A Wild Turkey Woodland is a privately held farm, forest, ranch or woodlot managed to protect and enhance wildlife habitat.  Landowners owning at least 10 acres are eligible, and certification is awarded once a property meets the standards set by the National Wild Turkey Federation's Wild Turkey Woodlands program. 

Certified landowners can send a strong message to their community about their active support for wildlife on their property with a Wild Turkey Woodlands sign.  In addition, a Wild Turkey Woodlands certificate, suitable for framing, will show those visiting their home or office that their land is managed for wildlife. 

Another benefit of participation in this program is access to information and resources.  Wild Turkey Woodland owners will receive the latest information on new products and wildlife management techniques, and can take advantage of special discounts on seeds and seedlings.  As the program grows, a newsletter will be published and regional workshops will be available to provide landowners hands-on information about management options.  An annual state, regional and national awards program is held to showcase the efforts of selected certified landowners in managing for turkeys and other wildlife. 
 
To enroll in the program, applicants must submit a written plan and map that documents the practices and goals for managing wildlife, timber, soil and water, and hunting on the property.  Landowners can develop their own management plan, or use a plan developed through state and federal programs such as the Forest Stewardship Program.  All landowners are encouraged to have their management plan reviewed by a natural resource professional, such as a wildlife biologist or forester. 
 
To certify your land as a Wild Turkey Woodland, call the NWTF at 1-800-THE-NWTF and request a Wild Turkey Woodlands application and information package.  You can also e-mail Bryan Burhans at Bburhans@nwtf.net to request information or write: National Wild Turkey Federation, Wild Turkey Woodlands Program, P.O. Box 530, Edgefield, SC 29824.  For additional information about Wild Turkey Woodlands, and other programs the NWTF offers, check the NWTF web site at www.nwtf.org.

Quail spend part of their life in the covey stage during the fall/winter months and in pairs during the breeding season.  Coveys are family groups which gather together after the breeding season.  Coveys forage together during the day and at night form a ring, heads facing outward, for predator protection and heat retention. 

Breeding season (April to July) begins with the cocks whistling for hens during the morning and evening hours. Fence posts or other types of high perches are often used when whistling. Quail are ground nesting birds and prefer thick understory vegetation next to open areas for placement of nests.  Both the male and female will incubate the nest and clutch size ranges from 10-15 eggs.  Quail will often re-nest if the first nest is destroyed. 

Quail have a varied diet but mainly consume plant material including foliage, seeds and soft and hard mast (berries and acorns).  Native legumes (plants that belong to the bean family) are one of the most important components of a quail's diet.  In Florida, native partridge pea, cowpea, and planted lespedezas are important, as well as ragweed and briar patches.  Insects are also consumed by quail year-round, especially by growing chicks, but become a more important food source during the summer months. 

Quail use transitional zones such as the areas between woodlots, old fields, and homesites, for travel, foraging and nesting.  Therefore, they are referred to as an "edge" or early successional species.  Because they rely on these "edges", the amount of this habitat type in the landscape can be an important factor for the presence or absence of quail.  Quail need hedgerows and herbaceous vegetation for winter food and cover, as well as for nesting. The highest populations of quail are usually found in areas with management designs that keep a combination of woodlots, transitional areas, and croplands. 

Discing and prescribed burning are two of the major management tools available to the private landowner for quail habitat improvement.  Disturbance to the soil allows for germination of preferred native quail foods.  Discing and burning during the winter months (November - February) will be most productive for foods such as partridge pea and ragweed.  Creating wildlife openings and other early successional vegetation communities through periodic disturbance can provide essential habitat components preferred by both coveys and pairs during the breeding season.  These areas also have patches of bare ground for easier movement by chicks and adults, support insect populations that represent a primary dietary supplement for chicks, and provide brood rearing habitat during the spring and summer months.  In addition to feeding areas, wildlife openings and edges can provide loafing areas and escape cover.  The best cover for quail allows for easy movement on the ground, but provides ample mid-story vegetation above for concealment. 

Quail management is an intense endeavor for private landowners. Those interested in managing for quail on their property should focus on understanding the birds seasonal needs and providing for these life requirements through proper habitat management across their property.

Government Regulation 
The federal government can potentially regulate private forestry under several environmentally oriented legislative acts.  Currently, provisions under the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act are causing the greatest concern among forest landowners across the country.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making an effort to expand its regulatory power to cover silvicultural practices on private forests with a proposal to reclassify forestry activities from nonpoint sources to point sources of pollution under the Clean Water Act.  This would potentially require some landowners to apply for special permits to conduct forestry activities on their land.  You may recall the article about this proposal in the Winter 1999 issue of the Florida Forest Steward (vol. 6, no. 4), "Proposed EPA Rules Bad News for Forestry."  Studies by NCASI and others have concluded that forestry operations are a minor source of water quality problems nationally and all states with significant timber harvesting activities have best management practices to minimize potential nonpoint source water quality problems. 

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).  According to Washington State's Forest Stewardship Notes (Spring 2000), it is estimated that approximately 90% of animal species currently listed as endangered (at the federal level) depend on resources located on private nonindustrial forest lands.  The extent to which landowners should be obligated to provide habitat for these species is subject to debate, but it is clear that all-out regulation of forest practices on private lands under the ESA is unfavorable to many and sometimes lacks scientific foundation.  NCASI and the forest products industry have developed a process by which the technical information needs affecting the listing and management of individual species are addressed.  This process has provided a scientific basis for managing listed species and has led to reductions in regulatory burdens in specific cases.  However, we can expect the overall regulatory power imposed by the ESA to  increase with the growing number of species it protects. 

Sustainable Forestry 
Public perception of forestry activities on private land can have an influence on the regulations and restrictions imposed on them in the future.  With a growing urban and rural interface, both industrial and nonindustrial private forest landowners carry the challenge of gaining public support for forest practices that integrate economic and environmental values.  This is being realized through a number of forest certification programs that vary in intensity from first party, self-certification to independent, third party certification programs.  If the public knows that a landowner has been certified under a credible forest certification program, they will be more likely to believe that the forest operations taking place on the property are done in an environmentally sound manner.  In the southeast, it is critical for certification programs to take into account wildlife habitat, provisions for intensive management, and multiple use management.  One comparison of the various certification programs is available in the policy section of the Society of American Foresters web site (www.safnet.org). The Florida Forestry Association is also providing further descriptions of the programs in one of the upcoming issues of Florida Forests magazine. 

The committee also discussed the possibilities for advanced courses and courses on special topics.  An advanced MTF program will be developed and offered in South Carolina in 2001 and regionalized via satellite in 2002.  A Master Wildlife Conservationist course will be developed and offered in the future as well.  For more information about the MTF program visit www.mtf2000.net