Photo of Roger W. Perry

Roger W. Perry

Research Wildlife Biologist
P.O. Box 1270
Hot Springs, AR 71902
Phone: 501-623-1180 x108
roger.perry@usda.gov

Current Research

  • Bat roosting and foraging in the Interior Highlands
  • Eastern spotted skunk ecology and management  
  • Effects of pine woodland restoration on wildlife communities
  • Effects of fire on forest bats
  • Long-term responses of forest birds to different silviculture methods.

 

Research Interests

  • Ecology of bats in the Interior Highlands and Gulf Coastal Plain
  • Community responses to woodland restoration
  • Fire effects on vertebrate populations
  • Early successional habitats
  • Climate change effects on wildlife distributions and ecology
  • Effects of disturbance and silviculture practices on birds and mammals

Education

Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology
Oklahoma State University
B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Ecology
University of Missouri-Columbia
A.S. in Drafting and Design Engineering Technology
Missouri Southern State University
M.S. in Zoology
University of Arkansas- Fayetteville

Featured Publications and Products

Publications

Research Highlights

Burning the Leafy Blanket: Winter Prescribed Fire and Litter Roosting Bats (2015)
SRS-2015-242 Rather than hibernating in caves, some bat species in the southeastern U.S. get through the coldest parts of winter by roosting under fallen leaves, twigs, and other dead plant material on the forest floor. Although this leaf litter protects bats from the cold, it could also put them at risk of being injured or killed by prescribed fires.

Forest birds benefit from a range of timber harvest strategies (2018)
SRS-2018-48 Timber harvesting affects birds that rely on mature forests for breeding, foraging, and other purposes. A long-term Forest Service study tracked bird responses to timber harvesting for 16 years. Intensive harvests such as clearcuts or shelterwood favor birds that are adapted to disturbance. Less intensive harvests such as single-tree or group selection retain features that favor mature forest birds.

Guidelines to Minimize Risk of White-Nose Syndrome to Bats through Forest Management (2016)
SRS-2016-182 During the course of forest operations, managers make many choices on the timing and method of improvements. The results of these choices affect habitat for wildlife, including bats. Understanding the relationships between bats and forest habitat provides direction to make forest operations choices that minimize a disease risk for bats.

Riparian zone width, pine plantation age, and status of conservation priority birds (2011)
Selecting 16 different bird species of conservation importance in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, we used models to look at the likelihood of each species occupying riparian zones of different widths. New to these types of studies, we also related occupancy to both riparian zone width and the age of surrounding pine plantation forests. We found diverse responses among species to width of buffers and age classes of adjacent plantations; some species benefited from wide buffers, while others benefitted from narrow buffers. Most species did not appear affected by structure of surrounding plantations.

R&D Affiliations
Research Topics
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