WRP Tracts

[redspeckable]

I've read several times through the thread below and there is a vast amount of knowledge here. Much more expressed through several posters than I can ever begin to know. I have a couple of questions to further go along with the post.

1) We have 300 acres of 15 year WRP. About 40% of the oaks are producing. We still have a great canopy of understory in some areas, but others are becoming very shaded where tree survival was high. Is there any type of program that landowners can have assistance in the thinning of trees where the understory is non existant? From what I've read, WRP was originally instituted for song birds and other endangered species, deer and other wildlife secondary.

2) Is there anyone to get in contact with to establish wildife openings (Food Plots) that weren't originally dedicated to that in the initial plantings?

3) Does anyone have any older stands of WRP (20+ years) that can give input on how the wildlife has reacted to the desert that becomes under the WRP as they begin to shade everything out.

Thanks in advance for any help provided.

The original highjacked post with tons of great information
http://www.ducksouth.com/phpbb/viewtopi ... ve+program

[Morris1]

Contact your county Natural Resource Conservation Service office they can give you all that info

[Bercy]

I am interested in your questions as well, but haven't found the answers so far.

2) Contact NRCS - we had the same issue on a tract of WRP - no food plots/maintenance from the prior owner. We were able to discuss locations, size and shape of the plots with them; and then NRCS came out, marked food plots and let us clear them. The guy running the chipper was a little nervous cutting the WRP trees though.

Side note - it was interesting to see a particular famous guy killing a big buck a couple months ago that came down a newly cleared 'road' of what appeared to be WRP/CRP property. Maybe he received permission to build the road (not a shooting lane) or his CRP contract was up or maybe it was just planted trees in the Delta - I don't know.

[peewee]

I've read several times through the thread below and there is a vast amount of knowledge here. Much more expressed through several posters than I can ever begin to know. I have a couple of questions to further go along with the post.

1) We have 300 acres of 15 year WRP. About 40% of the oaks are producing. We still have a great canopy of understory in some areas, but others are becoming very shaded where tree survival was high. Is there any type of program that landowners can have assistance in the thinning of trees where the understory is non existant? From what I've read, WRP was originally instituted for song birds and other endangered species, deer and other wildlife secondary.

2) Is there anyone to get in contact with to establish wildife openings (Food Plots) that weren't originally dedicated to that in the initial plantings?

3) Does anyone have any older stands of WRP (20+ years) that can give input on how the wildlife has reacted to the desert that becomes under the WRP as they begin to shade everything out.

Thanks in advance for any help provided.

The original highjacked post with tons of great information
http://www.ducksouth.com/phpbb/viewtopi ... ve+program

Good question and I love to see an answer. I have thought about this numerous times and wondered what will happen to the South Delta hunting once there is no cover, browse or anything in the understory. There are some WMA's that are have areas essentially like that now.

[augustus_65]

From my discussion with our local NRCS agent, you can have no more than 5% of the area enrolled in food plots. We hunt a small tract that was enrolled in a conservation easement. I asked them to leave a food plot when they planted trees and he mentioned the percentage restriction.

[dukmisr2005]

might pm JaMak on here.. he works on Bolivar county. i know of several tracts here that 20+ yo...

[DanP]

1) Not likely, but contact Mike Oliver at the Greenwood NRCS office for a definite answer.
2) If you already have 5% in openings then probably not. If under 5% then possibly. I think Mike could also address this or put you in touch with the NRCS-WRP personnel that could.
3) From what I've seen the deer will still use the thickets for cover, if you have a nearby food source then you can probably keep them around. It also varies between properties mainly dependent on survival of planted trees and degree of encroachment from your ash, elm, sugarberry, etc...

The need to thin WRP/CRP hardwoods is recognized by NRCS and WRP partners, its just a matter of getting the program policy and guidelines to allow it. That is something Delta Wildlife will be working pretty hard on this year.

[Bercy]

Found this and don't have time to read it, but it may give some insight - http://policy.nrcs.usda.gov/OpenNonWebC ... =18488.wba

WRP - Forest Land Compatible Use Guidelines
Recommendations:
After reviewing the above information, the workgroup developed the following recommendations for harvesting bottomland hardwoods in the Lower Mississippi Valley:
• Uneven-aged timber harvest (e.g., thinning, single-tree, and group selection).
• Intensity of uneven-aged harvests should be such that less than 30 percent of the forest canopy (circa <30% of merchantable volume) is removed, but remaining canopy cover should not be less than 60 percent.
• Harvest should occur between August 1 and February 28; however, habitat improving harvests may be undertaken between March 1 and July 31 when the alternative is no habitat improvement.
• A diversity of canopy species should be perpetuated.
• Several large, “free-to-grow,” residual trees should remain.

