Habitat Management Resources
Managing grasslands for birds in Ohio
Download a full copy of the guide HERE.
Grasslands provide essential ecosystem services and support diverse wildlife, but in Ohio less than 1% of native grasslands remain due to agriculture and development. This loss threatens species like bobolink, Henslow’s sparrow, and northern bobwhite that rely on large, open habitats with diverse grasses and forbs.
Effective conservation depends on active management—such as fire, grazing, and mowing—to maintain habitat quality and prevent succession. Protecting large, connected grasslands and engaging private landowners through programs like CRP are critical to restoring these ecosystems and reversing wildlife declines.
This new guide, produced by the ODNR-Division of wildlife with additional partners is meant to provide landowners with information on how to improve their open habitats for birds.
Contributors:
- Joseph Lautenbach, ODNR-Division of Wildlife
- Mark Witt, ODNR-Division of Wildlife
- Emilee Hardesty, ODNR-Division of Wildlife
- Justin Harrington, ODNR-Division of Wildlife
- Cody Grasser, Pheasants Forever
- Jason Jones, Quail Forever
- Marne Titchenell, OSU Extension
- Matthew Shumar, OSU/OBCI
- Grace Dietsch, Five Rivers Metroparks
- Beck Swab, Holden Forests & Gardens
- Nick Schell, NRCS
- Lori Stevenson, USFWS
Suggested citation:
Lautenbach, J., M. Witt, E. Hardesty, J. Harrington, C. Grasser, J. Jones, M. Titchenell, M. Shumar, G. Dietsch, B. Swab, N. Schell, L. Stevenson. 2026. Managing grasslands for birds in Ohio. Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Wildlife. 56 pp.
Managing forest birds in Southeast Ohio: A guide for land managers
OBCI has partnered with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Ohio State University (School of Environment and Natural Resources, and Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology Lab), The Nature Conservancy in Ohio, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, OSU Extension, and the Ohio Biodiversity Conservation Partnership to design and illustrate a guide written by Amanda Rodewald entitled “Managing forest birds in Southeast Ohio: A Guide for Land Managers”. A full- length guide and a summary of management recommendations are both available.
This guide is written for land managers seeking to improve habitat conditions for forest birds. Recommendations are based on research conducted in the forested landscapes of southeast Ohio by The Ohio State University and Ohio Division of Wildlife.
Contributors:
- Author: Amanda D. Rodewald, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University
- Reviews provided by: David Apsley, Greg Guess, Cotton Randall, Mike Reynolds, and Dan Yaussy
- Printing made possible by The Nature Conservancy in Ohio
- Printing assistance provided by Kathy Smith and Marne Titchenell, OSU Extension.
Suggested citation:
Rodewald, A. 2013. Managing forest birds in southeast Ohio: A guide for land managers. Unpublished report to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Wildlife. 33 pp.
Managing small forest patches for birds: a guide for Ohio landowners
Guide authors:
- Laura J. Kearns, Ph.D., ODNR-Division of Wildlife
- Matthew B. Shumar, Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative/The Ohio State University
- Marne A. Titchenell, The Ohio State University
- Amanda M. Duren, Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture/American Bird Conservancy
- Jennifer L. Thieme, University of Minnesota
- Erin B. Cashion, Ohio History Connection
- Stephen N. Matthews, Ph.D., The Ohio State University
- John Mueller, ODNR-Division of Forestry
- Christopher M. Tonra, Ph.D., The Ohio State University
- Mark C. Shieldcastle, Black Swamp Bird Observatory
Suggested citation:
Kearns, L. J., M. B. Shumar, M. A. Titchenell, A. M. Duren, J. L. Thieme, E. B. Cashion, S. N. Matthews, J. Mueller, C. M. Tonra, and M. C. Shieldcastle. 2019. Managing small forest patches for birds: a guide for Ohio landowners. Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative, Columbus, OH.
Managing forests for birds video series
This video series highlights the importance of proper forest management in improving a diversity of habitat for birds and other wildlife, and focuses on several Ohio private landowners detailing their experiences managing and improving conditions of their woodlands and the beneficial changes in the bird community following such actions.
More information on the video series can be found HERE.
Managing small forest patches for birds virtual workshop
This workshop is intended for land managers and property owners of small woodlots seeking to improve forest conditions for birds across their full annual life cycle: breeding, migration, and wintering. Recommendations are based on multiple research studies conducted in Ohio and similar “small patch” forest ecosystems through the Midwest and eastern North America. Whether you own half an acre or 100 acres of forest, we hope you’ll find these resources helpful so that you can make the best of your woods for birds.
The virtual course can be found on our website HERE.
Managing habitats for migrating land birds in the western Lake Erie basin
Download a full copy of the guide HERE.
In partnership with the Nature Conservancy, OBCI has produced a booklet for landowners in the Western Lake Erie Basin interested in managing their property as stopover habitat for migrating birds. This is a practical guide describing how private landowners and managers of corporate lands, city parks and other public areas can manage habitats to assist birds as they migrate through the Great Lakes region, especially around Lake Erie. Protecting habitat in the Lake Erie watershed will fill critical stopover needs of migratory birds because little of the natural landscape remains in this region. This guide focuses on land birds because populations of many species are declining, yet millions of these birds travel through the western Lake Erie basin during spring and fall.We encourage you to adopt these landscaping and land management suggestions so that the birds have safe harbor and can pass successfully through the Lake Erie region. More information on the guide, and TNC’s work can be found on their website, HERE.