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
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
Wildlife Needs and What Constituents Quality Habitat ID Target Species & Needs Food USDA Plant Database http://plants.usda.gov/ 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
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
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
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
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
Rare species & communities Georgia Aster Special sites Landscape considerations Riparian Forests as SMZs 8
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
Prescribed burning Stimulates Wildlife Plant Growth Forest openings Opens Forest Canopies Allows Sunlight to Hit the Forest Floor Timber thinning Opens Forest Canopies 10
Logging decks Grass & Forb Production Grass & Forb Production Managing field borders Use of Fields Bobwhite Quail 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Bill Palmer, NCSU, TTRS JUNE BORDER AUGUST NO BORDER 11
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
Open stand disking Stimulates Native Plant Production Select liming & fertilization Fertilize honeysuckle patches? 1/4 acre patches 500 lbs. lime, 75 lbs. 13-13-13 in April & Sept./Oct. Caution! Where to Begin? Read & familiarize yourself Many resources and websites 13
Where to Begin? Read & familiarize yourself Many resources and websites Excellent resource http://www.cfr.msstate.edu/nbci/documents/final_report.pdf Where to Begin? Read & familiarize yourself Many resources and websites www.clemson.edu/extension/natural_resources/wildlife/wildlife_publications Where to Begin? Workshops & online courses 14
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 http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov Measuring the Response of Plants to Management Practices Carolina Vegetation Survey http://cvs.bio.unc.edu 15
Questions? 16