Wildlife management exam 2

A managed forest is owned by the________ and is mostly managed for________

The public

Fiber production is an important consideration

What is a woodlot?

A small (

What is the main objective for woodlots?

Wildlife, as most owners manage to see widlife. People like animals.

What sort of species occur in woodlots?

Edge species

Interior species rarely exist in woodlots, what is a situation you might find them in woodlots?

Only if it is adjacent to a larger forested tract

Management of woodlots =

management for edge spp. (edge effect often extends throughout woodlot)

$ for management often limited

Woodlot should be viewed as part of surrounding area

invasive spp. of concern

Buckthorn

Garlic mustard

Spotted knapweed

General management treatments that benefit wildlife in many woodlots (5):

- Selected tree harvest to release best mast trees and shrubs

-creating snags and logs-plantings (game mixes, apple trees,alfalfa, etc)

- construction of a farm pond

- exclusion of cattle

-creating openings for forbs and grasses (if woodlot large enough)

First step in woodlot management (4 parts)

Inventory and planning

1. Existing habitat inventory

2. Develop a plan

3. Cutting considerations

4. Additional considerations

Taking Inventory for a woodlot

What do you need to document? (4)

What must you ask? (1)

1. Document existing habitat inventory

- Types

-amount of each species available

-Wildlife species densities supported by each

- Densisty of species desired

- Can exisitng habitat be improved/motified to meet goals?

Developing a plan for a woodlot- a completed plan should include....(4)

-landowner objectives

-inventory and arrangement of plants (important individuals), plant communities, wildlife spp.

-list of any plants needed for plantings + procedures for planting and maintenance

-timber harvest methods and improvements

What additional plan do you need for woodlots?

plan to protect from/deal with livestock grazing, fire, insects,disease

Example of creating a plan to protect from disease in a woodlot:

Oak wilt example

-no cutting/wounding 15 Apr - 1Oct

-trenching around infected stands

-removing infected stands

-other treatments required - burning,lime, etc.

After inventory woodlot divided into compartments that are...

similar vegetation spp./age classes, soil types, topography, etc.

What do these compartments require?

Should have easily identified boundaries or boundaries should be marked

Inventory records and management prescriptions should be maintained by _____

compartment

Covert

junction of 3 or more desirable habitat types - best provide food, water, and cover

Coverts should be provided in plan

What coverts should you expect to find in a woodlot plan? (3)

- 2 habitat types generally there by default

-2 age classes of trees bordering the field = covert

- field, pond/stream, woodlot = covert

Cutting Considerations for woodlots (3)

-small area may mean no cutting is best

-$ return may be low-wildlife improvement nature of the cut should be indicated in the contract (selection cuts)

-local DNR/conservation district forester can help

shelterwood cuts best_______ ha

.04-0.4 ha (double height of trees)

What should be left in cuts of woodlots?

-border trees should be left

-leave stumps and allow sprouting

-Establish patch work of age/spp.classes

- no cutting in riparian areas

Additional pieces to add to a woodlot

-evergreens/conifers - providethermal cover

- 0.8-2 ha (clumped)/40 hectares of deciduous trees

-planted along edge of field

-shade tolerant spp. can be underplanted

Mast trees - should be maintained and "freed" from

competition for sunlight

Example of mast trees in a woodlot:

OAK, hickory, beech, walnut, cherry, ash, butternut, rasberries, blueberries, and grapes(female), elder berry, and spice bush

red/black oak produce acorns every ________, white oaks every______

2 years

Year (less tanins)

What trees produce catkins?

aspen, birch, hazel, alder

Food plots are needed dependant on....

veg. spp. of food plots composition depends on...

woodlot andsurrounding area

wildlife spp. desired

What works best as food plot?

Food strips maximize...

- unharvested strips in ag fields adjacent to wood lot work well

-many ag crops beneficial to wildlife

- Edge

"Special" forest features

A. Openings

B. Course Woody Debris (CWD)

natural openings are....

Constructed openings are...

