Land Management – Habitat Improvements for Wildlife

Land Management or Habitat Improvements for wildlife. The two areas I will briefly touch on are Agriculture/Food Plots and Habitat/Forest management. Effective habitat management requires an evaluation of nutritional resources. Nutrition should be given a central role in conservation programs for animals.

Agriculture/Food Plots:
There is nothing I love more than the Whitetail deer and that is my main area of focus. Although improving the habitat for whitetails is my primary goal, I can’t think of any of the wildlife in the area that will not thrive from land enhancements. From the squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks that flourish on the seeds & tender shoots of clovers, soybeans, and winter rye, to the fox, the coyotes and birds of prey that feast on these healthy rodents.(Rabbits and hares were formerly classified in the order Rodentia (rodent) until 1912, when they were moved into a new order Lagomorpha)

Habitat/Forest management:
The forest is similar to any other food plot or agricultural crop … it requires care and maintenance during its lifetime to produce a high-quality product. Timber Stand Improvement = TSI. The purpose Timber Stand Improvement, or TSI is to free desirable trees from competition, thin the trees to acceptable numbers and remove the unhealthy, dead or undesirable trees. This improves the overall condition of the stand and concentrates wood growth on a number of selected trees. TSI will improve wildlife food and habitat, appearance and health of the woodlot.