Posted August 12, 2009

By Art Lander Jr.

Outdoors Kentucky.Com

                             Make Room for Wildlife

    Making your farmstead more wildlife friendly is not difficult. It just takes time, a little help from Mother Nature, and some ground work on your part. Wildlife have three basic needs -- food, cover and water.

    Think of managing habitat as creating a place where a diversity of wildlife species will thrive. As time goes on, we’ll go into more detail on what to do. Here’s a short list of things landowners can do to enhance (improve) the wildlife habitat on their farmstead:

    Plant high-quality forage and/or crops in farm fields.

    The best land on your farmstead should always be in cultivation. Food plots are just a quick fix to attract wildlife to a specific area. The best long-term strategy is to establish permanent food sources that will increase the carrying capacity of wildlife on your property. Stands of clover, alfalfa, or warm season grasses are worth the time and money to establish, and will pay big dividends.  Wild turkeys love to scratch in the bare dirt when you plow in the spring. Deer will gorge on clover all summer, and rabbits will seem to be everywhere.

    Let some fields grow up in weeds and shrubs, then mow strips on a rotational basis.

    Mowing your fields to look like a suburban lawn is not wildlife friendly. Weeds are good. They produce leafy greens and seeds that wildlife need. Let areas not in cultivation grow up, then mow portions of these natural vegetative stands in the fall, after nesting is completed. You need tall weeds if you want quail. Plantings of warm season grasses is the best remedy for low populations of game birds.

    Plow old fields.

    Turning strips of sod in fallow fields unleashes growth. Weed seeds in the sod will sprout when wet, warm days arrive, and bring new life to tired old ground.

    Mow a system of grassy trails.

    Wildlife, like humans, are creatures of habit. They often take the path of least resistance. You don’t believe me. Mow a path through a grown up old field and see how many deer will follow it like a sidewalk. It’s hard work to cut trails through the woods, but they could come in handy if there is ever a wild fire on your property. They also come in handy when you’re sneaking around during the spring wild turkey season.

    Timber stand improvement.

    This is a selective cut of trees, culling the species which are aren’t beneficial to wildlife, while improving the growing conditions for more desirable species. You’ll get plenty of firewood, and in the process, the canopy will be opened up, letting in sunlight, which stimulates new growth. Deer, ruffed grouse, and wild turkeys will be the beneficiaries of this practice.

    Create wildlife openings

    Since an ideal mix of habitat for many species of farmstead wildlife is 50 percent open land to 50 percent woodlands, large tracts of woodlands need to be broken up with openings, as small as one quarter acre in size. A few hours work with a chainsaw is all it takes to create a place where wildlife can feed near the safety and security of woodlands, while in the process you’ll be creating nesting cover.

    Secluded wildlife openings planted in clover attract does and fawns. During the fall rut, does attract mature bucks.   

Posted August 19, 2011

By Art Lander Jr.

OutdoorsKentucky.Com

                                                                        To Benefit Wildlife Target Oaks for Re-Generation

When Harvesting Timber

 

    Oaks, especially white oaks, are the most important tree species to wildlife in Kentucky forests.

    They produce acorns that are a critical food source for squirrels, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, black bear, and many non-game species.   

    White oak acorns are preferred by wildlife because they are more palatable. The acorns produced by red oaks are much higher in tannin, which makes them bitter.

    “Ideally, you want a mix of white and red oak species,” said David Yancy, senior deer biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “This will ensure that some acorns will be there for wildlife when there’s a failure of the white oak crop.”

    White oaks can produce acorns every year but entire crops are often lost due to late freezes, heavy rains just as oak flowers are pollinated, or summer droughts. Because it takes two years for red oak acorns to mature, and not all trees produce mature acorns in the same year, red oaks are a more reliable source of acorns on an annual basis.

    Acording to the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service there are 10 native species of oak trees in Kentucky -- six members of the red oak group and four of the white oak group.

    Typically, it takes an oak tree about 20 years to start producing acorns. In the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildlife Habitat Management Handbook, published in 1981, it was reported that at their peak of production the two white oak species that produce the highest yields of acorns are: the white oak (Quercus alba), followed by the chestnut oak (Quercus prinus). For red oaks, it’s the northern red oak (Quercus rubra), followed by the scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea).

    The leaves are a good way to tell the difference between white oaks and red oaks. White oak leaves are narrower (about 4 inches) and have rounded lobes. Red oak leaves are wider (as wide as 6 inches), and have pointed lobes.

    While oak-hickory is the predominate forest type in Kentucky, over time there’s been an increase in tree species that have little, if any, benefit to wildlife. This is the result of more than 80 years of fire suppression, which created crowding in the midstory and understory of forests so that species that can tolerate more shade, such as red maples, can out compete oaks.

    Fire is beneficial to oak trees because it destroys the seedlings of undesirable, faster-growing tree species, invasive shrubs and thick herbaceous ground cover. Although oaks are considered intermediate in their tolerance to shade, they grow best on sites with openings in the forest canopy and minimal competition for sunlight, water and nutrients from other plants.

