Enhancement of Woodcock Habitat on Private Lands in Southern New Brunswick 2010-11
Goals and Objectives
There are 4 main goals of this project.
1. To rejuvenate abandoned agricultural/farmland old growth stands of alders and other deciduous shrubs to provide prime habitat for woodcock to nest, brood, sing, roost and to once again feed upon.
2. To provide enhanced roosting areas for the woodcock to better evade predators and for singing in, during the breeding season.
3. To determine through our habitat manipulation trials whether manual or mechanical cutting of alders and other deciduous shrubs, provides better habitat and at what stage of development.
4. To educate our 7000 woodlot owners on the variety of techniques involved for improving the habitat for woodcock populations on their woodlots.
Activities
Our plan for this project is to cut 50-100 foot wide strips through some old growth alder and other shrubbery (i.e. grey birch, hawthorn, etc.) areas on 5 different abandoned farmland locations. The strips will be cut out with a combination of an excavator with front mounted bush-hog and/or manually with a thinning or brush saw (dependant of scale of area to be treated). Roosting area improvements will be conducted by bush-hogging with a farm tractor to mow strips in advanced grassy conditions or manually with thinning saw in areas with dense shrub conditions. These activities will be completed during the fall and winter of 2010/2011. At present we plan on manipulating these areas every 5 years to continually provide prime habitat for the woodcock to thrive in. Funding would certainly be appreciated but it is hoped that once landowners see the benefits, that they would be encouraged to do it on their own in the future.
Specific Habitat Products/Results to be Supported by WHC’s Contributions
This project will enhance approximately 5-10 ha of old abandoned agricultural/farmland areas in 5 different locations on private land in southern N.B.
Benefits to Waterfowl, Wetlands-Associated Species, and/or Other Wildlife
The focus of this project will be on the enhancement of woodcock habitat and therefore, our prime target. The rejuvenation process of these stands will provide fresh, dense cover with easier access to the soil for woodcock to feed (i.e. mainly for earthworms), nest, brood, etc.. Other species that will directly benefit from the fresh buds/browse, insects and earthworms, would be ruffed grouse, warblers, field sparrows and brown thrashers. Snowshoe hare would also benefit from the fresh trees to feed upon and to evade predators amongst the new dense coverage of alders and shrubs.
Relevance to Habitat Planning, Decision Making and/or Management
The direct influence of this project will be on the enhancement and improvement of the abandoned agricultural/farmland for woodcock habitat. With this project being highly publicized through our woodlot owner organization and on-site signage, it is anticipated that many more private woodlot owners will be interested in joining the movement and thus, improving even more habitat in the area. Those benefiting directly from this project will include private woodlot owners and migratory game bird enthusiasts. Restoration of the habitat on their lands will provide them with a much more productive and diverse area on their woodlot, for them and their neighbors to benefit from. Woodcock enthusiasts, whether they are hunters or bird-watchers (i.e. spring singing rituals), will enjoy seeing the populations once again be plentiful in the area. In-direct benefits will be received by both WHC and the SNB Wood-Co-operative Ltd from being involved with such a worthy cause and through promotional events and woodlot signage. Exposure from this project will benefit both organizations for future business endeavors as well.
Project Location
The locations of the restoration projects will take place in the Kings and Queens counties of Southern New Brunswick. The locations will be entirely on private woodlots in Sussex, Springfield, Wickham, Cumberland Bay and the Salmon River. All areas are currently supporting "old growth" stands of alders and other advanced age shrub species that are in need of rejuvenating to provide better habitat for the woodcock population to thrive in once again. Hunting will be permitted on all of these sites, once it is perceived that the woodcock population is strong enough to permit it. Monitoring of populations will be conducted through annual sightings and spring singing observations.
Please click here to view the project location map (pdf file).
Project Contact
For more information on this project, please contact Jamie Floyd, Forester, SNB Wood Co-operative Ltd., Sussex, NB.