Wildlife Habitat Assessment and Management Exam 1 material

Exotic grasses become invasive. Examples of major offenders:

Bermudagrass, tall fescue, cogongrass, and bahiagrass

CRP

Conservation Reserve Program

1985 farm bill aimed to decrease soil ____, increase _____ quality, and improve wildlife habitat on ________ lands

erosion, water, agricultural

While CRP's benefits are less clear in the South, it has been shown to work in this area of US that commonly grows corn

midwest

In the southeast, most farmers enrolled in CRP program are _____ _____. These account for almost 20% of the landscape in Alabama, and include monocultured area to promote product output.

pine plantations

As a result of less frequent fire, ________ is an increase in _____ _____ plants

Mesophication, shade-tolerant

In the last 100 years, yearly area burned in eastern US has ________ significantly

decreased

Land use trends in Southeast: historically ______, but now more ______

ag, forest

Land use trends in Midwest: historically ______, but now more ______

grassland, ag

AL land use change: Piedmont: decrease in ______, increase in ______

forest, developed

AL land use change: Coastal plain: decrease in _____, increase in _____

ag, forest

Habitat is an area with a combination of ____ and _____ conditions

resources, environmental

Habitat promotes _______ by individuals of a given species and allows those individuals to ______ and _____

occupancy, survive, reproduce

Elements associated with habitat

food, cover, water

Important to provide nutrition _____, and focus on _____ periods

year round, stress

dietary needs change with _____ and ____ ____

season, life stage

Cover must be available ____ ___. The animal must be able to ____ and ____ within it.

year round, move, forage

In Alabama, and most of southeast, is water usually a limiting factor?

No

An animal's space needs are influenced by these 3 factors:

size, diet, social behavior

food, water, and cover should be arranged so that they are _____ to one another

adjacent

A measurement of the intermixing of different habitat types

interspersion

Increasing diversity of ___ ____ types can improve interspersion

land cover

variety across the landscape

horizontal diversity

number of vertical layers in plant community

vertical diversity

The way we describe the results of habitat manipulation/alteration is a product of our _____

values and objectives

Fred Guthery defined _____ as a portion of the landscape that is compatible with the behavior, physical, and physiological needs

Useable space

Fred Guthery defined _____ as a range of proportions and arrangements of cover types across the landscape that provide similar habitat value for a species

slack

Primary factors affecting habitat and habitat management (why certain plants grow where)

soils, climate, topography, land use history, succession

The one habitat factor we can control

succession

soils drive ____

productivity

soil fertility drives human ______ _____, which impacts wildlife

land use

the blackbelt region in Alabama has soil that is _______

alkaline

This soil region has decent soil, which is even better near streams/rivers due to regular flooding. Often oak-hickory or pine-oak dominated, also commonly used for agriculture because of fertility.

plateau

This soil region is located in the foothills of the Appalachians, was overexploited post Civil War, now low soil fertility and high erosion. Mostly oak-pine, very hard-mast dependent ecosystem.

ridge and valley

This soil region was historically agricultural, because of this it is highly eroded, and depleted of fertility. Now lots of loblolly plantations. Bottomlands are still fertile

Piedmont

This soil region makes up 2/3 of Alabama. It varies in fertility, and is dominated by pines. Historically fire-dependent vegetation and wildlife species.

Coastal plain

This soil region is highly fertile, heavy clay soils, very alkaline at the surface, agriculture is the primary land cover type.

Black belt

all of the collective plant communities on a given site

Sere

each succeeding plant community makes up successional stages, also known as ____ ____.

