Habitat Management

On this page, you’ll find information on how to manage habitats from forests to farmland to backyards and community parks to support the native wildlife that share our space.

Wildlife Conservation

Wildlife populations are decreasing, and the biggest threat is the loss of habitat. Emerging research has found that it’s not just wild animals that benefit from wildlife management but also local economies and communities. Humans are, in fact, connected with wildlife in many ways.

We can all play a key role in wildlife conservation. Homeowners can choose to plant more native plants in Pennsylvania. People can also use their voting power to demand protection for undeveloped land and natural areas such as forests, wildlife habitats, and watersheds and restrict shale development.

Common habitat management practices that you can adopt in the home garden include the use of brush piles and the control of noxious weeds. Non-native invasive plants, the creation of snags, and the establishment of permanent vegetation for wildlife, including amphibians and reptiles, are also very effective.

Agriculture has a role to play in maintaining habitat for wildlife of Pennsylvania. Practices include wetland protection and restoration , the provision of nesting boxes, riparian forest buffers, forest stewardship, woodlot management, integrated pest management, and soil and water conservation.

Hunting does two main things for conservation. It acts as a funding source for state agencies that help conserve habitat. It also helps to control prey species that might otherwise have population explosions due to reduced predator populations. Hunters could help by keeping a field notebook. It would include data and observations, sketches, photos, and any other relevant wildlife information.

Not all wildlife is considered beneficial, and some is considered a nuisance. Pennsylvania landowners have a right to control nuisance wildlife, but the Pennsylvania Game Commission sets the rules.

Wildlife Habitat Management

Habitat management involves identifying factors that are scarce enough to limit populations and then improving the habitat to remove the limiting factors. Its purpose is to enhance the existing habitat to benefit wildlife.

It’s possible to increase the amount of wildlife in an area, improve their quality and health, and encourage them to use areas they are currently not using just by managing the habitat. Strategies include weed management, orchard wildlife management, and the creation of riparian buffers. You can assess riparian buffer planting success by recording stream health data with FISH (First Investigation of Stream Health).

Birds are powerful barometers of forest health. Specific forest conditions are necessary to sustain healthy bird populations. Common forest management practices in large forest tracts and woodlots can improve habitat for forest birds and animals. Some birds, however, can be considered a nuisance. Crows are a prime example as roosts can number hundreds of thousands. The introduction of a crow management plan could help move the crows to an area where they will pose less of a problem.

Food plots play a vital role in a whole-ecosystem approach to forest habitat management. We should protect vernal ponds as they are essential to the life cycle of many forest species.

Homeowners across the United States have a crucial role to play in wildlife habitat management. More and more are choosing to include more neighborly natural landscaping in residential areas. Wildlife-friendly alternatives to lawns are becoming increasingly popular. Adding a bird bath in the yard is one of the easiest ways to attract birds into your garden.

Bats should be encouraged into the garden as they play an important role in controlling insect numbers throughout the Northeast and elsewhere in the United States.

For farmers, the planting of warm-season grasses and prairie grasses native to Pennsylvania is yet another way of replacing some of the grassland habitats that have been lost.