OutdoorNebraska

56 TABLE B7. PHEASANT HABITAT MANAGEMENT - PRESSEY WMA Grassland Early Seral Stage Grassland Mid Seral Stage Grassland Late Seral Stage Food Plots/ Crops Early Succession Rota on Woodland Wetland Misc. Pressey WMA - 1,579 acres Future Desired Condi on 570 (35%) 650 (40%) 272 (17%) 140 (7.5%) 75.0 25(.5%) Current Condi on 900 (55%) 300 (18%) 260 (16%) 140 (7.5%) 75.0 25 (.5%) DEFINITIONS Early Seral Stage: the disturbance year and 1 -3 years following disturbance i.e. burning, grazing, spraying, disking, lling. Cover is also provided by second year idle crop ground, forb/legume interseeding. Dominated by early successional forbs/legumes. Mid Seral Stage: 4 - 6 years following disturbance. Not dominated by one vegeta on type. Reduced early successional forbs/legumes in the stand. Late Seral Stage: > 6 years following disturbance. Dominated by grass or later successional plants. Few forbs/legumes in the stand. Maintain ra o of 35% brood rearing cover, 40% nes ng cover and 25% winter cover (grassland late seral, food plots, wetlands, brushy draws). FUTURE DESIRED CONDITION Increase the amount of grassland func oning primarily as nes ng cover from 18% to 40% (increase of 350 ac.). Nes ng cover defined as mid seral stage grasses/ forb/legumes, with adequate residual cover (12inches more in height). Decrease the amount of grassland func oning primarily as brood rearing cover from 55% to 35% (reduc on of 330 ac.). Brood rearing is cover defined as early seral stage vegeta on, diversity of na ve grasses, annuals, and especially forbs/ legumes (introduced & na ve). Maintain the amount of cover primarily func oning as winter cover at 25% over the en re area. Winter cover is provided by: late seral stage vegeta on such as warm season grasses, mixed grass prairie, brushy draws, wetlands and food plots. Maintain winter food sources at 140 acres. Food sources include: agricultural row-crops (milo), small grain food plots, and annual weeds. ANNUAL WORK PLAN Since 2008, there has been an aggressive program of habitat treatments on some grassland with a high component of smooth brome grass and Kentucky bluegrass. Habitat management techniques u lized include: disking and inter- seeding, prescribed fire, patch-burn grazing, and herbicide treatments and grazing management. The increase of nes ng cover in mid seral grasslands will be accomplished by adding a year or two of rest within the current graze rota on reduc on of 200 acres annually, modest reduc on (38%) of vegeta on control by 50 acres and small reduc on of prescribe fire by 50 acres annually. Within a rela vely short period of me this reduc on in acres will meet the 40% nes ng cover goal. It is important to maintain a pro-ac ve vegeta on disturbance regime due to the aggressive nature of brome grass encroachment into grasslands. This decrease in acres of disking and spraying is to se le in a maintenance control program. Prescribed burning will con nue with a 5 year rota on to treat 750 acres. This is an annual decrease of 50 ac. (decrease of 25%). Tree clearing will be increased by 17 acres (32%) annually for 3 years. The majority of grasslands have had cedars removed from grasslands a er this treatment.

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