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Topics Covered

Forest Management for Wildlife

Oil, Gas & Minerals

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Timber production may be the largest source of potential revenue for forest landowners but there are others…

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Non-Timber Forest Resources

What are non-timber forest resources?

Definition: commodities obtained from the forest that do not involve harvesting trees for timber alone

What are some non-timber forest resources that can come from our forests and forest management?

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Oil/Gas/Minerals

Forest management for Wildlife

Hunting & Recreation Leases

Medicinal Plants

Pine straw

Fruits and Nuts

Maple Syrup

Mushrooms

Examples of Non-Timber Forest Resources

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Forest Management for Wildlife

Wildlife is a natural resource

Good forest management = good wildlife management

Habitat requirements depend on the species

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Producing quality habitat requires:

Understanding a particular species’ needs
Developing a management plan with landowner objectives and habitat requirements for target species
Providing that habitat need through management

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Forest Management Plan

Landowner may only want to manage their forest for one thing (timber or wildlife) but most include both timber and wildlife into their management strategy
If a landowner wants to manage for wildlife and obtain income from hunting/recreation-related activities, landowners may need to change their forest management strategies
Tradeoffs: while timber and wildlife often work together in management and benefit all the objectives, there are times when landowner objectives and performing both managements on the same property can affect revenue

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Hunting is used to manipulate game species populations through bag limits and hunting seasons, but can also be used as a non-timber income source
If you manage forestland for both timber and wildlife, you can often generate revenue from both
State wildlife biologists influence population levels through set regulations but “forest landowners are the true wildlife managers”
When you manage the woods, you manage the wildlife
Forest landowners can have the biggest impact on wildlife management

Hunting

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Habitat Requirements

All species of wildlife have basic habitat requirements and we use these to determine how best to manage for that specific species

Every species needs:

Food

Adequate food through all seasons of the year

Cover or Shelter

Adequate cover for reproduction, nesting, brood rearing, loafing, and escape

Water

Open water sources (streams, creeks, ponds) for some species
Water from vegetation or dew for other species

Living Space

Home range: all species have certain space requirements
Some species require larger home ranges (white-tailed deer need an average of 300-700 acres)
Some species need smaller home ranges (cottontail rabbits with approximately 10 acres)

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Edge

Edge: where two habitat conditions meet
Having a variety of habitats close together can be advantageous for some wildlife management, especially for multiple species and species that prefer one habitat for cover and one for food
A high contrast or hard edge (ex: pasture/forest) can have greater diversity than a low contrast or soft edge (ex: pine/hardwood)
Arrangement of space and habitat can also influence the kinds of wildlife that call it home as it can provide multiple options for the basic habitat requirements
Not all wildlife species need edge, but it can be beneficial to many

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