Flatbrook WMA Habitat Improvement Project to Begin in Mid-December
December 3, 2009
A habitat improvement project to create three small patches of early successional forest totaling 25 acres is scheduled to begin in mid-December on the Flatbrook Wildlife Management Area. A contractor, FJ&J Log and Lumber of Dover Plains, NY, will perform the work under a forest management plan funded by the Ruffed Grouse Society and administered by the New Jersey DEP Forest Service
The logger will remove selected timber on 3 small forest patches on Flatbrook to stimulate regeneration of oak and other hardwoods. The resulting dense growth of vegetation is valuable for many species that thrive in early successional forest. The patch cuts this year are the third in a series of cuts designed and timed to provide a mosaic of mixed aged forest and vegetation. The work is scheduled during the winter to avoid disturbance to nesting birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Logging will continue through the winter and will conclude by April 1. Hunters and other recreational users are advised to use caution in areas where the logger will be working. A map showing the locations where the habitat management work will occur can be viewed at www.njfishandwildlife.com/pdf/2009/flatbrook_loggingmap.pdf (pdf, 920kb) . For additional information on the habitat management project at Flatbrook contact Miriam Dunne via e-mail at miriam.dunne@dep.state.nj.us or by phone at 908-637-4125.