Shaping the Future of Bird-Friendly Maple

Virtual Producer Listening Session Hosted by Virginia Tech & Audubon

Virginia Tech, on behalf of Audubon, is inviting maple producers to participate in a virtual listening session focused on sustainable forestry practices and the future of the Bird-Friendly Maple program.

Audubon is exploring opportunities to expand the Bird-Friendly Maple program to additional sugar bushes and is seeking direct feedback from maple producers about the program and its future direction.

Discussion topics will include:

• What aspects of the program are most interesting or valuable to producers
• What factors might encourage or discourage participation
• Whether transitioning the program into a formal third-party certification would be viewed positively or negatively

The session will include approximately 6–10 participants and will last no more than 90 minutes. Individual responses will remain confidential and will not be associated with participants by name. Feedback will be summarized and shared with Audubon to help guide future program development.

As a thank you for participating, each participant will receive a small gift.

To participate in this Virtual Listening Session, please complete the screening form. The team will follow up with confirmed meeting details and Zoom information.

If you have questions about the study or would like additional information before signing up, please contact the research team at audubonbfm@vt.edu.

We encourage interested producers to consider participating and sharing their perspectives.