FAQ How do I Encourage More Wildlife on My Land?
This is a common question that the Foresters and Wildlife Specialists at Woodland Management Service are asked.
Of course the next question that we ask the client is, “What type of Wildlife would you like to encourage?”
Regardless of which type of Wildlife they are looking for we know that the most important key to maximum Wildlife Habitat is “Edge”.
Edge is basically the area between two or more ecosystems (timber types, timber ages, non forested areas, wetlands, etc.).
It is our job to know which Edge types are needed for the types of Wildlife that our clients would like to attract.
And our next step is to know how to create suitable habitat that will accomplish this maximum edge goal, via different types of cutting, flooding, planting, etc.
A few examples of this include Whitetail Deer who like to spend their summers traveling between Cover such as dense forestland and Food such as grasslands or agricultural crops.
In the winter, Deer will spend most of their time traveling between Food such as last year’s clearcut where they find tender sprouts and Thermal Cover such as dense Pines, Spruce, or Hemlock.
Another common example includes Ruffed Grouse who do most of their traveling between the edge types on a seasonal basis, spending their time in young pole stands during the mating or drumming season, spending their time in recent clearcuts while feeding the young chicks ample insects that are found in these dense areas, and then spending their Winters in the tops of mature Aspen eating lots of nutritious buds to sustain them through a cold winter.
Having a good mix of these great cover/food types close to each other will do a lot to attract and keep great populations of these wonderful birds.
In our part of the country water is not generally a limiting factor since it is everywhere, but in more arid parts of the country a water based edge component can be the most critical factor.
To learn more about how you can create a Wildlife Paradise on your land, give us a call and we can help you out.
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