Wildlife Management- Woodlot Management

Woodlot Management

• Managed forests (public)- fiber production important consideration

• Woodlot- small (<100 ha) forest fragment in area converted to other land use (private ownership)

• Wildlife generally main objective for most woodlot owners

General Woodlot Considerations

• Interior spp seldom occur in woodlots unless adjacent to larger forest tracts

• 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

• Avoid invasive spp- invasive spp of concern include:

  • Buckthorn

  • Garlic mustard

  • Spotted knapweed

General Mgmt Treatments that Benefit Wildlife in Many Woodlots

• Selected tree harvest to release best mast trees & shrubs

• Creating snags and logs

• Plantings (game mixes, apple trees, alfalfa, etc.)

• Construction of a farm pond

• Exclusion of cattle

• Creating openings for forbs/grasses (if woodlot big enough)

Inventory and Planning in Woodlots

Existing Habitat Inventory

• Types and amount of each available

• Wildlife spp (densities) supported by each

• Spp (densities) desired

• Can existing habitat be improved/modified to meet goals?

Develop Plan- completed should include:

• Landowner objectives

• Inventory and arrangement of plants (important individuals), plant communities, wildlife spp

• List of any plants needed for plantings and procedures for planting and maintenance

• Timber harvest methods and improvements

• Plan to protect from/deal with livestock grazing, fire, insects, disease, etc.

  • Ex. Oak Wilt

    • No cutting/wounding Apr 15 - 1 Oct

    • Trenching around infected stands

    • Removing infected stands

• Other treatment required- burning, lime, etc.

Divide Woodlot

• Woodlot divided into compartments (similar veg spp/age classes, soil types, topography, etc.)

• Should have easily identified or marked boundaries

• 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

  • 2 habitat types generally there by default

  • 2 age classes of trees bordering field = covert

  • Field, pond/stream, woodlot = covert

Woodlot Cutting Considerations

• Small area may mean no cutting is best

• $ return may be low

• Wildlife improvement nature of the cut should be indicated in contract (selection cuts)- local DNR/conservation district forester can help

• General Guidelines

Woodlot Cutting Considerations: General Guidelines

• Shelterwood cuts best 0.04-0.4 ha (double height of trees)

• Border trees should be left

• Leave stumps and allow sprouting

• Establish patchwork of age/spp classes

• No cutting in riparian areas

Additional Woodlot “Pieces”

Evergreens/Conifers- provide thermal 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

• Oak, hickory, beech, walnut, cheery, ash, butternut

  • Red/Black oaks produce acorns every 2 years, white oaks every year (less tannins)

• Aspen, birch, hazel, alder produce catkins

• Additional mast producing spp

  • Rubus spp (raspberry)

  • Blueberry

  • Grapes (female)

  • Elder berry

  • Spice bush

  • Etc.

Food Plots

• Need dependent on woodlot and surrounding area

• Veg spp composition depends on wildlife spp desired

• Unharvested strips in ag fields adjacent woodlot work well

• Many ag crops beneficial to wildlife

• Strips maximize edge

• Many commercial mixes available

“Special” Forest Features

• Openings

• Course Woody Debris (CWD)

“Special” Forest Features: Openings

• Natural- permanent

• Constructed- permanent or temporary

• Maintain 1-5% of forest in openings dependent on wildlife spp desired and size of forest (not needed <100 ha)

• Opening <10% trees and <30% brush, mainly grass and forbs

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

• Creating/Maintaining Openings

  • Maximize location

  • Minimize creation effort

  • Minimize maintenance effort

    • Mowing

    • Herbicide

    • Grazing/Browsing

    • Fertilizing

“Special” Forest Features: Course Woody Debris (CWD)

Dead logs, limbs, bark, etc on forest floor

• Important to various spp of wildlife

  • Marten

  • Grouse

  • Herps

  • Small mammals

• Amount needed and type varies

  • Maintain approx what would occur in “natural” setting

  • Removal of too much decreases habitat quality

  • Leaving too much increases fuel load for fire

Components of Developing Stand Prescriptions (Mgmt Plans)

• Species Background 

  • 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- habitat conditions for species of interest

  • Tree and shrub spp composition

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

  • Site index (soil quality, growing conditions, etc.)

  • Existing/Future regeneration

  • Estimate/Quantification of habitat suitability

  • Factors limiting habitat suitability for spp of interest

• Desired Future Conditions

  • Be specific (spp composition, stocking rates, age classes, etc.)

