OutdoorNebraska

60 TABLE B9. PHEASANT HABITAT MANAGEMENT – PINTAIL WMA WMA Grassland Early Seral Stage Grassland Mid Seral Stage Grassland Late Seral Stage Food Plots/ Crops Early Succession Rota on Woodland Wetland Misc. Pintail WMA - 480 ac. Future Desired Condi on 45 ac. (35%) 52 ac. (40%) 33 ac. (25%) 20.0 0.0 330.0 Current Condi on 30 ac. (22%) 46 ac. (33%) 62 ac. (45%) 12.0 0.0 330.0 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. Land is 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. FUTURE DESIRED CONDITION Increase the amount of grassland func oning primarily as nes ng cover from 33% to 40% (increase of 6 ac.). Nes ng cover defined as mid seral stage grass and forb/legumes, as well as legumes and idle small grains. Increase the amount of grassland func oning primarily as brood rearing cover from 22% to 35% (increase of 15 acres). Brood rearing is cover defined as early seral stage vegeta on, especially forbs/legumes, crop ground, idle crop ground. Reduce the amount of cover primarily func oning as winter cover from 45% to 25% (decrease of 29 acres) over the en re area. Winter cover is provided by: late seral stage vegeta on such as warm season grasses, woodlands and wetlands. Increase winter food sources by 40% (increase of 8 acres). Food sources include small grain food plots and agricultural row crops. ANNUAL WORK PLAN Some grassland has been invaded by smooth brome grass. Approximately 80 acres of grassland were treated with glyphosate in 2015. Grassland will be maintained with con nued spraying of 30 acres per year to control brome. Disking of grassland will be a new management tool used on the area. Approximately 20 acres will be disked annually. Vegeta on management, u lizing spraying and disking will increase annually by 60% (increase of 20 acres). Prescribed burning will be maintained on a 5 year rota on to treat 120 acres. Grazing will include 330 acres of wetland habitat split in 2 sec ons with 165 acres grazed for 2 years and then rota ng to the other half of the wetland, grazing the other 165 acres for 2 years. Approximately 30 acres of upland grassland will be included in each rota on. Grazing will increase annually by 15% (increase of 30 acres). Milo food plots are annually planted on the area and will be increased annually, for the next two years, by 40% (increase of 8 acres). Trees do not cons tute a problem on the area. A 13 acre tree clearing project is planned on the north edge of the wetland in 2016. The equivalent of 1 acre of trees will be removed annually to maintain condi on of grasslands. A total of 14 acres of forb/legume plan ngs will be added to the area over a two year period.

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