Most timberlands in Alabama are privately owned by non-industrial individuals. Through their timber management activities, those individuals directly influence the wildlife and wildlife habitat on their lands. Unfortunately, some landowners give little consideration to wildlife and view it as a byproduct of the land, regardless of the timber management. In recent years, an increasing number of landowners have realized the economic importance of timber management as a way to enhance wildlife habitat. The price paid for hunting leases in many areas of the state has increased to a level that provides a substantial annual cash flow to landowners. Other landowners find the management of wildlife rewarding for personal recreation with family and friends, or for the aesthetic value of viewing wildlife.

Landowners should always consider timber management and wildlife management together, as they are inseparable. It is a common misconception that timber management with considerations for wildlife is not cost effective. In reality, managed forestlands can not only be more productive, but can provide excellent habitat for many of our most valuable wildlife species.

The first step in a management program for timber and wildlife is to decide what you want and have it put in writing. This written document is called a management plan. Each management practice to be initiated should be included in the plan and should be based on three things:

1.         Is the action ecologically sound?

2.         Is the action economically sound?

3.         Does this action accomplish or support the desired goals?

Every landowner has the capability to make a timber management decision that will in some way benefit some species of wildlife. The expertise and assistance in making those decisions are available through state agencies, such as the Alabama Forestry Commission and the Wildlife Section of the Alabama Game and Fish Division. Other government agencies, such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and County Extension System, are good sources of information. Publications such as the recently published Managing Wildlife by the Alabama Wildlife Federation are excellent sources of information to help make informed decisions. Just as desires and objectives of each landowner differ, so it is with the land, as no two areas are the same. Over time, timber and wildlife habitat will change and adjustments to the plan may be necessary to attain the desired objectives.

Diversity Most Important Objective

The single most important objective of timber management practices used to enhance wildlife habitat is to provide a diversity of habitat types. Diversity is a term used to describe variety or differences. As timber types mature, they lose diversity. When the diversity of the forest is reduced, so is its ability to support various and abundant wildlife species. Each wildlife species has a unique set of habitat requirements: food, cover, water and space. Enhancing and maintaining diversity within a forest stand enhances and maintains habitat available to wildlife. Any time two different habitat types meet, it creates a unique ecotone, with both habitats contributing plants to this edge. This is called an edge effect and is more valuable to wildlife than either single habitat.

Soil type should be the determining factor in any forest or wildlife management plan. The physical characteristics of the soil dictate what kind of plants will grow and how well they will survive. Soil pH and fertility are important soil properties to consider in any type of planting, such as reforestation or wildlife food plots. County NRCS offices are good sources for obtaining information on soil types and recommended plantings.

Harvesting and Site Preparation

One of the most noticeable and dynamic forest management practices is cutting or removing timber. Clearcutting, the removal of all standing timber on a given area, has come under criticism as an unfavorable forest management practice for wildlife. Granted, clearcutting on a large area does little to provide the necessary diversity for wildlife, but if properly conducted, clearcutting can benefit many wildlife species. Small clearcuts are similar in effect to natural forest regeneration processes caused by high winds, tornadoes, and hurricanes. C!earcuts will reduce habitat for some wildlife species, but is favorable to others, such as quail, rabbits and deer. For optimum wildlife use, clearcuts should be limited to 40 acres or less. Cuts should be linear or elongated to allow greater use by wildlife. Long, narrow clearcuts will transect more home ranges or territories of the wildlife in the area. To maintain diversity in the future, adjacent clearcuts should be no less than five years apart. Where it is possible, snags and trees with cavities should be left standing to meet the needs of many birds and animals. Usually, clearcuts to be planted in pine are treated with several methods to prepare the site for optimum tree growth. Mechanical site preparation, such as shearing, chopping, windrowing, and bedding are the more common practices. Mechanical site preparation is more favorable to wildlife than the use of some herbicide treatments.

Intensive site preparation, such as burning and the heavy use of several herbicides to kill a wide variety of plants, will significantly diminish wildlife habitat. Landowners need to be aware of the effects intensive site preparation and herbicides can have on wildlife habitat. Less intensive site preparation practices favor a greater variety and abundance of wildlife plants and habitats. Herbicides are sometimes used after pine regeneration to reduce vegetative competition. The effect on wildlife habitat is generally unfavorable, as many plants valuable to wildlife are reduced and are not able to recover before the increased growth of the pines begins to shade them out.

An alternative method of timber stand regeneration is thinning. Thinning is the removal of only part of the standing timber. Improvement cuts remove poor quality trees with less potential. The removal of part of the trees allows light to pene­trate the canopy, stimulating native plant growth valuable to wildlife. A shelterwood cut is where the stand is heavily thinned, leaving quality trees for regeneration by seed. This maintains the integrity of the stand and creates openings. These openings provide areas of natural plant succession and good diversity for wildlife use.

Another timber harvest practice for natural reforestation is a seed tree cut. This is similar to a shelterwood cut except that it leaves fewer trees for natural seeding of the area. The disadvantage of this method is that it leaves a small volume of timber that may be difficult to sell and the trees are more vulnerable to damage by wind and lightning. Seed tree cuts provide essentially the same wildlife habitat as clearcuts.

Using Prescribed Burning

Prescribed burning is a valuable technique for forest and wildlife management. Fire should be used correctly and at the proper time of year to obtain the desired results. Pine trees 20 feet tall and taller will tolerate cool winter fire that will top-kill small hardwoods, vines, and shrubs. These plants sprout back in the spring to provide tender browse and cover for wildlife. Fire also enhances the germination of legumes and forbs. In addition to the succulent spring growth following a winter burn, these areas produce an abundance of insects. Insects are high in protein and are important food items for young turkeys, quail, and other birds.

A burning schedule of one- to two-year intervals creates habitat favorable for quail and turkey. A burning schedule of three to five years is more favorable for browse and cover for deer. If prescribed burned, thinned pine stands have the greatest potential for increasing the benefits to wildlife, as the thinning opens the canopy and allows sunlight to reach the forest floor. Caution should be used when burning. It is advisable to obtain the services of an individual competent in prescribed burning and capable of preparing a burning plan to ensure spe­cific land management goals are met.

Conclusion

In reality, man does not own land, but merely uses it for a short period of time. While he has exclusive rights or title he has the opportunity to make decisions or enact forest management practices that affect the wildlife and wildlife habitat on the property. Any time you manage for multiple use, it always involves some tradeoffs. How these tradeoffs are weighted should be based on sound information, so intelligent decisions can be made. Generally, management decisions that favor optimum timber production will be less favorable for a variety of wildlife species. For optimum wildlife habitat, forest management plans should incorporate practices that create as much plant diversity as possible. All birds and animals owe their existence to plants; the more plant diversity that exists on an area, the greater the value to wildlife.