The wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) is a species of conservation concern and under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 88 Fed.Reg.88338), yet little information is available on wood turtle ecology in private working forests. However, before effective conservation measures can be applied, it is essential to determine the spatial distribution, seasonal movement, and home range of wood turtles on these working landscapes. In this thesis, I set out to address these topics and provide forest managers with information needed to further wood turtle conservation efforts in working forests.In Chapter 1, I investigate detection and occupancy of wood turtles on a working forest landscape in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I applied a single-season occupancy model to parameterize detection and estimate occupancy probabilities of wood turtles based on riparian conditions. I also related occupancy status of watershed basins to recent forest management history (~17 years) using non-parametric testing methods. I concluded that the amount of nesting substrate along a riverbank is a good indicator of wood turtle occupancy and that there is little relationship between recent forest management history and wood turtle occupancy on a primarily forested landscape. In Chapter 2, I compared the seasonal movement distance from flowing water (m) and home range size (ha) of wood turtles on privately managed forestland between two watershed basins in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan and with other studies across the Upper Great Lakes Region. I accomplished this using radio telemetry to track 10 adult female wood turtles in two watershed basins during the active seasons of 2021 – 2022. I concluded that, while my estimates were similar to those across the region, resource availability influenced seasonal movement distance from flowing water and stream range at the basin level. I conclude that sustainable forest management and wood turtles can co-exist on the landscape if forest managers apply management practices that avoid active management in areas and during times when wood turtles are terrestrial and manage forests in a way that creates a mosaic of mature forest, young forest, and forest openings that provide wood turtles with essential life requisites. However, more research is needed to fully understand the ecology of wood turtles on private, working forests, and how forest managers can contribute to conserving this species.
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