Up Front

For me, February is often a restless month. Most hunting seasons have closed, and the family doesn’t usually enjoy cold days outdoors. Spring crappie fishing and turkey hunting often seem so far away. In the dormant state of winter, our forest and grasslands seem quiet. To fill the gap, I’ll be spending this February with a chainsaw in hand. February is a critical month for habitat management. It’s a great time to do timber stand improvement and edge feathering — two practices that encourage more sunlight to hit the forest floor, fueling the growth of native grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs. When coupled with prescribed fire, this creates favorable conditions for turkey brood rearing cover, quail and rabbit habitat, and pollinators.

February is also a great time to prepare fire lines through woodlands or around a grassland in anticipation of the right conditions to conduct a prescribed burn. The explosion of eastern red cedar across much of Missouri is a frequent reminder of the decline in fire on the landscape. Prescribed fire can be intimidating for many new to the habitat management tool. With a little experience and the right help, prescribed burns can be conducted safely and efficiently. Over the last several years, we’ve seen the establishment of several prescribed burn associations, which are groups of well-trained landowners and managers who come together to cooperatively return fire to the landscape. 

Work done now sets the stage for healthier habitats, much like the work highlighted in Missouri River Hills (Page 22).

Jason Sumners, Director

JASON.SUMNERS@MDC.MO.GOV