Conservation Plan of
Operation
X Tract
X County, Florida
February 13, 201609
USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
USDA Service Center
Address
Phone Number
Name
District Conservationist
EMAIL Address
Florida Fish and Wildlife
Address
Phone Number
Name
Wildlife Biologist
EMAIL Address
Conservation Plan of Operation
Landowner Name
Address
Location: X County, Florida
Conservation Planning
The goal of the Landowner Assistance Program (LAP) is to provide assistance to private
landowners with information and planning for wildlife habitat conservation and
management. Working with our partners (USFWS, Florida DOF, NRCS, and the Wildlife
Legacy Initiative) we provide technical assistance and education, as well as administer
cost-share programs. Wildlife species are inseparable from soil, water, and plant
resources and are, therefore, integral components of all primary land and water systems.
The types and densities of wildlife species in a given area depends primarily on the
amount and distribution of food, cover, water and living space. If any one of these
elements is missing, inadequate or inaccessible, wildlife will be scarce or will not inhabit
the area. This plan attempts to consider all resources (SWAPA – Soil, Water, Air, Plants,
Animals) and involve as many resource professionals as possible during the planning
process.
Introduction
Management Objectives
The primary management objective of this Conservation Plan of Operation is to promote
habitat quality for a variety of native wildlife species, including white-tailed deer, and
wild turkey, along with many non-game species of wildlife. As wildlife habitat is
improved throughout the property, available recreational activities, such as wildlife
viewing and hunting, should improve noticeably. Other important goals for this tract
should include the promotion of healthy timber stands, enhancement of aesthetic values,
and conservation of soil and water resources. In addition to these goals, focusing on
reducing the feral hog and coyote populations should be a priority due to property
damage.
Site Description
The X property is approximately 1794 acres and is located in section X, Township XN,
Range XE, in X County. The property is located 5 miles northeast of the intersection of
X and X. X. is an X company that properly discharges waste water from the X.
Field 1 is a 728 acre area that consists of upland pine habitat, along with hardwood
bottomland/swamp. This property is unique due to the very quickly changing soil types,
which consequently results in mixed and very quickly changing habitat types. Given this
situation, only pockets of field 1 will be managed as an upland pine area, and the
remaining area should be left as is. Field 2 is 1065 acres of agricultural fields that are
planted in various crops including corn, sorhgram, and rye grass. Also included in this
field are various ponds throughout the property. There will be little wildlife management
recommendation for this field.
Summary of Management Recommendations
Timber:
Approximately 728 acres of the X is wooded acreage. This wooded acreage is made up
of hardwood bottomland and upland pine habitat. Within the upland pine habitat, timber
management activities should include removal of existing hardwood trees and saplings;
specifically the hardwood mid-story. A thinning of the pines in these areas should also
be considered. The target basal area for this thinning should be between 40-60 ft2/acre.
In the long term, forest thinning, and prescribed burning will be required to improve and
maintain wildlife diversity on this property. A commercial thinning will enhance tree
growth, improve forest health and provide an economic return for the company. By
doing so, sunlight to will reach the forest floor and promote native forbs and grasses that
are beneficial to all wildlife species. A natural resource professional should be consulted
before any harvesting operations are conducted. Firebreaks should be established and
maintained annually to provide protection from wildfires, access to the stands, and to
divide stands.
Firebreak creation and maintenance should be a priority of the landowner. Firebreaks
should be created and maintained around the tract’s perimeter. In the case of X,
firebreaks may not be necessary in many stretches of the property boundary due to wet
bottomland and creeks. Roadways also can serve as firebreaks if not allowed to become
overgrown. Currently, the Division of Forestry can provide assistance in firebreak
creation usually for a modest fee. After the firebreaks are plowed, the landowner should
use a disc to smooth the areas for better access lanes and to help facilitate growth of
herbaceous vegetation.
Firebreaks can serve many purposes if properly maintained. They will 1) provide
protection from wildfire, 2) provide access to the property from the perimeter, 3) will
help control prescribed burnings, and 4) will also provide transitional zones that are very
important to wildlife species. The edges of firebreaks can provide excellent nesting and
foraging habitat and will also provide travel corridors for wildlife. Firelines should be at
least 15 to 20 feet wide and follow the natural contour of the land to the fullest extent
possible.
