Integrating Forest and Wildlife Management

What We’ll Cover... The Basics Edge Management Timber Management Prescribed Fire Herbicides Dead Wood

Objectives? Where does wildlife rank in list? Wildlife management costs money. How much money to spend? What is my resource (soil, acreage, forest types, etc.)? What are my target species?

Management Plan Designed to meet objectives Consistent guidelines Maps and (projections) Forestry Consultant and State Biologist Forest Stewardship Program

Basic Needs Cover Food (Quantity and Quality) Water (Usually available) Cover often limiting factor Distributed across your property

NO single forest stand can provide quality habitat for all wildlife species!!

Food Plot Management Does Not Equal Wildlife Management!!

Native Plants Native animals adapted to native plants Many exotics become invasive and replace important natives Wildlifers lead the search for the silver bullet Must think long term

Two Basic Principles vertical horizontal Plant Diversity = Wildlife Diversity Structural Diversity = Wildlife Diversity vertical horizontal

Plant Diversity Butterfly larva are host plant specific Manage for Ferns, Vines, Shrubs, Grasses, Trees High plant diversity presence of BUFFER foods SEASONALITY

Buffer Foods White Oak Red Oak

Seasonality Mulberry in Spring Black Cherry in Fall Holly in Winter

Vertical Structure Over story Mid story Under story Shrub Herb Forest floor

Vertical Structure Birds segregate vertically  shrub cover Ground/shrub cover important for many wildlife (Gravity) deer, quail, rabbits

Vertical Structure

Horizontal Structure Edges = horizontal structure Access to 2 Habitats Unique conditions High vertical structure

Edges & Predators May concentrate travel along edges More prey? Reduced nesting success

Irregularly-shaped Stands 3,600 Ft2 of edge Interior Interior Edge Edge 6,000 Ft2 of edge

Edge Management Thin timber more heavily near edge Disk 30-50 ft. strips at stand edges Disk every 1-3 years Fire breaks Logging Roads Daylight roads

Feathered Edge Shrubs Annuals Just Disked

Timing of Disking Ragweed Spring disking Summer disking grasses (panic grass) Summer disking variety of vegetation Fall/Winter disking heavy seeds (ragweed, doveweed, partridge pea)

Timber Management A Wildlife Manager’s BEST tool Forest harvest and regeneration Site preparation Intermediate stand treatments Other practices Before any silvicultural practices are conducted, special habitat components should be inventoried and protected

“Unique” or Special Habitats Vernal Ponds Wetlands (shallow water) Old Home Sites Oak Groves Blackberry thickets Rock outcrops

Primary Succession

Secondary Succession Takes place after deforestation or clear-cut Different animals prefer different forest ages

Timber Harvest/Regeneration Even-aged Systems Clearcut Shelterwood/Seed Tree Uneven-aged Systems Group selection Single-tree selection

Clearcuts Benefits many game species Benefits many songbirds/rodents COVER Abundant seed & fruit Irregular shape s edge Keep most <50 acres

Shelterwood/Seed Tree Wildlife benefits similar to clearcuts Same guidelines as clearcutting for size, shape, and arrangement of harvests Maintains canopy mast trees raptor perches

Group Selection ‘Miniature clearcuts’ (1 - 2 acres) Increases edge, plant diversity & vertical structure High wildlife diversity Maintains canopy Maintains mast Use in SMZs

Optimal Area Distribution by Cut Size

*Harvest Preferences Clear cut Shelter Wood Group Selection Single Tree Uncut (>50) Prairie Warbler ***** ** Common Yellow Throat *** * Indigo Bunting **** Red-eyed Vireo Hooded Warbler Oven Bird *From Annand and Thompson, JWM 61:159-171

Young Forests Common Yellowthroat Early-succession habitat important COVER Common Yellowthroat

Planting Plant at 10x10 spacing or greater Consider longleaf pine on the right site tolerates fire at early age grass stage is good cover sparse crown that allows sunlight to reach forest floor

Mechanical Site-prep Sheering, root raking, burning, drum-chopping, disking & bedding Intensive temporarily favors herbaceous plants, reduces woody plants More intensive may reduce long term plant diversity

Chemical Site-prep Herbicides Short term (2 year) Impacts Banded or Spot application

