Remember this: Plan to day. Benefit tomorrow.
Lately I have been doing some work on a pine plantation. Pine plantations are stands where the trees are planted in rows. This is beneficial because you can drive down the rows to mow any unwanted underbrush or weed. The purpose here is not to let the underbrush (understory) grow out of hand. The ultimate goal is not to allow it to form into an unkempt forest of succession even though if it is left unattended over the years this could happen. It is a strange comment but sometimes you have to landscape your forest garden for the benefit of the wildlife, bugs, plant flora and enrich the soil itself. It being a habitat in itself managing the pine plantation improved the overall health of the habitat and surrounding areas.
I took a break to sit on a camo five gallon bucket overlooking a soybean field that abutted a cemetary. I was laying in wait reading a book when I got to the section that stated second growth trees and shrubs can grow so tall that it is not feasible or possible for deer to browse on the foliage. The concept here was that these tracts would eventually turn into a climax forest that couldn't support larger herds.
A climax forest or forest succession is a tract of land or forest that develops over a period of time. Wildlife come and go carrying transient seeds. These seeds start to grow and the variety of plant flora changes with its own set of life sustaining demands. The soil erodes and becomes altered. Weather and climate changes make or destroy life at any given time. There in the ground is the forum for a sort of plant competition where all things start out small but with each passing year the foliage gets taller, thicker, or densier. The reason for this is pioneering species of trees that live in the upperstory sprout understory offspring which eventually replace them or fill in the space until the older tree dies or falls. If this area is not managed to maintain a stead sense of equal balance it will overgrow itself. This will eventuate in large amounts of work to tame it back to a manageable space. You may have some wildlife but not the kind you would see meanadering about.
Even as a hunter or just someone taking a walk, you find times where you stop and look at the bushes and those things unseen and think, "I am not walking into that." No one likes a briar patch. The only creature that likes a briar patch is one that is running from a predator. Even then it depends on who is in hot pursuit. The species mix of trees is constant. Transient wildlife that does come and go will most likely not stay if the browse of their choice is not present. If there is no brush or understory trees for them to feed on they have no reason to be there. They certainly can't climb up a tree unless the animal is a coon or opossum.
The forest or tract of land goes through cycles of varying durations of different factors that affect it in negative and positive ways.
Animals live in these places with insects and pertinent fungus for the same reason humans live where they live. Its basic need. Food, shelter, a place to reproduce, security, a place to hide, and co-exist with other creatures that can add to their benefit or survival.
People would argue that pine plantations are not that beneficial but it depends on where you put it and how it affects the area.
Does it improve the area or not?
This particular pine plantation was planted on non-abandoned agricultural land. It was a personal choice. Hardwoods were not replaced. When this is done the area usually is a wetland and removing the hardwoods to replace it with pine will dry the area up. At the time of planting there was no habitat or biodiversity loss. Now years before you might could argue that before it was turned to farmland but not now. That time is past.
Now the pine plantation I am working does exists as a wildlife corridor and acts as a buffer for the neighboring natural forest that is a hardwood forest only feet away. There is a healthy contained mix of varying tree species increasing the options for different wildlife that want to dwell in one but feed off the other.
Factoring in the environmental and ecological impact you will create or affect with a pine plantation is how you manage it.
Management is key: what you do on it, to it, or around it will affect the land parcel in some way.
Managing a pine stand also bring the beneficial option of not intruding on natural forests for commercial gain. Its the 'other option'. These pine plantations are highly productive and the requirement for a large space of land is low.
This also brings about the point of how you can use a small section of land for maximum production without depleting the ground itself by using what is growing on it to sustain nutrient cycling on a property.
As far as wildlife goes, creatures have enough cover to hide in but without movement being restricted in such a way to make them learn the lay of the land works more as a trap than an escape route.
As a hunter, land owner or coalition of people trying to make the world or your speck a better place, the following should be considered:
- Develop a management plan.
- Plant variety and maintenance
- Site preparation and management
- Mid rotation management
- Late rotation management
- Landscape considerations
- Harvest Techniques
- Edge maintenance and consideration
- Fertilizers and Herbacides
- Cicadidas
- Rabbits
- Squirrel
- Deer
- Raptor birds
- Spiders
- Varying birds
- Raccoon
- Snakes
- Small animals
- Quail or small game birds
- Bear
- Boar
- Fox
People have words but I have words and "actions".
As a tool for anyone that would like to get educated on this concept feel free to copy this link and go read something before reading is out of fashion.
Written by: W Harley Bloodworth
~Courtesy of the AOFH~