• Management Actions to Achieve Desired Conditions

  • Be specific (should be a “cookbook”)

  • How long will it take?

  • How long will it last?

  • Cost?

• Monitoring Plans- what will you measure/how will you measure it to evaluate plan success?

• Budget- cost of implementation and monitoring plan

• Schedule/Timeline- when will management and monitoring actions take place?

• References- provide context of why decisions were made

Management Plan Case Study: Species Background

7 ha pine stand, management for red cockaded woodpecker USFS in LA

• RC Woodpecker- associated with old yellow pine forests with abundant red heart disease (fungal)

  • 25-100ha home range based around nest tree

  • Clan social structure with nest helpers

  • Diet- insects and fruit

  • Forage in trees >60 years old and >25cm dbh

  • Nest trees >100 years old and >100cm dbh

  • Nest in live trees (avoid snags)

  • Make shallow excavations around nest cavity opening → sticky resin ring → rat snake barrier

  • Stand around nest tree dominated by pine (mean 16m sq ba) with a few (1.1m sq ba) midstory pines

  • Clan size, density, and productivity related to ground cover composition and pine regeneration

    • Productive ground layer, minimal pine regen (local fire history maintains)

• Bachman’s Sparrow- associated with mature pine woodlands- well-spaced pines, open midstory, dense grass/forb understory (ground nester)

  • Burning initiates/maintains grass/forb understory

  • Pops disappear 4-5 years after burn

• Brown-headed Nuthatch- 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

Management Plan Case Study: Current Stand Conditions

7 ha pine stand, management for red cockaded woodpecker USFS in LA

• Has shrub layer, but little overstory regen

• Hardwoods indicate no recent burns

• Adequate fuel load for a fire?

• Potential foraging site for RCWP

• Not nesting site- stocking too high, hardwoods in midstory, trees not old enough for heart rot

• Too little grass forb layer for BS

• Good BHNH habitat (especially if snags present)

Management Plan Case Study: Desired Future Condition

7 ha pine stand, management for red cockaded woodpecker USFS in LA

• Trees >100 yo (disease)

• 16 ≤m² BA (grass/forb understory)

• A few mid story pines, no hardwoods

• Reestablish longleaf pine (LLP)

• Presence of snags

Management Plan Case Study: Management Actions 2015 - 2035

7 ha pine stand, management for red cockaded woodpecker USFS in LA

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

• 2015- Irregular Shelterwood Cut

  • Leave 25 loblolly pines/ha (8m²/ha), cut all hardwoods

  • Site prep- cool winter burn

  • Plant 250 LLP seedlings/ha

  • Allows natural regen of loblolly and SLP

  • After 3-5 years begin spring burns every 2-3 years to control hardwood, SLP regen, and brownspot disease

    • LLP resistant to low intensity burns

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

  • 20 mature pines/ha (future nest trees) and high density pine regen

  • Burning- increased BS habitat

  • 5 snags/ha- BHNH nesting trees

  • Maintain burning regime

• 2035- overstory loblolly and regenerating LLP showing increased growth

  • RCW foraging habitat, BS, BHNH habitat

  • Potential need for light overstory thinning (10% canopy removal) and/or precommercial thinning of saplings, seedlings…

Management Plan Case Study: Management Actions 2045 - 2065

7 ha pine stand, management for red cockaded woodpecker USFS in LA

• 2045- if regen of LLP not adequate (BA/density?), create gaps and plant seedlings, maintain BS habitat

• 2055- Precommercial Trimming

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

• 2065

Management Plan Case Study: Management Actions 2075 - 2125

7 ha pine stand, management for red cockaded woodpecker USFS in LA

• 2075- 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 RCWP nests)

• 2125- BA nearly target of 16m²/ha

  • LLP- 80% (density), 50% (ba)

  • Original loblolly pines >60cm dbh, >150 yo

  • Grass forb layers persists due to burning

  • Natural snags adequate for BHNH nesting

Management Plan Case Study: Monitoring Plans

7 ha pine stand, management for red cockaded woodpecker USFS in LA

• Implementation

  • Were unmarked trees harvested?

  • Were burns conducted in the correct season?

  • Were cuts conducted in the right cycle?

• Effectiveness

  • 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

  • Wildlife Use

    • RCWP 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 see with estimate of distance to bird

    • Potential nest searches for BS and BHNH