- natural - permanent

- constructed - permanent or temporary

Maintenance of 1-5% openings is dependent on

wildlifespp. desired and size of forest

Maintenance not needed for forests less than 100 ha

Openings with less than 10% trees and less than 30% brush usually consist of...

Mainly grass and forbs

Forb

- herbaceous flowering plant that is not a graminoid (grass,sedge, etc.) - normally broad-leaved

Creating/maintaining openings, maximize and minimize....

maximize location

minimize creation effort

minimize maintenance effort

Maintenance for openings (you should limit these)

-mowing

-herbicide

-grazing/browsing

-fertilizing

Course Woody Debris (CWD)

Animals that use CWD

- dead log, limbs, bark, etc on

forest floor

important to various spp. of wildlife: marten, grouse, herp, and small mammals

CWD that should be maintained

Removal of too much or too little causes...

-maintain approx. what would occur in "natural" setting

-removal of too much decreases habitat quality

-leaving too much increases fuel load for fire

Trees and snags continually decay, different age of trees and snags provide..

Habitat elements for different species

-Continous supply of new snags must be available

Dead wood recruitment is driven by: (2)

1. Suppression mortality (competition)

2. Disturbance.... big pulse, drop off then slight recovery as tree ages

When does suppression mortality increase and decrease during stand age?

Increases after stand initiation, then declines

Species and type of tree influences....

Density of snag and rate of decay

Conifer stands have ____ snags than hardwood

More

Hardwoods generally decay____ than conifers

slower

Aspens may life for ____ yrs, stands as a snag for ___ yrs, exists as log for ___ years

125

35

35

Oak may live for ______ yrs, stand as a snag for ____ and exist as a log for ______

300

75

75

Fall rates for snags vary. Common fall rate:

10 yr fall rate for some species of snag >50%

3 broad types of dead wood "users"

1). Primary cavity nesters (excavators)

2). Secondary cavity users (cavities from natural decay or primary excavators)

3). Log users (cavities, space underneath, space between bark and wood)

What do primary cavity nesters (excavators) do?

How do they excavate? (DBH and how often they excavate)

What do they feed on?

- Create cavities

- Almost always excavate fungi softened areas of the tree

- Generally excavate in > 10cm/4 in. dbh

- Generally excavate a new nest cavity each year

- May excavate cavities for roost/rest

- Most feed on woodboring insect larvae

Secondary cavity users

Opportunistic cavity users:

(cavities from natural decay or primary excavators)

- black bears

- raccoons

- peromyscus

- invertebrates

- some bat spp.

Secondary cavity users that are obligate cavity users

- wood duck

- tufted titmouse

- flying squirrels

most bird species use _____cavity for each clutch/broodmammals often use ________ in a breeding season or year

new

multiple cavities

Log users

Who are they most important for and why?

(cavities, space underneath, space between bark and wood) Logs provide cover, nesting, foraging, display sites, interior of hollow logs, and the area under them provide a stable, moist microclimate - important for herps

Important log size for log users.

- area/volume available (4 in. min.)

- persistence

- size of cavities/spaces beneath

Other factors influencing value of logs to wildlife

- piece size + decay state wildlife spp. Prefer different sizes and decay states, longer pieces provide more connectivity

- successional stage in which the log occurs More valuable when scarce

Managing live tree cavity abundance more challenging than dead wood, why?

- harder to inventory

- rate of gain and loss unpredictable, generally larger trees with signs of injury (limb loss) are more likely to have cavities

Management of Cavities and Dead Wood Two approaches-

1). Maintain conditions within Historical Range of Variability (HRV)

2). Establish/estimate functional relationships between animals and dead wood

1). Maintain conditions within HistoricalRange of Variability (HRV)...

- density, size, decay conditions, etc of snags, logs, etc maintained at "normal" levels.

-Conducted at a larger scale than stand level.

