Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
1505 Eastover Drive, Jackson, MS, 39211
Phone: 601-432-2400
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Improving Old Field Habitat at Divide Section WMA.
JACKSON - Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and
Parks (MDWFP) wildlife managers are working to improve wildlife
habitat within old fields at Divide Section Wildlife Management
Area (DSWMA) in northeast Mississippi. Since 2011, approximately 50
acres have been improved through a combination of selective
herbicides and native warm season grass establishment.
Herbicides are used to control invasive vegetation occurring
on the WMA like Bermuda grass, tall fescue, and sericia lespedeza.
These plants among others form dense mats and out-compete native
vegetation beneficial to wildlife such as rabbit, quail, and wild
turkeys.
In certain areas where the natural seed bank is believed to be
depleted, native warm season grasses like little blue stem and
Indian grass have been planted following the herbicide treatment to
provide escape and nesting cover for wildlife.
Fall disking and burning will also be used to keep old fields
on DSWMA in a desirable state. To date, 50 acres of old field
habitat have been improved on DSWMA with opportunity to improve at
least 500 additional acres in the future. Management of existing
old fields will prove beneficial to a host of game and non-game
species of wildlife on DSWMA.
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