    Oak trees are not only valuable to wildlife, but high-quality logs fetch top dollar. But without careful planning, timber harvests can be harmful to wildlife numbers and diversity. Here’s some suggestions to ensure the regeneration of oaks, after valuable logs are removed.

    Have a forester mark the timber that’s to be cut, based on your forest management plan. “In our stewardship program we provide a management plan and as a service we mark up to 50 acres of timber for a nominal fee,” said Stewart West, Stewardship Section Supervisor for the Kentucky Division of Forestry. “It’s important for the landowner to choose a first priority, be it forest management for wildlife, or timber production.”

    If the landowner’s goal is to sell some logs, but wildlife is also a major consideration, it’s important to identify crop trees. “These are the healthy, growing trees with viable crowns and minimal defects,” said West. “The genetically superior trees that are going to produce quality re-generation.”

    Crop trees should not be cut. The idea is to improve the health, vigor, and growth rate of these favored trees so that they will provide food for wildlife and seeds for regeneration.

    Another timber harvest technique that’s beneficial to wildlife is group selection, the cutting of small groups of harvestable trees, typically in an area about ½ to 2 acres in size. The oaks that will re-generate will create an even-aged stand. “Think of a group selection as a patch (small) clear cut that creates edge effect,” said West.

    A clear cut is all about starting over. “This is when you don’t have quality crop trees,” said West. “When the re-generating trees get up to the pole timber size, you come in select the crop trees, and remove the undesirable species that are competing for sunlight with the crop trees.”

    An oak shelterwood is another technique used to regenerate oaks and it involves a mid-story removal, said West. “On sites that have advanced oak regeneration present, with oak trees are at least 3 to 4-foot tall, the idea is to let in more diffuse light and make room for the oaks that are coming on under full canopy  Then later on, the canopy trees are cut giving the regenerating oaks full sun.”

    Oak stands regenerate naturally by sprouting acorns and stump sprouts. “Planting oak seedlings after a timber harvest is very labor intensive and expensive,” said West. “Think of planting oaks as a supplement or enrichment of a site if needed.”

    The northern red oak (Quercus rubra), which prefers full sun, and acidic, well-drained soils, is a good tree for supplemental planting. It has a fibrous root system and is therefore easier to transplant than other oak species, which typically have long tap roots.

    What’s the best time of the year for a timber harvest?

    Winter is good because the ground is frozen and the trees are dormant, so there will be less damage to the roots of the smaller oaks that will be left after the harvestable logs are removed.

    “It’s critical to a have a harvest plan, to know where the skid trails and log landings (where logs are processed and put on trucks) are going to be located,” said West. “This will minimize damage to the residual trees, adjacent to where the logging is taking place.”

    Data collected during annual forest inventories across the state reveals that Kentucky’s woodlands are maturing. The Kentucky Division of Forestry estimates that 65 percent of Kentucky’s 11.9 million acres of forests consists of stands of saw timber – harvestable trees of ideal size for lumber production.

    About 85 percent of forests in the state are privately owned by more than 300,000 landowners. Harvestable trees are considered by many to be like money in the bank that will someday be withdrawn.    

    Kentucky ranks third in the nation in hardwood timber production and each year more than 800 million board feet is harvested, yet less than 12 percent of timber harvested in the state is done so under a professional management plan.

    “What concerns us as biologists is the future composition of Kentucky forests, and how that will impact wildlife,” said John Morgan, small game program coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “We need to make sure that oak maintains its dominance, and the species composition of our forests is not radically changed.”

    For technical advice landowners are urged to consult with the private lands wildlife biologists in their county. Go online to: fw.ky.gov, or call (800) 858-1549. To reach a regional forester call the Kentucky Division of Forestry at (502) 564-4496, or go online to: forestry.ky.gov

         

 

    Let some fields grow up in weeds and shrubs, then mow strips on a rotational basis. If small game is your wildlife management goal, don’t mow when rabbits and quail could be nesting.

                                                                           Photo by John B. Lander

Posted January 2, 2010

By Art Lander Jr.

Outdoors Kentucky. Com

                    Winter Wildlife Habitat Work

Winter is a good time to do habitat work on property being managed for wildlife. Begin work in late January and try to finish by the end of March. Here are some suggestions:

Choose a small parcel of fertile, land open, near woodlands to plant a quality forage such as clover. Royal Red, a drought-resistant variety of clover sold by Southern States ($2.25 a pound), is a good choice for Central Kentucky soils. Plowing should be done as soon as the ground is dry enough. Disk harrow the field and plant clover by the end of March.

Let some marginal land on hillsides grow up in weeds, briars, cedars, saplings and shrubs. This creates an edge between forests and pastures which make good fawning and bedding areas. Deer also rely heavily on browse for winter food, eating the tender shoots and buds of hardwoods and shrubs.

Cedars are excellent winter cover for deer and rabbits, but don’t allow stands to grow so

thick that sunlight is blocked, preventing the growth of understory cover. Selectively thin cedars, creating openings in the woods, and pile the cedars up to make nesting cover for wild turkeys and rabbits. Large, secluded woods openings of 1/4-acre to 1/2-acre make ideal deer hunting areas that can be made better by disk harrowing up the soil and planting clover.

