Dr. Craig Harper
Professor & Extension Wildlife Specialist
University of Tennessee School of Natural Resources

https://naturalresources.tennessee.edu/craig-harper/

Craig A. Harper is a Professor of Wildlife Management and the Extension Wildlife Specialist in the School of Natural Resources at The University of Tennessee. Dr. Harper is responsible for developing wildlife-related programs for UT Extension and assisting Extension agents and natural resources professionals with wildlife-related issues. Dr. Harper maintains an active research program to complement his Extension programming, which concentrates on applied habitat management and white-tailed deer management. Habitat management programs focus on managing early successional plant communities, oak/pine savanna and woodland, and upland hardwood forests to meet the habitat requirements of various wildlife species. The influence of timing and frequency of prescribed fire on plant community composition and structure and how that affects habitat quality for various wildlife species is of particular interest. The use of selective herbicides to influence plant composition and habitat quality also is a primary interest. Establishing and managing native plant communities through natural revegetation using the seedbank and evaluating effect of various management practices is ongoing. Craig has conducted and coordinated research concerning white-tailed deer, elk, wild turkey, northern bobwhite, ruffed grouse, wood duck, and songbirds. White-tailed deer management is a primary program. In particular, the influence of soils on the nutritional carrying capacity for deer and the effect of various management practices on deer habitat quality continue to be investigated. Establishment and management of wildlife food plots, especially forage plots for white-tailed deer, and investigating the usefulness of food plots with other habitat management practices has been a focus. Craig received his AAS in Fish and Wildlife Management from Haywood Community College, BS in Natural Resource Management from Western Carolina University, MS in Biology from The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and PhD in Forest Resources from Clemson University. Between degrees, he worked as a wildlife technician with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission in western North Carolina. Craig is a Certified Wildlife Biologist® by The Wildlife Society and a certified prescribed fire manager. Craig has been an active member of The Wildlife Society since 1991, serving on several committees and as President of the Tennessee Chapter. He co-founded the Tennessee Prescribed Fire Council, and currently is on the governing board of the Oak Woodlands and Forests Fire Consortium, and the Deer Committee for the Southeastern Section of The Wildlife Society.