2). Establish/estimate functional relationships between animals and dead wood →

Manage for levels that meet wildlife needs

Challenges in cavity management (4)

- Managing for primary cavity users generally doesn't provide enough cavities for secondary users

- Some species are larger than primary users (Pilleated wood pecker cavity won't support a racoon)

-The more species use cavities than those that create them

- In home ranges, much more secondary cavity users than primary (Gray squirrel and harry wood pecker)

Managing live tree cavity abundance is more challenging than dead wood:

- Harder to inventory

- Rate of gain and loss unpredictable

Generally larger trees with signs of injury (limbless) more likely to have cavities.

Arrangement/distribution of dead wood/cavity trees should also be considered

-They may not mesh with...

most efficient harvets methods

Monitouring should be conducted just like in any other aspect of management

Steps in Developing stand prescriptions (management plans) (8)

1. Species background

2. Current stand conditions

3. Desired future conditions

4. Management actions to achieve desired conditions

5. Monitoring plans

6. Budget

7. Scheduel timeline

8. References

When developing a management plan, what are you looking for when you perform a species background check?

- Plant and animal spp. Intended for this stand/property

- Habitat needs of these spp.?

- Over what scale must habitat needs be met (nesting sites, foraging patches, home ranges, etc.)

Current stand conditions is looking at....

- Habitat conditions for species of interest

What are examples of looking at Habitat conditions for species of interest (6)

- Tree and shrub spp. Composition

- Stocking rates (dbh, density of trees, etc.)

- Site index (soil quality, growingconditions, etc.)

- Existing/future regeneration

- Estimate/quantifcation of habitat suitability

- Factors limiting habitat suitability for spp. Of interest?

What is included in "desired future conditions"

spp. Composition, stocking rates, age classes, etc.

What should "Management actions to achieve desired conditions" be in a management plan?

(should be a"cookbook")

- How long will it take?

- How long will it last?

- Cost?

What does the section "Monitoring plans" involve in a management plan?

- What will you measure/how will you measure it to evaluate plan success?

Species background of a red-cockaded woodpecker in a 7 ha pine stand

Where do they live

associated with old yellow pine forests with abundant red heart disease(fungal)

Species background of a red-cockaded woodpecker in a 7 ha pine stand

Home range size:

Social structure:

Diet:

Forage:

- 25-100ha home range based around nest tree

- clan social structure with nest helpers

- diet - insects and fruit

- forage on trees >60 years old+ >25cm dbh

What is a red-cockaded woodpecker nesting behaviros like?

- nest tree >100 years old +>100cm dbh

- Nest in live trees

- Make shallow excavations around nest cavity opening

Why do red-cockaded woodpeckers make shallow excavations around a nest cavity opening?

→sticky resin ring → barrier torat snakes

What does the stand around a red-cockaded woodpecker nest look like?

- stand around nest tree dominated by pine (mean 16msq. ba) with a few (1.1m sq. ba) midstory pines

for a red cockaded woodpecker, clan size, density, andproductivity related to...

groundcover composition and pine regeneration...productive ground layer, minimal pine regen.

(local fire history)

What are the two other species associated with the red-cockaded woodpecker case study?

Bachman's sparrow and Brown-headed nuthatch

Bachman's sparrow is associated with.. (species background)

- associated with mature pinewoodlands

- well-spaced pines, open midstory, densegrass/forb understory (groundnester)

- burning initiates/maintainsgrass/forb understory

- pops. disappear 4-5 years after burn

Brown-headed nuthatch Species background:

What are they associated with

Nesitng habits

foraging behavior?

Where are they found?

- associated with pine stands

- 3 ha home range

- nest in cavities in pine snags > 20cm dbh

- forage on live pines

- most often found in open, mature, old-growth pine forest with snags where natural fire patterns exist

Current stand conditions of the red-cockaded woodpecker case study 7ha pine stand?

-Has shrub layer, but little overstory regen

Hardwoods in this case study indicate what?

What species might be found here currently, out of the three birds

- Hardwoods indicate no recent burns

- No adequate fuel load for a fire

- Potential foraging site for RCWP

- Good Brown-headed nuthatch habitat (especially if snags are present)

What species might not be found in this study area out of the three brids and why?