Don't cut wild rose or honeysuckle. Scattered thickets of their greenery provides good winter food for deer and rabbits.

Deer and wild turkey movement can be manipulated by cutting lanes or trails through woodlands, cedar thickets and brushy areas. This creates access in case of fire, too. Use a chainsaw to cut the trails, then mow with a tractor. Mow again in the early fall. If there’s enough light, plant the trails in clover. Trails also come in handy for quietly accessing hunting areas.

Timber stand improvement should be used to cull out unwanted trees and provide more space for desirable species. Your local state forester is a good source of technical assistance. Cutting undesirable species will open up the forest to sunlight that will stimulate sapling production. If managing for deer, protect and encourage stands of persimmon trees. The orange fruit is a fall favorite of deer. White oaks are the most beneficial mast producers, for both deer and wild turkey.

The best approach for wildlife is crop tree management. Woodlands are improved by selecting a favored species, then removing competing trees from around it. The competing tree doesn’t need to be cut; it can be girdled, killed on the stump, by making a 2-inch deep cut all the way around the tree trunk, severing its inner bark, or cambium layer.

The cold-weather months are the best time to inventory woodlands, develop a forestry management plan and start removing undesirable trees. Chainsaw work is sweaty labor during the summer months. Besides, with the leaves down, there’s a much clearer the view of the forest canopy — tree crowns and how trees are growing in relation to one another in a stand.

There are several criteria for selecting a wildlife crop tree. There should be a diversity of hard mast species, with hickories and oaks a priority. The crop tree should be a dominant or co-dominant tree (in height) with a healthy crown, and it should have a life expectancy of 20-plus years. Don’t cut trees with cavities that could be potential nest sites for squirrels and furbearers. A variety of trees is best for wildlife in general (birds and mammals). To benefit specific wildlife species, there are ways to manipulate stands. For example, the bitternut hickory is not valuable to wildlife (squirrels won’t eat the nuts), so it’s OK to cut this the species. Tree species that are beneficial to wildlife include cherry, ash, sugar maple and hackberry.

Soft and hard mast-producing trees, and shrubs and vines such as white ash, sassafras, black locust, wild cherry, dogwood, poison ivy, wild grape and Virginia creeper provide important fall and winter food for gamebirds, such as quail and wild turkeys. These plant species are often associated with heavy cover along fields and should be protected from mowing and bulldozing. Rabbits also use these areas to nest, escape cold winds and feed on woody stems in the winter.

Mowing fields from fencerow to fencerow is never a good idea. When nesting cover is minimal, a few minutes of work with the rotary cutter can destroy areas vital to small game populations that have taken years to develope. The best strategy is strip mowing, which creates a mix of cover, and varies the food source. Quail and other farm wildlife species thrive in areas with early plant successional stages, which produces tender young vegetation and abundant insects. Wild turkey poults need these types of areas to find grasshoppers and other bugs. Strip mowing should be done on a three-year cycle, with the first third of the field mowed the first year, the second third of the field the next year, and the final third of the field the last year. Then the process is repeated.

Fescue is harmful because it's a tough, unpalatable grass. It covers the ground with a thick mat of duff, which hinders movement of small quail and rabbits, and some varieties of fescue, notably Kentucky 31, is infected with endophytic fungus which can severely impact reproductive success in cattle, as well as plant-eating native wildlife. The ideal field renovation involves total fescue eradication with the herbicide Roundup, a systemic herbicide that kills plants to their roots. Check with your local Southern States for the cost of spraying fields with Roundup. In two weeks drill or broadcast clover seed on the field.

Use a plow or tiller to discourage fescue and encourage weed growth. Break up the soil, and allow nature to take its course. Strip plowing is a good way to encourage the growth of annual weeds along sparse fence rows. Disturbing the soil is important to quail because it encourages the growth of natural foods such as partridge pea, foxtail, beggarticks, tick-trefoils and ragweed.

Create a wildlife opening.

Kentucky is growing up with trees. It’s a good thing that we have so much mature timber, but openings in the tree canopy recycle nutrients, and  bring sunlight to the forest floor that creates food and cover for birds and mammals.

With the landowner’s permission, do some chainsaw work this winter, cutting cedars and small hardwoods to make an opening of about 1/4 acre or less.

Avoid cutting tree species that are beneficial to wildlife such as oak, hickory, dogwood or cherry. Haul off the firewood and clear away the limbs and branches from the opening. Pile them up to create nesting cover for rabbits or wild turkeys.

Wildlife openings are ideal for wildlife observation, but they can also become great places to archery hunt for deer. Openings are very attractive to deer when located near bedding areas, and seeded in clover.  

If hunting is your goal, position the wildlife opening so that you can quietly approach it from downwind on a prevailing west to northwest wind. This will keep you scent away from deer that come to feed in the opening at dusk. Position a treestand on the east side of the opening and you’ll have the sun at your back in the morning.

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