior and agriculture and agency leadership on Research and application priorities.