Would nesting occur in this area for any of the three species?

- Not a nesting site; stocking too high, hardwoods in mid-story; trees not old enough for heart rot

- Too little grass forb layer for Bachmans sparrow

Desired Future Condition for this stand

- trees >100 yo (disease)

- 16

- a few mid story pines, no hardwoods

- reestablish longleaf pine (LLP)

- presence of snags

Actions to Achieve Desired Future Condition in this case study

- Group selection (LLP stands ) or irregular shelterwood (loblolly and shortleaf pine stands (SLP)) cuts

Management plan:

2015 - Irregular shelterwood cut, what will that look like?

- leave 25 loblolly pines/ha(8m2/ha), cut all hardwoods

- site prep - cool winter burn

- plant 250 LLP seedlings/ha

- allow natural regen of loblolly and SLP

- after 3-5 years, begin spring burns every 2-3 years to control hardwoods, SLP regeneration, and brown spot disease; LLP resistant to low-intensity burns

2025- basal area lower than pre 2015 (LLP regen) Management plan

- 20 mature pines/ha (future nest trees) + high-density pine regeneration

- burning - increased BS habitat

- 5 snags/ha - Brown-headed nuthatches nesting trees; maintain burning regime

2035 - overstory loblolly and regenerating LLP showing increased growth

Management actions:

- Red-cockaded woodpecker foraging habitat, Bachman's sparrow and Brown-headed nuthatch habitat

- potential need for light overstory thinning (10% canopy removal) and or precommercial thinning of saplings, seedlings...

In in 2045 regen of LLP not adequate...

create gaps and plant seedlings. Maintain Bachman sparrow habitat

2055 - Precommercial thinning -

remove 25-50% of regenerating pines to maintain grass forb layer and provide growing space for pine seedlings

2075 what managment will happen

Begin group selection cuts (10-15 year cycle) to maintain trees in all age classes. Maintain old/"original" loblolly pine (now old/large enough for Red-cockaded woodpecker nests)

What will the stand look like in 2125

- BA nearly target of 16m2/ha

LLP - 80% (density), 50% (ba) original loblolly pines> 60 cm DBH,>150 yo

Grass forb layers persist due to burning; natural snags adequate for BHNH nesting

Necessary Monitoring-implementation in this study, what must be considered?

Where were unmarked trees harvested?

Were burns conducted in the correct season

were cuts conducted in the right cycle?, etc.

How would you measure effectivness of management in this study?

vegetation growth, survival,structure, etc

.- 10-20 random circular plots to monitor seedling survival for first 5 years

- 10-20 permanent plots(fixed or variable radius) to monitor tree growth, BA, density, species composition, snags, understory.

Monitor every 5-10 years

What to monitour for this management plan when it conmes to wildlife use?

- RCW nest tree survey every 5 years (search for resin marks on trees)

- bird point counts every 5 years

3-5 survey points, visit 5 times early mornings in breeding season

Record all birds heard or seen with estimate of distance to the bird. Potential nest searches for BS +BHNH

Extreme tree disease in MI (3)

1. Beech-Bark disease

2. Emerald ash borer

3. Hemlock woody adelgid

Beech bark disease

Initial infection:

Infectant:

Cryptococcus fagisuga (sap-feeding insect)

Nectria coccines (fungus that girdles the tree)

How is beech bark disease treated

What % are resistant

How many beech trees die to this?

Insecticide

3% of beech trees are resistant

32 million beech trees, 2.5 million killed

emerald ash borer

Don't spread widely on their own.

Most spread via firewood movement.

Larva planted in trees and bore out of them killing the tree.

Hemlock wooly adelgid

Insect caused

Tree death 4-10 years

Natural and human spread

Can be treated with insecticide

Fungal tree diseases in michigan

Oak wilt

Potential diseases that are not in MI but are in the US

Asian Longhorn beetle

Thousand cankers disease

Spotted lanter fly

Asian Longhorn beetle Kills

Maple trees (1.5 billion)