Wildlife Management: Timber Management

Management techniques can improve wildlife habitat in pine and hardwood stands traditionally managed for timber production. Thinning, prescribed burning, disking, the use of herbicides, and other techniques may be used to increase or improve wildlife habitat in managed stands. Creating and maintaining habitat and providing food sources for different types of wildlife requires planning and active management. The publications on this page will provide the background information, resources, and guidelines to create and maintain wildlife habitat in timber stands.

These resources have been compiled from various resources and agencies and are provided here for educational purposes only. Please if you find information that needs to be updated, broken links, or if you have an additional resource you feel is pertinent.

• Bottomland Hardwood Management: Species/Site Relationships
  Mississippi State University Extension Service. When planting a hardwood stand, selecting the species can be a difficult task due to the large number of species available. Also, the area’s soil needs to be taken into consideration because each species has different nutritional and water needs. Bottomland hardwoods grow in floodplains that have new soil. This publication discusses the different types of bottomland sites found in the South: bars, fronts, flats, ridges, sloughs and swamps. Information is given on the species of hardwood that would prosper in each bottomland site, considering factors such as moisture, elevation and pH.
• Alabama Forest Owners' Association, Inc. - Capital Ideas - Live!
  News conference for forest owners. This website has audio clips of interviews on various topics related to natural resource enterprises including revenue potential, yahoo web page building, income tax updates, timber market report, and more.
  
• Pine Forestland Habitat Management for Wildlife
  Delta Wildlife, MSU-FWRC, MDWFP, MS Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Mississippi Forestry Commission, USDA-NRCS, USDA FSA. Pine forests can be managed to provide wildlife habitat using a variety of techniques, some of which can improve timber stand quality. Established stands can be managed with thinning, prescribed fire or disking, and even herbicide control of hardwoods which can provide food and cover for quail and grassland species, deer, rabbits, turkey and other wildlife. Regenerating stands can be managed to provide weeds, legumes, and grasses that benefit quail and other early successional wildlife species. Even former agricultural fields can be managed for grassland habitat in conjunction with pine production to include wildlife habitat. The methods for management in these different types of pine stands are discussed in this booklet, providing a detailed overview as well as information on landowner assistance program such as the Conservation Reserve Program, Environmental Quality Incentives, and Conservation Security Program.
  
• Attract More Wildlife Through Timber Management
  Mississippi State University Extension Service. Landowners can create habitat for valuable wildlife species through timber management methods that not only increase the amount of wood products produced but also creates and maintains diverse wildlife habitat. This publication discusses writing a management plan that takes into consideration the needs of the wildlife. Examples of management procedures are given including cutting all trees in an area to allow regeneration, cutting slow-growing trees and replacing them with fast growing trees, and using prescribed fire to create new growth which serves as food to wildlife. The use of forest herbicides and fire lanes to manage timber is also illustrated. An example of timber management and a glossary are provided.
• Prescribed Burning in Southern Pine Forests: Fire Ecology, Techniques, and Uses for Wildlife Management
  Mississippi State University Extension Service. This publication expresses the many positive aspects that prescribed burning can have on many wildlife species including bobwhite quail, wild turkeys and white-tailed deer. It also informs readers on burning techniques, the necessary equipment, the cost of burning, and how to get a burning permit. A list of steps to take when planning a prescribed burn is provided.
  
• Timber Management Applications to Enhance Wildlife Habitat
  Alabama Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources, Game Division. Proper management of timber is a cost effective way to boost wildlife. This publication informs landowners on how to draft a written management plan. Other topics discussed are: the importance of diverse habitat types, clearcutting, using herbicides, thinning, and prescribed burning.
• Pineywoods Wildlife Management
  Texas Parks and Wildlife. Informs readers on the two categories of pine timber management: even aged and uneven aged. Even aged management creates a stand of trees that are the same age. These management methods include clearcutting, in which the landowner removes all timber, the seed-tree technique, in which all timber is removed except for some good, seed-producing trees, the shelterwood system, in which about half of the timber is removed, and thinning, where low quality trees are removed. Uneven aged management creates a stand of differently aged and sized trees. Methods include single-tree selection and group selection.
  
• Managing for Timber and Wildlife Diversity
  National Wild Turkey Federation. Planning before harvesting is a timber management practice that can greatly affect wildlife. The size, shape, position and features of tree stands also have an effect on wildlife. Discussed in this publication are the advantages of streamside management zones and corridors. Mapping where wildlife has been spotted and taking note of where special habitats exist is a good way to become familiar with the wildlife in an area.