United States Department of Agriculture

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**Indiana - October 2008**

**Conservation Practice Job Sheet (647)**

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  **Landowner:                                     **County:      **
       **                                          

  **F****arm:**    Tract:       Field(s):          Date:     
                                                   

  **Concurrence of                                 
  IDNR District                                    
  Biologist                                        
  (recommended):                                   
       **                                          
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| **Specific Recommendations**                                          |
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| **Purpose of edge feathering:**                                       |
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| **Target wildlife species:**                                          |
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| **Method of edge feathering:**                                        |
|                                                                       |
| **Other approved techniques:**                                        |
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| **Acres of wooded edge to be feathered:**                             |
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| **Additional operation and maintenance:**                             |
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| **See the attached plan map**                                         |
|                                                                       |
| **See site/sketch map below**                                         |
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| **Additional Information:**                                           |
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**OVERVIEW**

Edge, the transitional zone between habitat types, provides an important
habitat for wildlife. For example, the area between a mature forest and
adjacent grassland or cropland is considered edge. Wooded fencerows are
also considered edge.

The purpose of feathering wooded edges is to re-create early
successional conditions that provide shrubby and weedy areas, an
essential habitat component in agricultural landscapes. Rabbits, quail,
pheasants, and certain songbirds benefit from this woody cover and from
the piles of brush created in the process. Loosely piled woody debris
allows grasses and forbs to grow up through the umbrella of overhead
brush, creating multiple forms of habitat that wildlife can use. See the
Indiana (IN) Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) [Wildlife Brush Pile
Job
Sheet](http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/biology/645 Wildlife Brushpile Jobsheet.doc)
for additional information.

In areas with a higher forest component, feathering can also be valuable
for grouse, turkey, and numerous woodland songbirds. This practice can
also be applied along the edges of ditch banks, sinkholes, and draws
that are located adjacent to cropland, hayland, and pasture.

**THE IMPORTANCE OF EDGE**

The amount, quality, and diversity of edge habitat directly affect its
quantity and diversity of wildlife populations. In a high-quality wooded
edge, a transition in both height and plant composition is created
between the wooded component and the adjacent land use. High-quality
edge includes a wide band of plants that *gradually* change from one
type of vegetation to another. Low-quality edge, on the other hand,
results in an abrupt and quite noticeable change in vegetation with a
corresponding loss in important habitat components.

All wildlife species need food, cover, and water within their normal
home range to survive. A gradual transition zone (one that moves from
grasses to shrubs and vines, to small trees, and then to large trees)
provides many benefits for wildlife. These benefits may include
providing nesting and brood cover, protection from weather and
predators, and food such as berries, seeds, browse, and insects.

![](media/image2.png){width="3.308333333333333in"
height="2.0104166666666665in"}

Edges are also important because they form an environment for many
plants that produce soft-mast (fruits and berries), but that cannot
thrive in mature forests or cultivated fields. Most of these plants are
early successional species that cannot tolerate the shade and
competition of a forest, or the constant disturbance associated with
cultivation and grazing. Soft-mast is an important source of food for
many wildlife species, especially during summer and fall months. See
[Tables 1 and 2](#Table1) for a list of desirable soft-mast producing
plants.

Shrubs, vines and briars also provide benefits at ground level. Due to
the dense, overhead canopy that these plant groups provide, vegetation
at ground level tends to be sparse, allowing wildlife to freely move
about to forage, nest, travel, or rest in secure cover.

Wooded fencerows can also provide habitat similar to that of feathered
woodland edges if managed correctly. In addition, feathering may also
provide escape cover and serve as travel corridors for wildlife.

**METHODS**

There are three methods for developing feathered woodland edges:

1.  Renovating ***linear*** woody cover such as fencerows,

2.  Thinning overstory trees in and along a woodland (i.e. forest) edge,
    and

3.  Planting trees, shrubs, and grasses as a field border along a
    woodland edge.

**[The following are applicable to both renovating linear woody cover
and thinning overstory trees]{.underline}:**

-   One or more of the following techniques can be used to create
    woodland edge:

1.  Mechanical means including hand cutting, chainsaw, shearing, use of
    a tree saw, and other approved techniques. The use of equipment that
    creates dense brush piles is [not]{.underline} an acceptable
    technique. Bulldozers, for example, tend to fill brush piles with
    soil that greatly reduces the sunlight necessary for adequate grass
    and forb re-growth. Some hydro-axe machines also shred the woody
    debris to the point that the branching nature of the felled
    treetops is lost and therefore cannot be used to create the type of
    loosely formed brush pile intended by this practice.

2.  Herbicide application including broadcast, spot, cut-stem
    treatments, or basal spraying.

-   Avoid killing desirable fruit-bearing shrubs and trees (see [Tables
    1 and 2](#Table1)).

-   Treat the cut stumps of undesirable trees, shrubs, and vines with an
    approved herbicide to prevent re-sprouting. See [Table 3](#Table3)
    for species capable of re-sprouting. Undesirable shrubs include
    autumn olive, Multiflora rose and the Asian shrub honeysuckles.

-   Desirable species that are capable of re-sprouting should be cut at
    ground level, or no higher than 10 inches from the ground. See
    [Table 3](#Table3) for desirable species capable of coppice
    regeneration.

-   Treat any sod-forming grass (such as tall fescue, smooth brome,
    quack grass, etc.) growing beneath the tree canopy where the edge
    feathering is going to occur with an approved herbicide. Follow
    manufacturer's label. The best time for herbicide application is in
    the fall after the leaves have fallen from any existing desirable
    shrubs, and while the grasses are still green and actively growing.
    The removal of sod-forming grasses will hasten the establishment of
    beneficial, naturally occurring plants, forbs, and shrubs that will
    respond to the increased exposure to sunlight once edge feathering
    has been completed.

