Tag: land management

What is Wildlife and Habitat Management

Wildlife and habitat management 

Wildlife have four basic needs; food, water, cover, and space. The arrangement of these elements is often equally important. Each species of wildlife has its own specific habitat needs for reproduction and survival. If one of these components is missing, that is the limiting factor for that species.

It is the availability, arrangement, and ratio of these habitat elements on the landscape and influence of proper management that will determine the amount of wildlife (number of species and population of each species) on the property.

This is referred to as the carrying capacity. Since many wildlife species often share habitat types, most common habitat management practices will benefit a number of wildlife species.

Fallow Disking to Improve Wildlife Habitat

Results of fallow disking 

Fallow disking refers to disking the soil in the winter months after the first freeze, but prior to the first green up of spring. This promotes the germination and growth of grass, weed and wildflower seeds already present in the soil. Many seeds lie dormant in soil, are commonly referred to as the soil seed bank, and can spring into action with the right amount of stimulation — disturbance and sunlight.

Some of these seeds may have been dormant for years, but with a little disking to expose them, and hopefull a little rainfall, they should grow vigorously. Of course, the application of this management practice will depend upon the soil found on your ranch property.

These natural weeds and wildflowers are very important to wildlife and are preferred over most introduced “wildlife plants.” Lower succession plants are preferred to climax plant communities, and fallow disking provides low successional plants.