[redspeckable]

The need to thin WRP/CRP hardwoods is recognized by NRCS and WRP partners, its just a matter of getting the program policy and guidelines to allow it. That is something Delta Wildlife will be working pretty hard on this year.

That's great to hear and I hope that NRCS and the Govt see the need to get these vibrant wildlife nurseries to further their productivity. I would hate to see the 100's of thousands of acres that were enrolled over the past decade fade out and become non productive. If anyone knows a contact to get behind the project for support, please let me know.

[dukluk]

JMHO....You better do some research on the guidelines, prior to visiting some of these gov't offices....not saying all of them, but some of them are just plain lazy, and don't want to take the time to help the small landowners....however, if you're a big farmer/landowner, they'll fall all over themselves to help them....if you know what the guidelines are, before hand, call their bluff, and ask for a meeting with the ruling committee....again, JMHO.

[novacaine]

JMHO....You better do some research on the guidelines, prior to visiting some of these gov't offices....not saying all of them, but some of them are just plain lazy, and don't want to take the time to help the small landowners....however, if you're a big farmer/landowner, they'll fall all over themselves to help them....if you know what the guidelines are, before hand, call their bluff, and ask for a meeting with the ruling committee....again, JMHO.

Let me give some insight since i worked in this arena for 13 yrs. 95% of the time if you are showing interest in YOUR WRP tract (newly purchased or original contract), you get prompt service. Having said that, guidelines are guidelines. Often when these things change hands, the new owner has something totally different in mind as far as type of habitat they want. Nothing is more depressing to a designer than when they design cool moist soil areas with micros (semi permanent shallow water) and the new owner only cares about deer hunting and never intends on managing the resource to its full potential.
As far as the rules, the habitat experts are at the NRCS Area office and they will likely be the ones called out to have another look at your WRP tract. There are a handfull of local field office personnel that are extremely versed in all aspects of guidance and habitat modifications.

Now the biological desert in the understory................I agree 10,000%. I went to look at some of the US Forest Service plantings back in the early 90's and was told that the tree density on those tracts is what NRCS wanted WRP to look like. I almost fell out and thru a fit and told them i would not recommend that crap for anyone but being an engineer i didn't have a voice or a dog in the hunt. Everyone saw what was coming and i told some of my close friends that had WRP tracts to run over, mow,or cut some trees when they saw there was an established stand at about 3.5 to 4 ft tall. Do it when they are small because it will be a bitch when they get big.
If you waited too late to do this.................................be sneaky with a chain saw!
Good luck

[420 racin]

I agree! Having worked on replant (WRP) and been involved in planting/sampling 27K+ Acres of this stuff in the Delta (Mainly all the WMA's) I began to wonder where the magic number of 302 TPA came from??? I believe back in teh day when this replant kick got started, nobody knew much about it. Our mortality rates were expected to be high (40-50%) our tree stock was not as good, plant methods were not as developed, and our site prep was not as good. However through the years, all of these things have greatly improved, which all contribute to the "Desert" effect. When you plant too many TPA and they all survive (most, about 80% is not uncommon) you simply have too may trees. Then the landowner is stuck in a situation where he has to do a precommercial thin of some sort, if he is allowed to.
Having ben around this and seen this and being a forester, I would not plant that many trees on my place (if in fact i had a place)

[Lazy Drake]

Does anybody really check on private land that is enrolled in WRP. I understand you can't clear cut the whole thing but who would know if you cut/thinned an acre or five on your own time. I can imagine NRCS is run like most other govt agencies(no offense to those that work there), not a lot of motivation to do more than the bare minimum.

I just can't see them finding out if you cut some down or clear a food plot.

[redspeckable]

I just can't see them finding out if you cut some down or clear a food plot.

And what are the consequences if they do find out...just wondering.

Thanks for all the great info Novacaine and 420. Some great advice in both posts.

[YazooValley]

I saw that the feds thinned some strips through a WRP-like planting on a national wildlife refuge this year.