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Habitat Control
Jay Whiteside
Technical Guidance Biologist
Ecosystem
A biological environment consisting of all living organisms in a
particular area as well as all of the nonliving, physical components of
the environment in which the organisms interact.
Soil – Water – Air - Sunlight
Examples:
WHAT IS HABITAT ?
The area or natural environment in which an
organism or population normally lives. A habitat is
made up of physical factors such as soil, moisture,
range of temperature, and availability of light as well
as biotic factors such as the availability of food.
Depending on the species of animal, its habitat can
encompass a large geographic area such as a vast
prairie or forest, or be relatively small such as a
single tree.
Habitat Basics
A Habitat must contain 4 basic components
•Food
•micro-organisms, grass, forbs, seeds, fruit, fungi, other organisms
•Shelter
•leaf and grass litter, herbaceous vegetation, shrubs, trees
•Water
•dew droplets, creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, foods
•Space
•The arrangement of food, shelter, and water within a usable area for the
organism
Habitat Types
There are 2 Basic Habitat Types – Aquatic and Terrestrial
Aquatic Habitats Include
•Ponds, Lakes, Creeks, Rivers, Wetlands
•Microscopic plants and animals, aquatic insects, fish, frogs,
salamanders, snakes, beavers, otters, waterfowl.
Terrestrial Habitats
•Grasslands – Prairies and Savannahs
•Insects, songbirds (grasshopper sparrow), snakes, raptors (northern
harrier, short-eared owl), gophers, prairie dogs, cottontail rabbit,
rodents (cotton rat), coyote, pronghorn, bison
•Forests
•Insects, songbirds (warblers), snakes (copperhead), raptors (Sharpshinned hawk), Eastern cottontail rabbit, rodents (Eastern wood rat),
box turtle, bobcat, gray fox, white-tailed deer
WHAT IS HABITAT ?
The complex interaction of space, food, water, and cover
Complex because what may be of minor importance
to some species may be critical to other species
Examples:
water – necessity for all wildlife; waterfowl, fish, shorebirds, etc.
grass – grazing, thermal cover, nesting cover; mice to bison
shrubs – loafing cover, screening cover, browse; cardinals to deer
WHAT IS HABITAT ?
The complex interaction of space, food, water, and cover
Complex because what may be of minor importance
to some species may be critical to other species
Examples:
water – necessity for all wildlife; waterfowl, fish, shorebirds, etc.
grass – grazing, thermal cover, nesting cover; mice to bison
shrubs – loafing cover, screening cover, browse; cardinals to deer
WHEN YOU THINK HABITAT, THINK DIVERSITY
A habitats quality is directly proportional to the diversity and richness of
the plant community.
The more different types and species of plants there are, the more habitat
niches the plant community will provide. This translates into a diversity of
wildlife species and an efficiently operating ecosystem (complex food web).
What is Niche?
A Habitat Niche is the physical space occupied by an organism.
An organisms Ecological Niche is its function or position within
the ecological community.
Example
A fox squirrels habitat is a deciduous forest. Its habitat niche are mast producing trees
within the forest and its ecological niche is the dispersal of seeds as well as being prey to
predators in the forest community.
Why is Niche Important?
Understanding the ecological concept of niche allows us
to understand the ecological system as a whole. This in
turn will help in making decisions that will impact the
biotic community positively, or at least prevent us from
taking actions that impact it negatively.
HABITAT
The habitat (and how you manage it) will dictate the number of wildlife species
HOW DO YOU MANAGE FOR DIVERSITY ?
Many times, the best management techniques to increase diversity
are simply the techniques that do not decrease diversity
Management is as much not doing the wrong thing as it is doing the right thing
Habitat Management

The manipulation of vegetation to produce desired
conditions that meet specific needs of wildlife species.
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Tools
– Axe
– Cow
– Plow
– Fire
– Gun
Aldo Leopold’s Tools
“ The central thesis of game management is this: game can be restored by
the creative use of the same tools that which have heretofore destroyed it –
ax, plow, cow, fire and gun…; Management is their purposeful and continuing
alignment.”
HABITAT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Axe - Brush Management
Very site-specific and will ultimately depend on the overall
objectives of the property
chemical
IPT – Basal Spray
Foliar Spray: IPT or
broadcast
mechanical
Dozing - Grubbing
Shredding
Timber Harvest
Mechanical Brush Sculpting - Example
Forest Management

Manipulating forest structure to
increase forage production.

