The emerging focus on plant and animal biodiversity has started to shape a new paradigm of vegetation management sustainably geared towards wildlife habitat, soil conservation, and invasive species control, along with the appropriate line clearance for safe and effective energy transmission. Below are habitat feature suggestions for corridors in temperate forest areas. These practices connect the landscape, improve relations with communities, improve efficacy and longevity, and reduce maintenance costs. Bird and Pollinator HabitatStart with structure, add native plants. Utility ROW vegetation requirements call for vegetation that does not impede the functioning of the utility service. Ideally, the vegetation should be easy to manage as well. Using the region’s local, native plant compositions for early successional and young forested habitats accomplishes this while also providing pollen and nectar, fruits and berries, nest sites for birds and solitary bees, and host plants for monarch caterpillars and other pollinators[1]. Abundant selections of native plants provide the important resources wildlife need during the seasons they need them. Dense grasses and wildflowers can occupy the wire zone and can be managed with annual or biennial mowing in the late fall to control shrubs and small trees. The border zone can offer native fruit-producing shrubs and small trees, which provide winter resources and inhibit intrusion from larger trees. Brush PilesMaintaining a young forest, or early successional habitat, in utility rights-of-way does require ongoing maintenance as shrubs and trees will eventually encroach on zones they are too tall for. This happens naturally as slow-growing, shade tolerant species make their way up through the grasses and shrubs, seeking more light and space. Invasive plant species can move in faster and more aggressively and will also need to be managed. Creating brush piles throughout ROWs--using the branches from cleared saplings and shrubbery--may be another excellent way to provide habitat resources for wildlife. Brush piles provide shelter for birds, small mammals, and reptiles. They attract food sources for owls and other raptors and can protect young, native seedlings from overbrowsing by herbivores. Place them out of the way where they will not need to be moved or worked around as wildlife make it their home. Logs and SnagsLarger trees are carefully managed in ROWs to prevent damage to wires or towers in the event they fall over from old age or disease, or break in a storm. While this wood is usually removed from site, leaving the downed wood as logs within ROWs can provide a unique and important habitat feature for wildlife. Woodpeckers especially appreciate the beetle filled decay. Small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians will use downed wood for shelter, paths and runways, or as perches. Logs provide substrate for mushrooms and mosses to grow and eventually decompose, creating valuable soil resources to help sustain healthy vegetation. Snags can be created by topping dead and dying trees to a height that is acceptable to power line clearance regulations but are still left standing tall enough to provide valuable habitat resources. A snag is full of bugs and larvae for hungry birds, offers perching places for raptors, and provides cavities that some nesting birds, like the Red-breasted Nuthatch above, require for successful nesting. Large snags created within the tree zone, along with a selection of deterrent strategies in high damage areas, may even help alleviate issues with woodpeckers excavating utility poles[1] . Bat HousesBeyond native vegetation, ROWs offer a unique opportunity to introduce a number of other valuable features for wildlife species suffering from a lack of suitable habitat. Bat houses, like those shown above, are easy to acquire or build and provide safe, healthy, and comfortable roosting places for bats when they are not hibernating. In the last decade, a deadly fungal disease called White-nose syndrome has decimated some bat populations in the eastern U.S. but offering bat houses can provide energy conserving roosting places that may help bats recover from the fungal pathogen[1]. Bats are great to have around as they provide millions of dollars worth of important ecosystem services like pollination and pest control[2] (each bat can eat thousands of flying insects per night)[3]. Coverboards, Hibernacula, and Bare GroundHabitat for amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals can be created in ROWs by adding coverboards and hibernacula. These are places where small animals can safely shelter and moderate their temperatures on hot summer days or cold winter months. Coverboards can be wood or metal sheeting placed on the ground (they offer an excellent opportunity for viewing local wildlife to hikers and recreationalists who can carefully lift the sheet to see what is sheltering underneath). Hibernacula can be made from rocks, mud and downed woody debris, to create an underground space for hibernating wildlife. The debris. like large rocks, logs, dirt, etc., from creating and maintaining utility ROWs can be used to build these features along the corridor. Many native bees require bare ground to build nesting cavities. Leaving open spaces, free of vegetation, offers this beneficial resource. Butterflies also require bare ground and will “puddle” in wet mud, sand, or gravel to collect essential minerals for mating and reproducing. And, several species of birds, like swallows and American Robins, use mud to build and secure their nests. Maintenance activities can result in opportunities to create bare ground habitat. Over time, these areas may fill in with vegetation but continuing management can keep enough of these habitat features within range. Ecological Traps and Other considerationsAs with homes, parks, and nature preserves, providing habitat and attracting wildlife comes with the responsibility of preventing the enhanced areas from becoming ecological traps, hazards, or sinks for the species being promoted. Mow timing, pesticide and herbicide application, tree pruning and invasive species management have seasonal timing concerns, like sensitive nesting periods, that can be mitigated by understanding key life cycles and habitat needs. Bat houses and nest boxes require regular maintenance to be safe, successful, and to prevent spread of disease; while some features, like snags and brush piles can be left behind, essentially gaining value with age. Other considerations could include adding flags or markers to power lines to reduce bird collisions[1], or insulated perches for raptors to prevent electrocution.[2] Public EngagementRecreation can connect individuals and communities with the outdoors and create a greater appreciation for nature, wildlife, and conservation[1]. Utility ROWs offer a great opportunity for this as well. If you are interested in incorporating habitat for local wildlife into the management practices of an existing corridor or would like to provide input on a planned or scheduled ROW, get together a plan with the relevant information. What kinds of species are likely to be in the area and what are the plants that are associated with them? When are critical times of the year for those species reproduction and how would they be affected by current practices? Can recreation be a part of the plan for local engagement? Communities often feel a strong attachment to the environment around them, either through recreation, conservation, or purely aesthetic reasons. Major anthropogenic disturbances to the environment, however, like utility corridors being cut through the nearby forest, can cause local uproar at town halls and other community assemblages. Utility companies can mitigate this response by developing a plan with local residence and conservation groups to incorporate wildlife habitat and sustainable practices into the vegetation management of the corridor[1]. For example, utility foresters can advise on placement of habitat features, like bee houses and nest boxes, while community members take responsibility for their upkeep. The possibilities are as endless as the corridors themselves.
0 Comments
|
Details
AuthorJacob Johnston ArchivesCategories |