Maintenance of the lines will consist of annual disking during the winter months for
promotion of wildlife-friendly herbaceous vegetation and to maintain access throughout
the property. Disking during the winter months, usually November through February,
will promote the presence of native weeds and legumes such as partridge pea,
beggarweed, and common ragweed.
Wildlife:
To improve overall habitat for wildlife on this tract, the landowner should have a good
mixture of hardwoods (in and on the edges of swamp areas) and open upland pines along
with the existing agricultural fields. By having a diverse mix of vegetative communities,
wildlife habitat is improved, which should increase the value of the land to the
landowner, improve hunting opportunities, and create an aesthetically pleasing
environment. Specific management recommendations for wildlife will include the use of
mechanical/chemical control of midstory/understory vegetation, use of prescribed fire,
forest thinnings/harvest, and fireline creation/maintenance.
The land manager has expressed concerned about feral hogs and coyotes. Feral hogs are
damaging crops and coyotes are damaging large composting bags in pursuit of rats.
Information pertaining to the management of these two species has been included later in
the plan provided by the University of Florida IFAS Extension Service.
Some species of wildlife that were observed or noted by the landowner include whitetailed deer, wild turkey, coyotes, and feral hogs. All recommendations within this plan
are unlikely to have an adverse impact on threatened and endangered (T&E) species
management. The use of prescribed fire in particular will have a beneficial effect on
habitat needs of T&E species. A list of imperiled species that may be found in X County
is in Appendix A.
Recreation and Aesthetics:
The objective for some of the employees at X is to develop an in house, archery only,
hunting club. Practices such as burning and thinning pine trees, will greatly enhance the
hunting and wildlife viewing. By executing the practices stated above, not only will the
vision in some of the wooded areas increase, but the attraction of game to these areas will
increase due to the habitat quality being developed and managed. Aesthetics on the
property will be further enhanced through the introduction of prescribed fire and thinning
of pines. It is strongly recommended that a comprehensive burn plan complete with
smoke management screening be completed by a state certified burner prior to applying
any fire. Contact the X County forester for burn assistance.
Soil and Water Conservation:
Soil and water resources are critical components of a healthy forest, and therefore must
be considered when developing a management plan. No soil or water problems were
detected during the field reconnaissance, and none of the proposed management
recommendations will adversely affect these resources.
The Division of Forestry’s BMP program provides guidance to protect wetlands and
water quality when conducting silvicultural activities in and around wetlands. Filing a
notice of intent to implement BMP’s and documenting those activities entitles the
landowner to a presumption of compliance with state water quality regulations. The
BMP Manual is available at: http://www.fl-dof.com/forest_management/bmp/index.html.
Stand Specific Recommendations
Table 1: Stand information for the X, X County, Florida.
Field
1
2
Total
Current Use
Woodlands
Ag fields
Size
735.7 acres
1065.5 acres
1801.2 acres
Percent% of total acreage
41%
59%
100%
NRCS Conservation Practices
The following NRCS conservation practices have been designed for the fields below and
should be established according to the following implementation schedule and
specifications. The information provided below is meant to be a summary of conservation
practices needed to meet RMS standards. More detail can be found in the field treatment
schedule, conservation plan map, and job sheets in the Appendix.
Firebreak – Code 394
Establish a firebreak around the property boundary in December 2009. All
firebreaks established are recommended to be about twice the flame length or 6
feet wide whichever is greater. If you wish to use them for food plots as well then
they should be at least 30 feet wide. Annual maintenance needs to be performed
to keep them in good shape.
Prescribed Burning - Code 338
Prescribed is the number one management practice for efficiency and
productivity. Rx fire puts nutrients bound up in dead ground litter back into the
soil to be reused by new plant growth. With appropriate sunlight fire promotes
wildlife friendly warm season grasses and forbs that provide food and cover.
Many native bird species, such as quail, turkey, and multiple songbird species,
depend on fire for their survival.
Rx fire should be conducted between January and May depending on the weather
conditions. It is recommended that Rx fire not be implemented until the pines are
thinned and/or the mid-story trees and shrubs are minimized. This tract has a lot
of upland pine areas adjacent to hardwood bottoms and wetlands. It is
recommended that when burning, to allow the fire to continue down into these
bottoms and die out on its own, when soil moisture is adequate. This creates
diversity and manages the ecotone or “transition zone” between habitat types.