Thinning
– Retain high value trees
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Mast producers
Good crown form
50-70% canopy retained
– Remove trees of poor value
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Cedar, elm, sweetgum, etc.
Patch Cleacutts
– Size vary depending on soils, slope,
and species composition.
– 0.5 to 10 acre patches over 15-25%
of the area
Patch Clearcutts - Wildlife Openings

Timber Harvest
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Incorporate Patch CC
with thinning
Average 5 ac
Distribution
– Facilitate easy movement
between forest and
openings

Hydro-axe
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Mulching
Dozer

Least desirable
Brush Management
Planting of native trees and shrubs also
qualifies as a brush management practice.
 Brush management practices should annually
affect 10% or 10 ac of the total area under the
plan.

HABITAT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Cow - Livestock Management
Typically the most important factor affecting wildlife density and
distribution in the Post Oak Savannah and Blackland Prairie
Stocking rates are critical, rotate livestock, defer some pastures
Concentrate livestock in ‘improved’ pastures
HABITAT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Plow - Range Enhancement
The plow is typically used as a tool
to set back plant succession and
encourage the growth annual
plants for food and cover.
It can also be used as a tool to
restore degraded habitat and build
food plots for target wildlife
species.
Range Enhancement
Native Grassland Restoration
Basics of Native Grassland
Restoration

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Prepare the site for planting
 Chemical, Mechanical, Burning
Select species mix – The more diverse the better
 Include both annual and perennial forbs
Planting
 November – May
 Planting depth should be ¼ inch or less
 No-till drill or broadcast/harrow
Patience - A typical grassland restoration project requires at least 3
full growing seasons for good stand establishment.
Must annually affect a minimum of 10% of the total area or 10 acres
until the project is completed
Typical Native Grass and Forb Mix
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Little bluestem, big bluestem, yellow indiangrass, sideoats
grama, switchgrass, Eastern gammagrass, Maximillion
sunflower, purple prairie clover, Engelman daisy, Illinois
bundleflower, purple coneflower.
The more diverse the seed mix the better. Include both annual
and perennial forbs.

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May be limited by seed availability.
Hand collection of seed from local sites.
Strip Disking

Objective

Expose bare soil to encourage
germination of weeds.
Only disk deep enough to slightly turn
the soil.
Don’t plow up like a cultivated field.
Fall – Winter for growing season forbs.
Disk 1/3 of field in strips and rotate
each year.
Creates excellent brood habitat for
quail and turkey.
Creates abundant food and bare
ground for dove.
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HABITAT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Fire - Prescribed Burning
Most important and most needed
habitat management practice
Inexpensive
No soil disturbance
Increased light penetration
Increased water infiltration
Litter removal
Removal of stagnant growth
Control of undesirable species
Release of nutrients
General Guidelines
Rangeland – 3yr rotation
Forestland – 5-7 year rotation
HABITAT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Gun
For some species, such as white-tailed deer, harvesting of animals is
necessary to maintain the population at levels that will not be detrimental to
the habitat.
This is typically a result of an
unbalanced ecosystem
•Top predators have been
removed from the habitat
resulting in exponential
growth of the prey population
and over use of critical
resources.
Wetland Enhancement
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Annually provide seasonal or
permanent water for roosting,
feeding, or nesting habitat for
wetland wildlife.
Shallow wetland management,
creation or restoration
Other moist soil management
such as rotational grazing or
exclusion (fencing out) of
livestock from wetlands,
especially during the growing
season.
Construction and maintenance of a
new project will qualify for 10 years.
HABITAT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Riparian Management
Most fertile, most
productive, and
most important
habitat in
the Post Oak
and Blackland Prairie
fencing
deferment from grazing
establish vegetation
HABITAT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Control of Native and Exotic Species
Invasive Vegetation
mesquite
yaupon
bahia grass
Cedar
Wildlife
deer
exotics
hogs
livestock
Summary
•Habitat is the area or natural environment in which an organism
or population normally lives. A habitat is made up of physical
factors such as soil, moisture, range of temperature, and
availability of light as well as biotic factors such as the
availability of food.
•A habitats quality is directly proportional to the diversity and
richness of the plant community.
•A Habitat must contain 4 basic components
•Food, Shelter, Water, Space
•Habitat Management is the manipulation of vegetation to produce
desired conditions that meet specific needs of wildlife species.
•Aldo Leopold’s Tools – Axe, Cow, Plow, Fire and Gun
Questions