Pennsylvania Game News - October 2013 - 12

it erupts from cover. Often the result
is a rushed shot and a long look at a
departing bird. Grouse move quickly,
but you have more time than you think.
As in any hunt, it pays to take an extra
second to breathe, set up and shoot.
A balanced sense of calm readiness in

a well-balanced habitat is the key to
tipping the odds in your favor when
chasing Thunder.
Lisa Williams manages ruffed grouse,
mourning doves and American woodcock for the Game Commission.

Restoring the Balance
By Lisa Williams
Support young forests. Landowners conducting a timber harvest may face
a wall of misunderstanding and even hostility from friends and neighbors.
Public land managers may receive a backlash when they harvest trees or mow
over-mature shrublands. We have abundant mature forest in Pennsylvania
today. More young forest is needed to stop species declines.
Harvest trees responsibly. Harvest decisions made today have consequences that last 100 years or more. Deer abundance and invasive species
affect the ability of a forest to regrow. Agency biologists and foresters, and
private foresters with wildlife training, can help you decide what works best
for wildlife on your property. Agency personnel also can guide you toward
funding that might be available for habitat improvements. Seek out professional advice.
Harvest enough trees to create young forest. Most private landowners
opt for “single tree selection,” removing individual high-quality trees while
leaving other trees standing. This technique preserves the “eye appeal” of
the woodlot but does not create the thick young cover grouse need. Growing
conditions for the future forest also may be negatively affected if tree seedlings
are starved of adequate sunlight. Carried out by an unscrupulous operator,
this technique may result in the loss of all high-quality trees with “junk”
left in the stand. Work with a professional forester with a good reputation.
Support responsible deer management. Years of deer overabundance have
resulted in many forest patches with a stripped-down understory of ferns and
striped maple. This is evident particularly in northern Pennsylvania, the
heart of grouse range. Managing deer populations in balance with the forest
ecosystem restores the high-quality habitats that grouse require. Habitat
quality for deer, bears and turkeys also is improved.
Learn to love messy habitats. Opposition to young forest creation is the
N0. 1 barrier to successful implementation of ruffed grouse conservation
plans. People do not generally like messy habitats, yet thriving wildlife habitat should look “lived in.” Forest ﬁres, windstorms, ﬂoods, large-scale timber
harvesting, disease and insect pests created the messy habitats needed by
young forest wildlife in the past. Today it’s up to us to restore the balance.
12

WWW.PENNGAMENEWS.COM

http://WWW.PENNGAMENEWS.COM

Pennsylvania Game News - October 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - October 2013