Buckshutem WMA Savanna Creation
How was the savanna created?
Site preparation work was a collaborative effort. NJ Fish and Wildlife, Quail Unlimited, Team Habitat, and a commercial tree chipper all worked together to remove trees, prepare the site, and seed the area to grasses. Work commenced in the spring of 2002. The woods looked like the photo below. This understory of ferns and shrubs is not good habitat for ground nesting birds or butterflies.
We scheduled site preparation work around nesting and hunting seasons. Sometimes we could only get in two weeks of cutting as to miss certain critical periods. This was just fine with us since what we were trying to do was give the wildlife a helping hand.
A commercial tree chipping operation removed from 30% to 70% of the standing trees. Most of the trees removed were pitch pines.
The next step was to prepare the ground for seeding. Though we removed many trees, there still was a duff layer on the ground. This duff layer consists of roots and other organic matter that would prevent grass seed from sprouting, so we used a drum chopper (pictured right) to break up this layer.
Finally, the entire area was seeded using an ATV with a broadcast seed spreader attached to the rear.
[Note: The flow from the last para to the picture below could be better. The picture contains the ATV seeding.]
The left picture shows the area later that season (Summer 2004). There are still trees, just a lot less. There is more light reaching the ground allowing for a greater diversity of plants
Here again is the created savanna in the summer of 2006. A number of ground nesting birds live and thrive here. In all, we created over 100 acres of savanna habitat. Team Habitat seeded over 70 of these acres.
Click here to read about the Groundbreaking in April 2002.