5 Tips for Maintaining Wildlife Habitat During Harvest Season

Harvesting timber efficiently while maintaining a safe wildlife habitat on your property poses unique challenges, but with the right knowledge, woodland property owners can successfully balance their operations to continue providing a safe place for the surrounding wildlife. Here are a few valuable tips to assist you in your efforts.

  • Think long term.  It’s very hard to segment your efforts by season or time of year. Instead, think in the long term and put everything into context. Thoughtful habitat planning requires taking into account your property’s landscape, ecosystem, life stage, characteristics, and more. 

  • Weigh your options.  You have a variety of harvest and regeneration systems available at your disposal. The key is to determine which works best with your landscape and wildlife. Contrary to popular belief, clear-cutting is sometimes a viable option – but so are seed-tree harvesting and shelterwood cuts. 

  • Determine limiting factors.  Have you noticed depletion of wildlife on your land? The most important way to preserve wildlife is to determine which factors are limiting its success. If it’s a lack of nutrition, food plots can be planted to encourage healthy feeding.

  • Consider cover.  Depending on the species, each animal has different cover needs for survival. These may include hiding, sleeping, feeding, breeding, or nesting cover. Familiarize yourself with the different cover needs before harvesting timber. 

  • Leave it alone.  There is something to be said for leaving undeveloped habitat patches spaced throughout your property. These areas can serve as excellent sources of protection and preservation.

There is a fine line to be walked during harvest season. You need to harvest timber to make a profit, not at the expense of wildlife. By following these five tips and researching additional information, you can make smart choices.