WHAT KINDS OF HABITAT MANAGEMENT WILL HELP THE WILD TURKEY?
Habitat loss or degradation was a principal factor in the decline of the wild turkey from the settlement period through the early 1900’s. Although biologists and land managers have learned much about the wild turkey in the past 60 years, and have been astonishingly successful in restoring this bird to its native range, there are still threats that face the wild turkey. Habitat changes remain one of the principal threats. Over the past 30 years, forest land nationwide has declined by about 5 percent. This trend will probably continue with the conversion of forests to urban-suburban residences, or to cropland. The conversion of rich, natural forests to intensively managed single-species forests has also had a detrimental impact, especially in the South. Massachusetts was about 65% forested in 1951, 63% in 1971, and 61% in 1984-85. Additionally, Massachusetts’ forests have been slowly maturing over the decades.
Habitat loss or degradation was a principal factor in the decline of the wild turkey from the settlement period through the early 1900’s. Although biologists and land managers have learned much about the wild turkey in the past 60 years, and have been astonishingly successful in restoring this bird to its native range, there are still threats that face the wild turkey. Habitat changes remain one of the principal threats. Over the past 30 years, forest land nationwide has declined by about 5 percent. This trend will probably continue with the conversion of forests to urban-suburban residences, or to cropland. The conversion of rich, natural forests to intensively managed single-species forests has also had a detrimental impact, especially in the South. Massachusetts was about 65% forested in 1951, 63% in 1971, and 61% in 1984-85. Additionally, Massachusetts’ forests have been slowly maturing over the decades. Older growth forests– especially oak and hickory– produce the nuts or “hard