Seral stage

As the number of seral stages increases, wildlife _____ increases too

diversity

In spring, annual grasses and forbs are growing up from ____

seeds

In spring, perennial grasses, forbs, and brambles are growing up from an _____ ____ plant structure

existing dormant

seral stage 1 plant examples (2)

foxtail and ragweed

seral stage 1 wildlife examples (3)

killdeer, mourning dove, RCW

seral stage 2 plant examples (3)

broomsedge, little bluestem, blackberry

seral stage 2 wildlife examples

blue grosbeak, indigo bunting, deer

seral stage 3 plant examples

eastern red cedar, pines, sweetgum

seral stage 3 wildlife examples

deer, turkeys, eastern box turtle

seral stage 4 plants examples

oaks, hickories, maples

seral stage 4 wildlife

gray squirrel, salamanders, red-tailed hawk

seral stage 5 plant example

american beech, sugar maple, eastern hemlock

seral stage 5 wildlife examples

timber rattlesnake, summer tanager, blue-gray gnatcatcher

early successional plant communities are dominated by ____ _____, _____ plants

shade intolerant, herbaceous

early successional plant communities require some kind of _____ to perpetuate

disturbance

early successional area examples, from most to least canopy cover

Open woodland, savanna, grasslands

how expected height growth at a property is measured, depends on quality of soil

site index

first step of industrial forest model

prep site

second step of industrial forest model

plant trees

third step of industrial forest model

thin trees

fourth step of industrial forest model

clearcut

A wildlife-focused management of SYP forest would be below ___ ___ density and ____ more often

optimal stocking, thinned

What percent of Alabama is covered in pine?

40%

A site managed for timber production has been clearcut. When is broadcast herbicide applied for best results?

After first year

understory branches, competing vegetation, and tree height are a function of

tree density

What grows faster, longleaf or loblolly?

loblolly

Which is most fire tolerant at a young age, longleaf or loblolly?

longleaf

forestry site prep herbicides are often formulated to target _____ plants

woody

types of herbicide release

banded and broadcast application

mid-rotation treatments

thinning, fertilization, herbicide release

active ingredient in popular herbicides to target woody plants and leave loblolly alone

imazapyr

imazapyr is safe to use around ____ trees

loblolly

the cross sectional density of tree volume at breast height (DBH)

basal area

lower basal area means lower ____ ____, and higher _____

canopy closure, sunlight

If a plot with a few large trees has the same basal area as a plot with many smaller trees, which plot will have more sunlight? big trees or small trees?

big trees

loblolly clearcut age range

25-35

6-9" DBH trees are used for

Pulpwood (for paper)

10-13" DBH trees are used for

Chip-n-saw (small dimension lumber and pulpwood)

14+" DBH trees are used for

saw timber (lumber, boards, logs)

wood collected upon the ____ thin will be used for pulpwood

first

wood collected upon the ____ thin will be used for pulpwood and chip-n-saw

first

wood collected upon _____ a stand typically is used for saw timber

clearcutting

Adding wildlife needs to timber management involves sacrificing ____ _____ to increase ___ ____. These variables must be balanced to achieve optimal stocking density.

wood volume, understory vegetation

example of an expense associated with adding wildlife objectives to timber production

burning

veg found one year after clearcut

annuals and grasses

veg found two years after clearcut

perennials and legumes

understory biomass peaks when a stand is ____ years old

5

MCP

mass control pollinator

MCP trees can be planted at a ____ density to increase understory vegetation for wildlife use because they grow straight and have fewer mid story branches

lower

longleaf prefers more ____ soil than loblolly

xeric

If an area is not burned, who will dominate, loblolly or longleaf

loblolly

loblolly first thin

12-15 years

longleaf first thin

20-25 years

avg loblolly harvest age

30 years

avg longleaf harvest age

60 years

waiting longer to harvest trees increases risk of ____ and ____ ____ events

disease and extreme weather

To increase herbaceous understory biomass, sites can be burned, but it must also be ____ to decrease canopy cover

thinned

Loblolly pine stands are initially thinned at around ___-___ years old

12-15

Longleaf pine stands are initially thinned at around __-__ years old

20-30

for a 80% basal area, we must remove 20%. This would be a ____ row thin

fifth

for a 70% basal area, we must remove 30%. This would be a ____ row thin

third