QDMA is proud to announce a new partnership with Southern Forestry Consultants (SFC) and its subsidiary Wiregrass Ecological Associates (WEA) that will result in improved habitat and hunting opportunities on public and private lands.

Under a memorandum of understanding, the QDMA and its partners have entered into a 10-year Master Stewardship Agreement (MSA) with the USDA Forest Service (USFS) to thin densely stocked pine and hardwood stands that currently provide poor quality wildlife habitat and marginal hunting opportunities. Additional habitat management practices, education and outreach are other key components of the partnership.

“Habitat quality on Forest Service lands directly impacts public land deer quality and abundance and, therefore, hunter success and satisfaction,” said Matt Ross, QDMA Assistant Director of Conservation. “The habitat improvement practices in this MSA will improve forest health, deer herd quality and hunter success on thousands of acres of public land.”

Recent trends and ongoing research suggest declining white-tailed deer harvest on some federal lands is likely the result of diminishing acreage in young forest cover. The USFS has identified that suppression of fire and reduction of timber harvesting activities over time on some of their lands have changed habitat conditions to create more dense stands and less early successional communities. Active forest management under QDMA’s guidance and through this MSA will enhance and restore wildlife habitat in these places.

https://www.qdma.com/qdma-improves-h...621LUSu79IA1F8