These transition zones are used for foraging and travel corridors.
In addition to the benefits mentioned above, Rx fire greatly reduces the chance of
wildfire by reducing fuel loads. General and specific planning information for all
prescribed burns called for in this Conservation Plan of Operation can be found in
the prescribed burning job sheet (FL-338-JS) in the Appendix.
We recommend that a certified FL prescribed burner write all burn prescriptions
and conduct all burns to reduce liability concerns for the landowner.
Brush Management – Code 314
Fire exclusion has allowed hardwoods and shrubs to encroach on the upland pine
areas present at X. These mid-story trees and shrubs along with the fairly dense
pine canopy cover are blocking the sunlight from hitting the forest floor, which is
essential for native forbs and grasses to grow and provide food for wildlife. After
a pine thinning, much of this will be eliminated simply from the machinery
running it over and pulling it up. There will, however, be some hardwoods and
shrubs left behind that will need to be eliminated. This can be accomplished by
chipping, mowing, chopping, and maybe even a little herbicide when things try to
start sprouting back. By doing this, it will allow the plants that really matter to
wildlife a chance to grow. Some examples of wildlife friendly plants include
partridge pea, blackberry, ragweed, winged sumac, broomsedge, Indian grass,
pokeberry, Florida pusley, desmodium (beggerweed), goldenrod, butterfly pea,
etc….
Refer to the Brush Management Jobsheet for additional information.
Field Border – Code 386
Although not a necessity, creating field borders around the many fields at X,
would further enhance the habitat quality present. Field borders are areas,
approximately 15-30ft in width; that are disked annually or bi-annually and left
fallow for native vegetation to grow; again creating more diversity. These field
borders can reduce erosion, provide turning areas for farm equipment, and
provide travel lanes and cover for wildlife.
On the site visit, it was pointed out that corn was planted in areas such as field
corners where the pivots did not reach. This is another great management practice
that utilizes “unused” field. This provides an additional food source, and can be
planted in different crops year round.
ADDITIONAL MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR WILDLIFE
Herd Management for Whitetail Deer:
Herd Management is a very important aspect of overall deer and wildlife
management. There are many reasons for wisely choosing what deer are killed or not
killed. They include sex ratio, population control, higher productivity, and antler quality.
Sex ratios are naturally about even when fawns are born and are artificially skewed when
hunted. For many years regulations did not allow for the harvest of does, because of
generally low deer populations. Although there are doe season and doe tags available
today, many still adhere to rules from the past. This causes buck/doe ratios to be skewed
towards does, because only bucks are being harvested. In areas such as X, where many
crops are grown, carrying capacity is raised. This can increase herds to unhealthy levels
and cause many problems such as malnutrition and low productivity. Keeping the
population in check by harvesting the proper amount of does and being selective with
buck harvest will greatly improve and maintain a deer herd.
Many places that practice QDM (Quality Deer Management) have some
sort of hunting rules that ensure the harvests are appropriate. Many will say that you
have to kill two does before you can shoot a buck (maybe only one a year) and the buck
has to meet a certain size criteria. (e.g. 4 on one side, or 15” inside spread) Much of this
depends on the specific site, and can generally be noticed by observation data and harvest
records.
By implementing these hunting strategies, inter-twined with the land management
strategies in this plan and keeping good records, not only will the hunting enjoyment
increase, but the overall wildlife health will increase. I have included an example of an
observation data sheet a harvest data sheet for examples.
Schedule of Operations for the X property, X County, Florida
Calendar
Year
Field and Practice Area (PA)
Date Completed
Practice (s)
All
Field 1 & 2
394
Total
Ac./Ft.
NA
Month
Treatment
Bi-annually
Field 1
338
NA
Jan-May
Prescribe burn
2009
Field 1
666
NA
Any
Pine thinning
2009
Field 1
314
NA
Fall
Brush Management
2010
Field 2
386
NA
Dec-Jan
Establish and annually maintain field
borders
Dec-Jan
Establish and annually maintain firebreaks