Got Nature? Blog

Join this edition of Ask an Expert video series with Dr. Joy O’Keefe and PhD candidate Elizabeth Beilke as they share about their studies of bats on the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment.

The HEE is in its initial stages and is planned as a 100-year project. Data were collected for two years prior to the first round of timber harvests and inventories have been conducted annually since, allowing us to quantify the varied responses of plants and animals to active forest management. This data will ultimately be used to develop management prescriptions that provide for resilient and sustainable managed forest ecosystems in Indiana.

If you have any questions regarding trees, forests, wildlife, wood products or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Resources
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE) Highlights: Bats, Video, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube Channel
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE), Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment, Website
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment – Wildlife Responses to Timber Harvesting, The Education Store, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: Indiana Forestry and Wildlife, The Education Store
Ask An Expert: Bats on the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment, Video, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources Facebook
Bats in Indiana, Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)
Bat Houses, Bat Conservation International

Joy O’Keefe, Assistant professor and Wildlife Extension Specialist,
University of Illinois (Champaign) Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences