Wildlifer 2013 Managing Wildlife on Private Lands

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Magdalene Newton
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1 Master Wildlifer 2013 Managing Wildlife on Private Lands Greg Yarrow, Chair and Professor Natural Resources School of Agricultural, Forest, & Environmental Sciences Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina, USA What We ll Cover this Evening Wildlife needs & what constituents quality habitat Important wildlife habitat features Managing to influence plant communities to meet wildlife needs Private Landowners are Key More than 75% in private ownership Hold the key to wildlife conservation in the southern US Lack of available information for landowners 1

quality habitat Important wildlife habitat features Managing to influence plant communities to meet wildlife needs Private Landowners are

2 Varied Land Uses Timber products Agriculture products Recreation Wildlife Aesthetics Many not managed Managed Forest Wildlife Needs and What Constituents Quality Habitat ID Target Species & Needs Food Available year round Multiple sources High in protein & carbohydrates Highly digestible Scan page of guide here 2

Constituents Quality Habitat ID Target Species & Needs Food Available year

3 Wildlife Needs and What Constituents Quality Habitat ID Target Species & Needs Food USDA Plant Database java/ Wildlife Needs and What Constituents Quality Habitat ID Target Species & Needs Food Plant ID workshops Know what you re looking at & value to wildlife Partridge Pea Chamaecrista fasciculata Wildlife Needs and What Constituents Quality Habitat ID Target Species & Needs Cover Available year round to meet seasonal needs Nesting cover, broodrearing cover, escape cover, loafing cover, thermal cover Young Turkey Poults 3

looking at & value to wildlife Partridge Pea Chamaecrista fasciculata Wildlife Needs and What Constituents Quality Habitat ID Target

4 Wildlife Needs and What Constituents Quality Habitat ID Target Species & Needs Water Important for aquatic wildlife Not usually a limiting factor in SE Lack of affects plant quality & quantity Riverine Wetlands in the SE Wildlife Needs and What Constituents Quality Habitat ID Target Species & Needs Space Home range varies by species, sex & season Food, cover, & water should be available with seasonal & yearly home range Radio-collaring a Coyote Plant Composition & Structure Varied types of plants available yearround Buffer foods Black Cherry Strawberry Bush Red & White Oak Mix 4

& Needs Space Home range varies by species, sex & season Food, cover, & water should be available with seasonal & yearly home range

5 Plant Composition & Structure Vertical structure & diversity Multiple Layers of Vegetation Vertically Vegetative Layers Creates Vertical Diversity Over-story Mid-story Shrub Herb Forest floor Plant Composition & Structure Horizontal structure & diversity Interspersion Interspersion Index = 29 5

Diversity Over-story Mid-story Shrub Herb Forest floor Plant Composition

6 Plant Composition & Structure Native tree & plant communities Early-Successional Plant Communities Mast production for wildlife Productive Forest Sites Agricultural & fallow fields Isolated Wetland with Buffer 6

Mast production for wildlife Productive Forest Sites

7 Aquatic & riparian conservation Isolated Wetlands Vernal Ponds Seasonally flooded Flooded in Spring Early Summer Dry in Mid-Summer & Winter Snag recruitment & down woody material 7

8 Rare species & communities Georgia Aster Special sites Landscape considerations Riparian Forests as SMZs 8

9 Managing to Influence Plant Communities to Meet Wildlife Needs Managing plant & community succession Managing to Influence Plant Communities to Meet Wildlife Needs Seeds in the soil bank The right disturbance Timing Intensity Experiment Patience Seeds lying dormant in top 3 Forest regeneration Disking Favors Grasses & Forbs 9

Needs Seeds in the soil bank The right disturbance Timing Intensity Experiment

10 Prescribed burning Stimulates Wildlife Plant Growth Forest openings Opens Forest Canopies Allows Sunlight to Hit the Forest Floor Timber thinning Opens Forest Canopies 10

11 Logging decks Grass & Forb Production Grass & Forb Production Managing field borders Use of Fields Bobwhite Quail Bill Palmer, NCSU, TTRS JUNE BORDER AUGUST NO BORDER 11

Fields Bobwhite Quail 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

12 CCRP CP33 Habitat buffers for upland birds Incentive payments for establishing & maintaining buffers Program sign-up at local NRCS & FSA Firebreaks Firelane Management Day-lighting roads Roadside Grass & Forb Buffers 12

13 Open stand disking Stimulates Native Plant Production Select liming & fertilization Fertilize honeysuckle patches? 1/4 acre patches 500 lbs. lime, 75 lbs in April & Sept./Oct. Caution! Where to Begin? Read & familiarize yourself Many resources and websites 13

1/4 acre patches 500 lbs. lime, 75 lbs. 13-13-13 in April & Sept.

14 Where to Begin? Read & familiarize yourself Many resources and websites Excellent resource Where to Begin? Read & familiarize yourself Many resources and websites Where to Begin? Workshops & online courses 14

cfr.msstate.edu/nbci/documents/final_report.

15 Where to Begin? Planning is the key Previous land management plans Develop new plan objectives driven Where to Begin? USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey Powerful tool Measuring the Response of Plants to Management Practices Carolina Vegetation Survey 15

objectives driven USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey Powerful tool

16 Questions? 16

Photo courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation NON-GAME GAME

Photo courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation NON-GAME GAME FORESTS AND WILDLIFE Wildlife and forest management are not only compatible, but are interrelated. Developing an active forest resource management plan allows you to place a special emphasis on wildlife