Forest Management
Forest Management and Bats
The Importance of Bats
Bats are an important part of our ecosystem. They are the primary predators of a vast number of pests that cost farmers and foresters billions of dollars annually. Bats also pollinate flowers and disperse seeds that make the rainforest grow and the deserts bloom. Wherever they are, they are critical to the health of our natural resources.
Bats are our most important predators of night-flying insects. They are insectivores, and they feast on insects each night—eating thousands of small insects a night. This not only helps keep insect populations in check, but it also adds up to more than $3.7 billion worth of pest control each year in the United States.
Bat Populations are in Trouble
White-nose syndrome, resulting from a non-native invasive fungal disease, has caused steep population declines of four species of forest-dwelling bats: Indiana bat, northern long-eared bat, little brown bat and tricolored bat. White-nose syndrome was first detected near Albany, New York in 2006. Since the disease was discovered, it has quickly spread across 37 states and has caused a steep decline in bat populations.
Sometimes, the fungus looks like a white fuzz on bats’ faces, which is how the disease got its name. The fungus grows in cold, dark and damp places. It attacks the bare skin of bats while they’re hibernating in a relatively inactive state. As it grows, the fungus causes changes in bats that make them become more active than usual and burn up fat they need to survive the winter. Bats with white-nose syndrome may do strange things like fly outside in the daytime in the winter. To date, no effective treatments for the disease have been discovered.
It is believed that more than 5.7 million bats have died because of white-nose syndrome.
Forest Service Conservation Efforts
Forests in the eastern United States contain habitat for these bat species. As land managers, the USDA Forest Service recognizes the role it plays in providing high-quality habitat to support remaining bat populations. Healthy forests provide better habitat for bats and improve their ability to survive.
Our role as managers of national forests and grasslands means we are uniquely situated to be part of the solution. We are committed to doing our part to conserve and enhance bat habitat through consistent forest management approaches and by collaborating with partners to achieve shared bat conservation goals.
The Forest Service’s Eastern and Southern Regions have developed the Bat Conservation Strategy for Forest Service-Managed Lands of the Eastern United States in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The strategy will inform future project development and implementation through a comprehensive, proactive approach to bat conservation across 23 million acres of national forests and grasslands in the eastern United States. The strategy emphasizes habitat-based outcomes that complement existing bat conservation efforts for the Indiana northern long-eared, tricolored, and little brown bats.
How You Can Help
- Stay out of caves and mines where bats are hibernating and honor cave closings.
- Follow the National White-nose Syndrome Decontamination Protocol to clean and disinfect clothes footwear, and equipment used in caves or mines.
- Report bats showing signs of white-nose syndrome and bats that are dead, dying or appear diseased to a forest ranger.
- Spread the word about the need to save bats.
Resources
- Bats Are One of the Most Important Misunderstood Animals
- Bats: “The Coolest Mammals on Earth”
- Bat Conservation International: The Future Needs All of Us
- Forest Management and Bats booklet
- Forest Service Bat Conservation Strategy