The following excerpt is from the Jan. 2, 2019, e-Quail Newsletter from the Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation. To subscribe, click here.
By Dr. Dale Rollins, AgriLife Quail Initiative Project professor and Extension specialist (retired), Quail Research and Wildlife
Back in 1997 I coined the phrase “brush sculpting” and defined it as “the planned, selective control of brush to enhance wildlife habitat.” The new phrase was incorporated into the lexicon of wildlife and land managers quite quickly. The process is as much a mental commitment as anything, i.e., “measure twice and saw once.”
Two “Brush Sculptor” symposia were held in Sept 1997 (one in Uvalde, the other in Abilene). The resultant proceedings are available online. One of my contributions therein is “Applied landscaping: a primer for Brush Sculptors” (https://texnat.tamu.edu/library/symposia/brush-sculptors-innovations-for-tailoring-brushy-rangelands-to-enhance-wildlife-habitat-and-recreational-value/applied-landscaping-a-primer-for-brush-sculptors/). Refer to that paper for more details on the five dimensions. The highlights are included below; see the symposium proceedings for more details.
Applied landscaping can be practiced at different levels, including the:
(a) landscape level (including “honeyhole management”;
(b) individual clearing level;
(c) plant community level;
(d) plant species level; and
(e) individual plant level.
Be aware that applied landscaping is a mixture of art and science; i.e., view these guidelines as starting points. The end product (i.e., resulting landscape) is limited only by the creativity of the sculptor, and perhaps by his pocketbook.
Landscape level
To fully grasp the view of your ranch at the landscape level, one must either get up on a hilltop, up in an airplane (or helicopter), or have an aerial photograph in hand. One must have an appreciation for the spatial arrangement of various brush densities, water courses, lay of the land (i.e., topography) and the neighbors’ adjoining lands. An aerial photograph obtained from your local Natural Resources Conservation Service is an invaluable planning aid and the advent of GoogleEarth is invaluable.
At the landscape level, one should be cognizant of special sites that should be either (a) enhanced or (b) preserved. I often refer to this level of planning as one addressing “honeyhole brush management.” Some areas of the property are inherently more attractive to deer or bobwhites than other areas. Such honeyholes may be characterized by particular species of brush (e.g., sand plum), brush stands of certain age/size, brush species diversity, topography, remoteness or other factors.
Honeyholes for a particular species require a thorough knowledge of the target wildlife species’ biology and habits on the particular property. In order to manage at the honeyhole-level, I recommend that the manager close his eyes and visualize where he would go at noon to flush a covey of quail. Once that location is visualized, study the picture; how dense is the brush? What species of brush are involved? Is it in a draw? A header of a canyon? When the image of the honeyhole is vivid, consider the task at hand: to clone (i.e., “cut and paste”) such honeyholes across the landscape. (Photo – Large wolfberry plants are a quail honeyhole at this site in Borden County.)
Individual clearing level
Species of animals have various “security thresholds”, i.e., a sense of security that comes with proximity to escape cover. If clearings become too large, and the security threshold is exceeded, then the center portion of that clearing becomes “lost habitat” relative to that species of wildlife. As a rule, more smaller clearings are preferred over fewer, but larger, clearings. Quail typically do not forage more than 100 yards from woody cover, so maximum clearing width shouldn’t exceed twice that (i.e., 200 yards).
Clearings can be landscaped in several ways. First, the edges shouldn’t be straight lines. Straight lines aren’t “natural” and result in stark visual contrasts between brush and cleared areas. Contoured edges, or “feathered” edges, are more aesthetically pleasing, as they look more natural. For quail, leave a “stringer” of brush extending into larger clearings, but avoid isolated coverts, as these may become “ecological traps” that make the covey more vulnerable to avian predators.
In mechanical clearing operations, there is always the slash that is either left in place, stacked with a rake, or windrowed (as in chaining). Typically such brushpiles are burned. Some managers like to leave brush piles on clearings, but my preference is to burn them. Larger brushpiles typically harbor more skunks and snakes than they serve as cover for quail. I’d much rather leave selected mottes of quail cover than try to use brush piles as a substitute for poor planning.
Plant community level
Most species of wildlife express an affinity for certain vegetation types (plant communities). For species like deer this may include a wide range of situations, whereas black-capped vireos are more of a niche specialist. As such, my two main axioms for range managers is (a) know your plants and (b) know how to manipulate them. Whether your interests lie with black baldy steers or white-tailed deer, cows or quail, these premises apply. Know which species of plants are important for your target wildlife species, then know what management tools (i.e., the “axe, plow, cow, and fire”) foster those plants. Remember to think beyond just food value before such judgements are made (i.e., “Cadenhead’s Corollary”).
A central thesis for sculpting brush is the ability to remove brush selectively. Generally mechanical means afford the greatest selectivity during brush clearing operations. Tree-dozing or chaining afford excellent selectivity, if the operator(s) takes advantage of that ability. Herbicides can also be used to provide selective control, but generally not to the degree of fine-tuning available with mechanical means. However, with the inception of individual plant treatments (e.g., “Brush Busters”), the applicator can be highly selective. For broadcast applications, the use of pelleted herbicides (e.g., tebuthiuron) in backpack “blowers” offers more precise applications. The selection of broadcast foliar sprays may provide some measure of what brush species are killed. Be careful of herbicides containing picloram (e.g., “Tordon”) or your hackberries will be killed.
At the community level, desirable trees should be spared during clearing efforts. For the more desirable species, I recommend that all individuals of that species be spared; for others they should be spared, but not necessarily all of them. In the Rolling Plains, species such as netleaf hackberry (Celtis reticulata), chittam (Bumelia lanuginoides) and skunkbush should receive complete protection. Other species such as lotebush and sandplum should be spared in moderation, and in those areas where they are components of honeyholes. In the Trans-Pecos region, acacias, allthorn and javelina brush are examples of plants that should be spared.
Species level
Mesquite is perhaps the most despised plant in Texas, yet mesquite is an important habitat component for quail, deer and several other nongame birds. Pricklypear is often dismissed as without value, yet recent studies suggest it may be an important habitat for nesting quail.
Within most species of woody plants, some individual plants are more preferred than others, be it for forage or cover. When these “preferred” trees can be identified, they should be spared during control efforts. Some mesquite trees assume a growth form that makes them desirable loafing coverts for quail, while others are rarely used. Knowledge of a particular site attained through hunting over a period of years helps to identify which microsites are important habitats, and usually which individual trees are most likely to be frequented by quail.
When such trees are identified, realize that their importance may be associated with the complex of species or growth types, so sculpt such areas deliberately. The carpenter’s advice of “measure twice and saw once” is good advice for sculpting brush. It’s easier to have to come back and take out more brush at a later date than it is to rebuild a honeyhole.
For more information, visit QuailResearch.org.