Fire is a hot-button topic, especially with record fire seasons in recent years out west. While fires can cause tremendous damage, they can also give areas a completely new life. In the months after a fire, new vegetation takes root, sprouting buds, attracting insect life, and game animals. One particular species that needs fire is the wild turkey.
With populations on a downward slope in much of the southeast, managing turkey habitat is a hot-button topic. As more and more land gets developed, habitat fragmentation is a major concern. That said, we need to ensure the habitat that is left is conducive to wild turkeys. If left unmanaged, dense forest undergrowth and unwieldy pastures may seem like viable habitat, but in actuality, do nothing for turkeys. That’s where fire comes into play.
The Science Behind Controlled Burns
Controlled burns are a technique foresters have used for generations to manage habitats. While it may seem alarming, setting fire to your land when done properly offers way more pros than cons. A typical prescribed burn consists of a planning phase, monitoring weather conditions like wind and rain. Prior to the burn, relief areas are cut by removing vegetation, or existing areas like roads are used to stop the fire. Then a drip torch is used to start small, manageable fires. Throughout the whole process, the fire is managed and monitored to ensure it stays controllable.
Benefits for Turkeys
To understand why turkeys thrive in fire-burned habitats, we first need to know what type of habitats turkeys require. If you’ve hunted turkeys enough, you’ve likely noticed their affinity for pastures and meadows compared to dense canopy cover and thick vegitation. That’s because turkeys thrive in secondary growth habitats. Secondary growth stems from fresh disturbances to the landscape, which promote new growth. The new growth consists of undergrowth plants and grasses that turkeys love. For a turkey, the buds of these new growth plants offer them food. In addition, the plant life harbors bug life, like grasshoppers and other insects that are a staple in the wild turkeys’ diet. Prescribed burns are a sure way to promote this type of growth with minimal effort.
While fires bolster turkey food sources, they also dramatically improve turkey nesting habitat. Turkeys are particular in their nesting habitat. It can’t be too dense, but it can’t be too sparse either. Ideally, hens prefer to nest in areas with good lateral cover paired with sparse overhead cover. They also prefer to nest near open areas like pastures, roads, or meadows. This allows the hen to keep an eye out for predators. Utilizing controlled burns to promote new growth in turn yields an ideal turkey nesting habitat.
How to Implement Your Own Burns
Prescribed burns offer turkeys and other wildlife plenty of benefits. Nonetheless, the idea of lighting a fire on your own property, without any experience, is intimidating. Luckily for those considering a prescribed burn, there are several great resources available. The first option is to reach out to your state forestry commission. They can help you develop a management plan for your land, which will include elements like prescribed burns in addition to other beneficial practices.
Another option for landowners is to join a local prescribed burn association (PBA). These organizations have grown in popularity as of late, with states like Missouri leading the charge. A PBA consists of a group of landowners that pool together their resources, manpower, and equipment to help others in the association with prescribed burns. Typically, these organizations are member-run, meaning you have to sign up to be a part of the association. However, once you are a part of the organization, you have the tools and knowledge of others to help manage your own prescribed burns. Some PBAs even have access to mobile burn trailers like the one the Habitat Association purchased to aid in Missouri’s prescribed burns.
Fire for the Future
Not all fire is bad fire. Prescribed burns, when managed and implemented properly, offer tremendous benefits to the landscape and the critters that call it home, particularly the wild turkey. For landowners who wish to contribute to the success of wild turkeys, prescribed burn associations, along with other tools, offer a means of safely conducting controlled burns.