COMMUNITY TOOLS: Managing and Restoring Land for Wildlife |
Habitat Management: Some habitats require periodic natural disturbances to maintain their unique characteristics. By “managing” the land, we can often mimic these natural disturbances in places where the disturbance has been eliminated or diminished as a result of human activities. Where development has significantly reduced the diversity of habitats in some areas of the state, managing and restoring undeveloped lands helps to maintain this diversity. Management techniques that can be used to mimic natural disturbances include prescribed burning, mowing, timber harvesting, removing non-native species and planting native species. Communities who own town forests or conservation land can manage these properties to protect or benefit wildlife. Management plans for public or conservation land should include restrictions adequate to protect the features and values at stake. Management of these lands can also provide an economic benefit to the town (e.g. sustainable timber harvesting) by following a defined management plan for maintaining wildlife habitats. Habitat Restoration: Habitat restoration helps to maintain habitat diversity. Restoration includes restoring degraded wildlife habitats, restoring habitats to benefit at-risk species, and reducing the impacts of invasive species. What restoration is required depends on the nature of the degradation and the type of habitat. Restoration opportunities often exist for early successional habitats such as shrublands (former farmland reverting to forest) and grasslands (pastures and hay fields). Early successional habitats are critical for some wildlife species. In New Hampshire, these habitats require active management by humans or natural disturbances in order to persist. Some activities that restore habitat conditions are eligible for cost-share payments from the USDA-NRCS. Refer to the Resources for Managing and Restoring Habitats section for more information. |
Click here for a printer-friendly version of this table
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE How to Manage & Restore Habitats on Community Land |
STEP 1: Use your natural resources inventory and conservation plan as a guide for managing and restoring habitats. |
|
STEP 2: Identify potentially suitable town or city properties for management or restoration: town forests, conservation areas, etc. |
|
STEP 3: Identify wildlife habitats on these lands, especially Critical Habitats as identified in the NH Wildlife Action Plan. |
|
STEP 4: Identify Species of Conservation Concern that require these Critical Habitats and that are likely to occur in your geographic area. |
Use Appendix D of the NH Wildlife Action Plan to cross reference Habitats and Species. |
STEP 5: Conduct field studies and consult resources on the properties of interest. |
|
STEP 6: Research specific habitat requirements of the identified Species of Conservation Concern. |
|
STEP 7: Identify management or restoration options. |
|
STEP 8: Identify professional assistance. |
|
STEP 9: Create a management or restoration plan based on the above information. |
|
STEP 10: Implement the management plan, and publicize it to keep your community informed. |
|
STEP 11: Evaluate the results of the management plan annually. |
|
STEP 12: Monitor for the presence of Species of Concern over time. |
|
Learn More About Management and Restoration to Protect Wildlife.... |
|||
|