Old Field/Early Successional areas

[BenAllgood]

I have some questions for those of you that have old field or early successional areas.


Do you find deer use in these areas to be less in the fall and winter? Or, is it more dependent on the stage of succession? I would think spring and summer use of these areas would be greatest in the first couple stages of succession, but then start to fall off during the later stages. On the other hand, I would think winter use would be greatest in the stages dominated by more shrubby or woody plants.


During the winter, areas that are in the earliest successional periods, I would think would not hold as much value for deer. But, they would have tremendous value in the spring and summer from a food standpoint. Then, as the areas become dominated by more perennial species, the winter use would start to be greater.


I'm just curious what others have found in their old field or early successional areas. I am just starting on developing about 16-17 acres like this. I have some assumptions, but have mostly always dealt with woods and young forest type areas like replanted cutovers.


My first thought is to get rid of all the cool season perennial grass, and see what the seed bank has to offer. Then, I would break up the area into management units that I would keep in different stages of early to mid succession rotations.


I know some of you are further down the road in managing these types of areas.

 

[Native Hunter]

Ben, I think you are on the right track. What I like is an NWSG field that isn't too thick and has lots of forbs mixed in with it. The tall NWSGs provide cover while the deer are browsing the forbs.

During the summer, a field is too hot for deer to bed in. I never see bedding in NWSGs in the summer - but the deer move through them at night, daylight and dusk browsing. During the fall and winter, the food value has diminished, but the NWSGs provide the best cover around, because the leaves have fallen off the trees. So, deer use them for travel cover, and then the grasses feel good to bed in, because the summer heat is gone.

The seed bank could indeed provide you with the type of field that you are looking for. You lose nothing but a little time trying it and seeing what emerges. In your area you should get a lot of tall goldenrod, ironweed and some other tall species. You might feel it is good enough without going to the expense of doing NWSGs.

Good luck,

 

[Mennoniteman]

Wow, 16 acres. I prophesy that you will find that this is going to be the best and easiest habitat project ever. I think you are correct in the different stages of early successional growth and the times of year that the deer will use woody browse vs. forbs. The great thing is that you can have both, growing together in the same field. Just let the field go and see what grows. Kill the grass and throw in some wildflower seeds and bury 10,000 acorns to get started if you feel extra motivated. Let the field grow until woody plants are well established and at the density that you want in relation to forbs, then brush hog the field in different sections on different years. You should be able to wait 3-6 years before mowing the same area again. The great thing is that after woody species are established they grow right back after you mow them. The woody species slowly overtake the forbs, whereas mowing allows the forbs to overtake the woody species, so a balance between waiting and mowing is your control program. Just make sure that you mow before the trees are too big to handle with your tractor and brush hog or you will have a problem. Sometimes a field will grow up in 8' high blackberry brambles or something similar as it's getting started, which blocks sunlight and kills everything else. In a condition like this just driving your tractor through without an implement will break down the growth and enable sunlight to get to the soil.

 

[Triple C]

Ben - Lot of good info already posted. Another option is to break up this area in 5 acre units - put a firebreak around each unit and burn 1 to 2 sections every year. Not sure if your land is in LA or KY or both, but both places, particularly LA, are going to produce a multitude of sprouting sweet gums and other hardwood stems. Nothing better than fire to control those young stems and open up the seed bank to native forbs n grasses.

I've got about 160 acres of pine that gets burned every 2 to 3 years. The understory is 160 acres of early successional habitat that is full of forbs, weeds and native grasses. Without burning it would soon turn into a mid-story of sweet gum. I love to creep along the firebreaks and see all the browse that is occurring on the forbs and weeds. A couple of weeks ago I was doing just this and stopped to take this pic of a young blackberry along the edge that had nearly every leaf browsed off. Pokeweed, ragweed, greenbriar, partridge pea and other stuff I don't even know the name of gets regularly browsed throughout the property. Nothing better than having a mosaic of early successional habitat across your landscape.


This area was burned in late March. Today it's 3 to 6 ft tall with all manner of browse.

 

[BenAllgood]

So, I talked to the sprayer, and they said my land was too hilly to spray. So, how do you get old field habitat or early succession areas without killing fescue?

 

[Triple C]

I'd PM Native Hunter. He started out with fescue years ago and take a look at the diversity he has in his early successional fields. You guys are in the same state and it appears the topography from you pics is similar.

Down here...I'd put a 3pt sprayer behind my tractor and spray with gly right now. Then come late winter run a set of disc harrows thru it to open up the seed bank. Then begin burning every 2 to 3 years.

 

[BenAllgood]

I'd PM Native Hunter. He started out with fescue years ago and take a look at the diversity he has in his early successional fields. You guys are in the same state and it appears the topography from you pics is similar.

Down here...I'd put a 3pt sprayer behind my tractor and spray with gly right now. Then come late winter run a set of disc harrows thru it to open up the seed bank. Then begin burning every 2 to 3 years.

Yeah, we're about 20 miles apart as the crow flies. From what I recall, he sprayed and then planted NWSG. I was not going to plant.