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Forest Management for Wildlife Habitat Demo Sites Minister Lake Demonstration Site

Minister Lake Demonstration Site

The Minister Lake Wildlife Habitat Demonstration Unit is owned by the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point Foundation and is part of the New Hope Township Restoration Project.  It is managed in conjunction with efforts at the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station, which is one of the field stations for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources.  It is part of a collection of wildlife habitat demonstration units where the integration of timber harvest with habitat management is highlighted. 

Fast Facts

  • Location: Parking area located at 44°32’24.83″N, 89°16’11.48″W
  • Size: 45 acres
  • Accessibility: This site is only open for hosted field tours.

Management Goals

  • Maintain the remnants of cultural history for this site.
  • Favor upland amphibian habitat.
  • Minimize negative impacts on the lake.
  • Increase structural diversity to provide habitat specific to early successional, mid-successional, and later successional neotropical migrant birds.
  • Reduce both invasive woody plants and poison ivy.

Focal Species

  • Neotropical migrant and other songbirds that include:
  • Indigo bunting
  • Song sparrow
  • Mourning warbler
  • Chestnut-sided warbler
  • Yellow warbler
  • Eastern towhee
  • Rose-breasted grosbeak
  • American stedstart
  • Wood thrush
  • Eastern wood-peewee
  • Great crested flycatcher

Special Considerations

  • Ecological reserve areas for wetlands and lakes
  • Presence of the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station adjacent to the parcel

Documenting the Forest Restoration of the Minister Lake Property

Conditions Before Management

Lake Areas

(16 acres)

This demonstration area is composed of lake and surrounding wetlands.

Pine Plantation

(11 acres)

The red pine plantation underwent an extremely delayed first thinning in 2007 and 2008. The plantation was thinned again in 2015.

Mixed Central Hardwood and White Pine

(15 acres)

There is a mixed stand composed of red, white, and northern pin oak, red maple, white pine, birch, and big-tooth aspen. There is a heavy understory of poison ivy.

Boxelder and Invasive Species

(3 acres)

There are some oaks throughout the partial boxelder overstory. The mid-story is comprised of buckthorn, honeysuckle, autumn olive, prickly ash, and barberry. The understory is heavily infested with poison ivy and patches of stinging nettles.

Management Practices Implemented

To incorporate elements of as many species of neotropical migratory bird habitat, the focus was on diversifying horizonal and vertical structure and restoring a portion of the stand to savanna conditions.  Explore how management practices were adapted in each ecosystem to incorporate habitat elements for focal species below.

Lake Areas

(16 acres)

A 35-foot “no enter” zone was marked around the lakes. The overstory basal area was kept to a minimum of 80 square feet in the first 100 feet from the lakes. Much of this zone was reserved as no harvest zones to maintain large, long-lived species like red oak, red pine, and white oak.

Pine Plantation

(11 acres)

The plantation underwent its first thinning in 2007 and 2008. The second thinning occurred in 2015 and resulted in existing pockets of oak and maple regeneration. Pockets of aspen were cut to the north of the stand.

Mixed Central Hardwood and White pine

(15 acres)

Where big-tooth aspen was present, openings were created to promote regeneration through root sprouts. The next stand entry will expand these openings by 60 more feet to promote additional aspen resprout. Reserve trees of existing hardwoods, such as maple and oak, and white pines were maintained in these pockets. Conducted a group selection over pockets of existing regeneration. Crop tree release was practiced for remaining trees. On the northwest side of the hillside facing Minister Lake, white pines were crop tree released for long-rotation pine management. Effort was taken to provide forage and cover for grouse, including coppiced aspen next to hardwood patches. An opening was created adjacent to oak reserve trees to encourage horizontal branching with leaf cover, which is helpful for birds such as the redstart, veery, and scarlet tanager. Oak reserve trees provide excellent perching sites and snag retention encourages bug production and creates cavity nesting sites. Harvesting every 10-15 years will create continuous pockets of young, brushy habitat for nesting cover. This is important for breeding of birds such as mourning warblers, rose-breasted grosbeak, and chestnut sided warblers.

Boxelder and invasives

(3 acres)

The site was chemically treated for poison ivy and invasive species through broadcast spray, followed by spot spray. All boxelders were cut, chemically treated, and then sprouts were cut again. The site was rotary seeded and then subsequently planted with greenhouse grown forb and legume plugs. Prescribed burning is planned for the site.

Specific Structural Elements Created for Neotropical Migratory Bird Habitat

Young forest provides both foraging locations for birds that use later successional habitat for nesting, such as Cerulean Warbler, and nesting habitat for some species, such as golden-winged and chestnut-sided warbler.   

While many birds utilize older forest for either nesting cover on the ground, such as ovenbirds, in the canopy, like scarlet tanager, in the shrubs or young regeneration, such as black-throated green warbler, or in cavities, like great crested flycatchers, other species use it for foraging while nesting in younger forest. Golden-winged warblers are a great example of this phenomenon. Diversifying age structure through harvests, including group selections, is beneficial for increasing the use from a broad range of bird species. 

Reserve trees act as singing posts in young forests, as cavity nesting sites, and as mast producers. Maintaining reserve trees adds a structural element for young forests but also retains an element that will contribute to stand diversity as the stands age. Trees with developed cavities of a range of size and types will provide nesting locations for a wide range of species. 

Savanna is the most endangered ecosystem in Wisconsin. A collection of species utilizes savanna, most notably bird species experiencing steep declines in population. Important elements of savanna habitat include warm season grasses, high diversity of forbs and legumes, and open tree cover with a wide range of shade conditions.  Prescribed fire plays an essential role in managing these sites. 

SITE MAP

PARTNERS

Thank you to the following for their support of this demonstration site: