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Extension

FactSheet School of Natural Resources, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210

Enhancing Wildlife Habitat on Farmlands

Marja H. Bakermans, Graduate Associate

Amanda D. Rodewald, State Extension Specialist, Wildlife


All wildlife need 4 basic habitat

components for healthy communities:

1) food

2) water

3) shelter

4) space


Introduction

Ohio is losing approximately 90,000 acres of farmland

a year, primarily to urban sprawl. Between 1992

and 1997, Ohio lost 2,120 farms—

more than a farm a day. Ohio farmlands

can provide important habitat for wildlife.

 Managing a productive

farm can be compatible with the

needs of wildlife. For example, animals

that can live in agricultural areas

include barn owls, eastern meadowlarks,

fox, turkeys, bobwhite quail,

and deer.

Management for wildlife can provide

several benefits to landowners. Abundant wildlife

populations and natural areas provide recreational opportunities,

such as bird watching, fishing and hunting.

Management practices for improving wildlife habitat

often provide ecological benefits such as reduced soil

erosion, higher water quality, and increased soil moisture.


Some wildlife habitat improvements (like windbreaks)

can reduce costs of home energy, cattle feed and

equipment fuel. Creating habitat for bats and certain birds

that consume insects might reduce the need for costly

insecticides. Some landowners can receive additional

income by establishing private or public wildlife recreation

preserves on their land. In addition, many habitats

intended to protect wildlife can serve as outdoor classrooms

for children, who can learn to identify plants and

animals as well as learn how human and environmental

needs can be balanced.


If you want to manage your farm in a way that is

sensitive to wildlife needs, you first need to decide which

wildlife species you want to attract. For example, are you

interested in game species (like deer) or grassland birds?

Each wildlife species has different habitat requirements.

All wildlife need 4 basic habitat components for healthy

communities: food, water, shelter, and space. Food and

water are necessary for nourishment.

Shelter is needed for protection

against weather and predators. Space

is essential for activities such as

gathering food, attracting mates and

raising young.

 Each wildlife species

requires a unique blend of these elements.

Next, identify key areas that could

be used by wildlife. These areas may

include old orchards or house sites, bottomland and streamside

areas, fencelines and hedgerows, snags and fallen logs,

rock outcrops and caves. Once key wildlife areas are protected,

you can determine which food and cover components

need to be provided or enhanced.


Key Areas Used by Wildlife

Several different types of valuable wildlife habitats

are found on farmlands:


Odd Areas

Odd areas are sites not well adapted for cultivation, such

as seeps, bogs, caves, roadsides and ditches. Allow these

areas to grow to provide habitat to a variety of animals.

Permanent trees, shrubs and grasses can protect areas of

shallow water near or within crop fields. Generally, exclusion

of livestock from some areas provides the best vegetation

diversity and structure for wildlife habitat. In addition,

consider reducing your mowing frequency (especially

roadside ditches) to once every 3-5 years. These are

excellent locations to plant native wildflowers and grasses.

Old building structures such as barns are another good

place to attract wildlife, such as barn owls.

Abandoned Fields and Edges

Field borders containing trees, shrubs or grasses provide

food for birds, small mammals, fox and deer, and

provide nesting cover for many animals. Field borders

adjacent to woodlots may be particularly productive for

wildlife. Retaining a more natural or gradual field border

will encourage use by different animals.


Orchards

Orchards of fruit trees with grassy herbaceous understory

attract wildlife by providing food, cover, and nesting

areas. Birds, such as bobwhite quail, might nest in

grassy understories, while songbirds and mourning doves

nest in fruit trees. In addition, fruit allowed to fall to the

ground is an excellent food source.


Riparian Buffer Strips

Riparian buffers are strips of permanent vegetation

along waterways designated to intercept pollutants, reduce

erosion, improve water quality, and provide habitat

for wildlife. Streamside forests, in particular, help to

maintain aquatic habitat for fish by providing shade, food,

and in-stream woody structure for fish species. The width

of the buffer zone and the plant species used will depend

on the type of wildlife desired. A minimum width of

100-150 feet on both sides of the stream is often recommended

to provide significant ecological and wildlife

value.


Farm Ponds

Farm ponds can be managed to attract diverse wildlife.

Encourage vegetation growth around the shoreline

to stabilize the edge and provide food and cover for

wildlife. Herons, egrets, ducks and kingfishers may be

attracted to these ponds for food resources. Floating logs

or rafts allow loafing and sunning areas for salamanders,

turtles and ducks. Be sure to keep livestock out of the

pond or away from the banks to reduce soil erosion and

sedimentation. If livestock must use the pond, restrict

them to a small portion of the shoreline.


Snags

Snags are standing dead trees left for wildlife to use

for food, shelter, and nesting. Cavity-nesting birds often

comprise 20-40% of the birds in the forest, but a variety

of mammals, amphibians and reptiles regularly use cavities

too. Snags and dead limbs also are an important

source of perches for birds. Red-tailed hawks, kestrels

and other raptors that forage or nest in the open country

use high perches to survey the land for prey. Low perches,

less than 10 feet high, can provide sites for singing and

catching insects by songbirds such as eastern phoebe,

eastern meadowlarks and northern mockingbirds. If leaving

dead trees is not an option, artificial nest cavities can

be created. For example, nest boxes are commonly used

by bluebirds and tree swallows in open fields.


Brush Pile

Brush piles can provide dense cover for ground-nesting

birds, rabbits and other small mammals. Stack layers

of logs at right angles to each other to make a base for

the pile. Place treetops, old Christmas trees, limbs, stones

or stumps on top of the base to complete the pile. Ideal

piles are 4 to 8 feet tall and from 10 to 20 feet in diameter.

Place piles close to other food and cover sources,

preferably along forest edges, field corners or along

streams and marshes. Isolated piles may receive little

use or could be detrimental if long distances between

piles and suitable habitat make animals vulnerable to

predators.


Fencerow/Hedgerow

Fencerows and hedgerows are important to wildlife

for traveling, nesting, roosting and for cover from weather

and predators. To improve suitability for wildlife,

fencerows should be at least 30 feet wide and contain a

variety of native plant species. This type of habitat can

be easily created by modifying mowing practices or by

planting soft mast-producing shrubs.

Reducing or eliminating mowing or tilling areas adjacent

to fences also can create hedgerow habitat. Briars

and seedlings often naturally establish themselves along

this border. Once these areas have become established,

they can be placed on rotational burning or mowing

patterns so that they do not become too large for the

mowing equipment. In any given year, one-quarter of

the fence may be treated. If shrubs and trees are to be

planted in a fencerow, plant species like sumac, wild

plum, dogwoods, crab apples, hawthorns, chokecherry,

and sassafras in dense clumps to provide food and escape

cover for wildlife. The Ohio Department of Natural

Resources Division of Forestry provides resources and

advice for planting fencerows.


Habitat Improvement Practices

There are many simple ways to improve farmland

habitat for wildlife. The benefits of attracting wildlife

can often outweigh any damage through economic loss.

Hawks, owls and fox feed on rodents that destroy grains

and crops, while bats and birds consume copious amounts

of nuisance insects. For example, one bat may eat up to

3,000 insects in a night.

Fallow Fielding and Crop Rotation

A good way to create cover for wildlife is to incorporate

a crop-rotation practice that leaves recently cropped

lands to lie idle for a period of time. For example, plant

corn for three years followed by a year of cover crop.

Turn the cover crop over each fall and plant winter rye

to reduce erosion. Also, consider a rotation of corn or

milo followed by three years of fallow field and then

back to the row crop. No matter what crop you plant,

including a year or two of fallow fielding or legume

cover will benefit wildlife species.


Haying

Harvesting techniques often coincide with peak nesting

of grassland songbirds such as bobolink, eastern

meadowlark and grasshopper sparrow. Many bird nests,

young birds and deer fawn are lost each spring with

farmers mowing hay or brush-hogging fields. Most grassland

songbirds nest from May to August and must be

free of disturbance to produce a successful clutch of

young. If possible, avoid mowing or clearing thick,

brushy areas from April to August. For ground-nesting

birds the best time to mow is late March or early April

and mid-August and September. Place the cutting blade

to a height of six inches to prevent further loss of wildlife.

Also areas of grass left standing during the winter

can provide habitat for early nesting the following spring.

In areas where fields are maintained as open areas

without grazing or haying, strip mowing or mosaic

mowing can increase habitat diversity for songbirds and

small game. Strip mowing should be done in long strips

30-50 feet wide. The mosaic technique involves mowing

small patches in an irregular pattern and allows clusters

of blackberry, buckbrush and tree seedlings to grow. Be

sure to mow these clusters before saplings and shrubs

are too big for your tractor or mower.


Fire and Controlled Burns

If done properly on a periodic basis, burning can

improve the quality of grass and brushland habitats. Fires

remove accumulated dead material and encourage the

growth of valuable seed-producing plants and herbs and

stimulate legume germination. The abundant herbaceous

growth that follows a burn provides browse and cover

for deer, grouse and rabbits and attracts insects and the

songbirds that feed on them. Small controlled burns are

recommended for areas too steep for tillage or mowing.

Burns should be kept small and controlled with firebreaks

plowed around the perimeters.BE CAREFUL! Not only is fire dangerous, but also

it does more harm than good if done incorrectly or in the

wrong season. See a professional forester, biologist or

natural resource manager before implementing plans, and

be sure to obtain the proper permits first.


Organic Farming

Organic farming eliminates the use of fossil-based

nitrogen fertilizers, and laboratory produced insecticides

and herbicides. Organic farms can be highly commercialized

operations, which, at first glance, are indistinguishable

from neighboring conventional farms. Through

planned crop rotations, organic farms use biological technology

to replace chemical technology in fertility and

pest control. As energy prices increase, yield per unit

energy invested becomes a valuable measure of productivity.

In some cases, organic farmers produce about twice

as much per unit of energy as chemical farmers. In general,

wildlife benefit from organic farming through an

increase in diversity of plants and insects, reduced soil

erosion, less nitrate pollution in streams, and reduced

direct mortality or reproductive failure from insecticides

and herbicides.


Integrated Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the name given

to the practice of using a combination of treatment

methods to keep pests from ruining a crop. With IPM,

the term “treatment” does not always imply the use of a

chemical control. Non-chemical pest control strategies

include cultural, mechanical, and biological controls as

well as good sanitary practices. Natural enemies of farm

pests include predators, parasites and diseases. These

natural enemies are often species-specific and can reduce

or eliminate pests without negative effects on the

environment.

Examples of integrated pest management include crop

rotation, use of pesticide resistant crops and livestock.

Place fencing or guards around trees to stop rabbits, small

mammals and deer from gnawing and browsing trees. Mow

around the base of fruit or Christmas trees to discourage

damage by small mammals, which avoid open areas that

expose them to predators such as hawks and owls.


Pesticide Use

Pesticides can harm wildlife either directly by killing

them or indirectly by poisoning their plant and animal

food sources and, in turn, expose them to the chemicals

or reduce their food supply. In the United States, approximately

282 million acres are treated with agricultural

pesticides (herbicides and insecticides) annually.

Wildlife within and adjacent to fields are most likely to

be exposed to these chemicals. Strong evidence exists

that pesticides can have adverse effects on beneficial

insects and birds. Pesticide exclusion strips approximately

30-60 feet wide at the edges of fields can increase the

abundance of birds, small mammals and butterflies in

these areas. If you must use a pesticide, be sure to understand

its properties and apply it correctly. Organochlorines

should be avoided because they persist in nature

and become significant sources of mortality and reduced

reproduction in wildlife. Members of this class (some of

which are illegal) include benzene hexachloride, lindane,

chlordane, heptachlor, aldrin, DDT, dieldrin, endrin,

endosulfan, toxaphene, Keopone and mirex.


Food Plots

Food plots provide overwinter food for wildlife. Leave

10-12 rows of unharvested, standing crop along the entire

length of field edges (especially sides that adjoin

fencerows, woodlots or wetland areas). Corn is the most

common forage plant for wildlife, but annual rye, millet

and buckwheat are also beneficial. During harsh winters

and low acorn production years, turkeys and deer will

use corn heavily. Twelve 50-foot rows of standing corn

will support 20 turkeys for 3 months. Perennial crops

such as clover, alfalfa and other legumes can be planted

to provide food for turkeys, songbirds, rabbits and deer

in the summer. In addition, sunflower beds along field

edges provide more food for birds and small animals. Of

course, maintaining food plots may increase wildlife

damage to nearby row crops, so carefully consider your

primary objectives.



Key Points to Remember


• Use native plant species
whenever possible. Native

plants generally provide the best food and cover for

wildlife.

• Bigger is better. Because little natural habitat remains

in some areas of rural Ohio, providing as much natural

area as possible is best.

• Connect your natural areas via hedgerows or buffer

strips or patches of natural vegetation. Natural areas

that are connected to one another allow animals to

disperse and move between areas.

Programs to Consider

Several federal and state voluntary programs exist to

aid farmers and landowners in improving and maintaining

habitat to benefit wildlife. These community-based

conservation programs provide a flexible design of conservation

practices and financial incentives to address

environmental issues.

• Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP): This is

a program for landowners who want to develop and

improve fish and wildlife habitat on private land.

WHIP helps landowners plan and cost-share wildlife

habitat improvements in association with active farming

operations.

• The Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program

(PESP) is a program that forms partnerships with

pesticide users to reduce the health and environmental

risks associated with pesticide use and implement

pollution prevention strategies.

• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a program

which reduces soil erosion, protects the nation’s ability

to produce food and fiber, reduces sedimentation

in streams and lakes, improves water quality, establishes

wildlife habitat, and enhances forest and wetland

resources. Farmers are encouraged to convert

highly erodible cropland or other environmentallysensitive

acreage to vegetative cover, such as tame or

native grasses, wildlife plantings, trees, filterstrips or

riparian buffers.

• Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

is a program targeted to address water quality, soil

erosion and wildlife habitat issues related to agricultural

use. The program uses financial incentives to

encourage farmers and ranchers to voluntarily enroll

in contracts of 10 to 15 years in duration to remove

lands from agricultural production.

• The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is a program

offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore

and enhance wetlands on their property. The WRP

goal is to achieve the greatest wetland functions and

values, along with optimum wildlife habitat, on every

acre enrolled in the program.

Visit Ohio State University Extension’s web site “Ohioline” at: http://ohioline.osu.edu



All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis

without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.

Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension

TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868



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