Intermediate Stand Treatments

Thinned and Burned

Thinning Guidelines 70 ft2/acre basal area <50 ft2/acre for quail Higher BA on better sites Leave mast trees Avoid high grade

Wildlife Benefits from Thinning Increased sunlight in understory Release mast producers Increase acorn production Leave snags THIN and BURN Baseball Technique

Winter Burning Good cover summer after burn Poor cover following winter (hardwood sprouts)

Sweetgum saplings don’t provide winter cover Baseball easily seen at 10 foot distance

Nut and Fruit Production Release oaks with dominant crowns 50-100 yr. oaks produce best 14-24” DBH oaks produce best water, laurel, willow oak most consistent 20 square feet/acre of mast producers hickory, beech, dogwood, black gum, cherry, persimmon, blueberry, blackberry

Recent History of Fire in SE Native Americans for last 12,000 years drive or increase game increase visibility from enemies Lightning fires in spring/summer Plants and animals adapted

Direct Death from Fire RARE Birds fly Large mammals run Small animals seek refuge logs, rocks, & underground burrows Glass lizards, box turtles and young are exceptions

Shrubland Songbirds 3-4 year intervals Increased insect/seed/fruit production Brushy understory  midstory species

Grassland Songbirds 1-2 year intervals Increased grass abundance Grassy understory  shrub species  midstory species Bachman’s Sparrow

Bobwhite Quail 1-2 year intervals; 3 year spots Increased seeds and insects Leave unburned areas as nesting cover Patchy burns Open pine stands (BA 25-50 ft2/ac.)

Wild Turkeys 3 year intervals Increased insect/seed Increased fruit abundance Maintains brushy & grassy ground cover Keeps forest open

White-tailed Deer 3-5 year intervals Increased crude protein and phosphorus for 1 year New growth palatable Increased soft and hard mast production Dense understory growth

Herbicides Replace Fire Industry choosing herbicides Liability, tree damage, and bark char Herbicides give better hardwood control Fire has additional benefits litter removal/seedbed preparation herbaceous plant diversity nutrient transfer into soil

Herbicides & Wildlife Partridge Pea Water soluble & not fat soluble Short term effects (<2 years) Minimize tank mixes Arsenal promotes legumes/blackberries Arsenal+Escort promotes little Partridge Pea

Herbicides Banded or spot application during site prep Mid-rotation use of herbicides Thin  herbicide  burn Used to control invasives, create snags, promote desirables, manage edges

Riparian Corridors High plant and food (Insects and acorns) diversity Natural travel corridors Sources of standing water herp breeding areas Abundant dead wood High wildlife diversity

Management in SMZs Emphasize Desirable Hardwoods oaks, ash, poplar Longer rotations (> 60 yrs) Group selection Maximize SMZ width

SMZ width Follow contour/normal floodplain  90 ft. wildlife - < 30 ft. streams  180 ft. wildlife - > 30 ft. streams  300 ft. specialized wildlife  1000 ft. large rivers

Snags Woodpeckers Secondary Users Roosting Feeding on insects Hibernating

*% Snags Standing Snag Age (Years) 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lob Pine 100 64 37 20 Short Pine 42 24 13 Red Oaks 73 34 23 14 White Oaks 66 51 28 19 Y. Poplar 75 57 36 Snags w Cav. 7 8 35 *From Moorman et al. FEM 118:37-48

Snag Management SE short rotation pines have few usable snags Retain  4 snags or green trees/acre Softwoods preferred Clumped and >12“ dbh Periodically inject residuals

Clumping snags Buffer snags Support your neighbor Increased safety Easier management Distribute the clumps

Dead Wood Windrows, slashpiles, treetops cover, nesting sites, and germination sites Fallen or residual downed logs fungi and phosphorus insects, cover, and nutrient cycling

Downed Logs Important habitat for salamanders, toads, insects Larger logs important for ruffed grouse drumming sites Northern red salamander Ring-necked snake

Vary What You Do!! Be creative, keep records and experiment Different stand shapes & sizes Different stand treatments site prep, intermediate treatments, rotation lengths, disking regimes FIRE, FIRE, FIRE, FIRE, FIRE