A targeted, coordinated approach to restoring early-succession habitat for bobwhite quail
and other grassland wildlife is under way in North Carolina.

The Cooperative Upland-habitat Restoration and Enhancement (CURE) program enlists landowners in three focus areas to increase the amount of open grass and shrub areas along field
borders, woodlands, and stream and ditch banks.

CURE's goal is to reverse the declines in North Carolinas populations of quail and other grassland birds, such as prairie warblers, field sparrows and meadowlarks.

Focus areas are in the state's Piedmont region and the northern and southern Coastal Plain region. The state's Wildlife Resources Commission provides funding to implement management practices and, in some cases, rents habitat areas from landowners, explains Kate Pipkin, Commission outreach biologist.      

Three landowner cooperatives have been formed, consisting of groups of farms that comprise at least 5,000 acres. To date, 46 owners of more than 17,000 acres of farms and woodlands are cooperative members, with improvements planned for nearly 1,600 acres.

A variety of habitat enhancement practices are used, says Terry Sharpe, Commission agriculture liaison biologist. For example, 24- to 48-foot-wide field borders consisting of volunteer vegetation are being established. Tall fescue in field borders is being replaced with native warm-season bunch grasses.
 
Wooded stands are thinned and understory vegetation is controlled by fire and herbicides. Some young pine stands will be treated with Arsenal herbicide Applicators Concentrate to control brush and low-value vegetation, allowing beneficial food and cover plants to resprout.

Landowners agree to let the Commission bring visitors to the habitat areas for educational purposes. In addition, if game-bird numbers become high enough to warrant it, landowners may consider allowing limited, controlled public hunting on their lands. Commission biologists plan to document the expected increase in bird numbers through periodic wildlife inventories.

The North Carolina program uses proven techniques to enhance wildlife habitat. If you'd like our recommendations on how to improve the wildlife carrying capacity of your land, contact Monroe Timberland Consultants at 919-676-9807 or email us at john@monroetimberland.com.