-   The treatment of woody vegetation will not occur from April 1
    through October 1 to avoid the accidental taking of the endangered
    Indiana Bat (*Myotis sodalis*), which may be using edge trees to
    raise their young. This will also minimize disturbance to any other
    nesting wildlife that may be utilizing the area.

-   Exclude livestock from the treated area.

-   The best time of year to perform edge feathering is after leaf fall
    (October - March).

-   Treetops must remain in the fencerow or wooded edge, and laid
    shingle-like within the treatment area. See Figure 1. By laying the
    treetops in this fashion, native grasses, forbs, and weeds will grow
    up through the tree branches. The resulting brush pile will provide
    excellent escape and winter cover. Do [not]{.underline} push the
    trees into dense piles.

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height="1.9861111111111112in"}

  -------------------------------- --------------------------------------
  []{#Table1 .anchor}**Table 1 --  
  Soft-mast producing trees**      

  **Common Name**                  **Scientific Name**

  American Plum                    *Prunus americana*

  Black Cherry                     *Prunus serotina*

  Crabapple, Flowering             *Malus sargentii*

  Dogwood, Flowering               *Cornus florida*

  Hawthorns                        *Crataegus spp.*

  Maples                           *Acer spp.*

  Mulberry                         *Morus rubra*

  Persimmon                        *Diospyros virginiana*

  Redbud                           *Cercis canadensis*

  Serviceberry                     *Amelanchier arborea*

  **Table 2 -- Soft-mast producing 
  shrubs/vines**                   

  **Common Name**                  **Scientific Name**

  Arrowwood                        *Viburnum dentatum*

  Chokecherry                      *Prunus virginiana*

  Devil\'s Walking Stick           *Aralia spinosa*

  Dogwoods                         *Cornus spp.*

  Elderberry                       *Sambucus canadensis*

  Greenbrier                       *Smilax* *rotundifolia*

  Hazelnut                         *Corylus americana*

  Nannyberry                       *Viburnum lentago*

  Sumacs                           *Rhus spp.*

  Virginia Creeper                 *Parthenocissus* *quinquefolia*

  Wild Blackberry                  *Rubus allegheniensis*

  Wild Grape                       *Vitis spp.*

  Wild Raspberry                   *Rubus occidentalis*
  -------------------------------- --------------------------------------

  ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------
  []{#Table3 .anchor}**Table 3** -   
  **Species capable of               
  re-sprouting**                     

  **Common Name**                    **Scientific Name**

  Ash, Green                         *Fraxinus pennsylvanica*

  Ash, White                         *Fraxinus americana*

  Basswood                           *Tilia americana*

  Black Cherry                       *Prunus serotina*

  Dogwood, Red-Osier                 *Cornus stolonifera*

  Dogwood, Roughleaf                 *Cornus drummondii*

  Dogwood, Silky                     *Cornus amomum*

  Hackberry                          *Celtis occidentalis*

  Mulberry                           *Morus rubra*

  Oak, Black                         *Quercus velutina*

  Oak, Bur                           *Quercus macrocarpa*

  Oak, Chinkapin                     *Quercus muehlenbergii*

  Oak, Pin                           *Quercus palustris*

  Oak, Red                           *Quercus rubra*

  Oak, Scarlet                       *Quercus coccinea*

  Oak, White                         *Quercus alba*

  Persimmon                          *Diospyros virginiana*

  Sassafras                          *Sassafras albidum*

  Yellow-Poplar                      *Liriodendron tulipifera*

  Poor sprouting from trees greater  
  than 14 in DBH                     
  ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------

**[Renovating *linear* woody cover (such as a fencerow)]{.underline}**

The purpose of this method is to create dense woody escape cover for
species such as quail and rabbits, as well as foraging habitat for a
variety of songbirds. Apply this method to overgrown fencerows, draws,
hedgerows and other similar [linear]{.underline} woody habitats, where
the majority of trees exceed 15 feet in height and have shaded out most
of the forb and shrub understory. Be careful that the width and length
of existing woody habitat is [not]{.underline} reduced by applying this
method.

-   Apply treatment to the entire fencerow width if it is less than 50
    feet wide. However, limit this method to no more than 50 linear feet
    per 150-foot length of treated woody habitat in any given year (i.e.
    only treat 1/3 of each 150-foot section). The target size of
    individual treatment areas is 0.1 acre. The resulting staggered
    pattern of treated and untreated lengths will provide a diversity of
    habitat types.

-   Cut all trees over 15 feet tall in the treatment area. However,
    leave one potential bat roosting/maternity tree undisturbed in each
    50-foot treated section. See [Indiana Bat Timber Management
    Guidelines](http://efotg.nrcs.usda.gov/references/public/IN/BFO_Forest_Management_Guidelines2-14-08.pdf)
    in Section II of the IN FOTG for additional information.

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-   Native shrubs will be left undisturbed. See IN FOTG Standard (645)
    [[Upland Wildlife Habitat
    Management]{.underline}](http://efotg.nrcs.usda.gov/references/public/IN/upland_wildlife_habitat.pdf)
    for a list of native shrubs.

[**Thinning overstory trees** **in and along a woodland
edge**]{.underline}

-   Feathering will extend 30 to 50 feet inward from the edge of the
    woodland.

-   Apply edge feathering to sections 50 to 100 feet in length along the
    woodland edge.

-   Control all woody vegetation greater than four (4) inches in
    diameter at breast height (DBH) and/or woody vegetation greater than
    12 feet tall within the specified boundaries of the treatment area.
    The best time to conduct edge feathering is during the fall and
    winter months after leaf fall has occurred and while the trees are
    not as heavy with sap.

-   Alternate the treated areas with undisturbed areas of 200 to 300
    feet in length. The resulting staggered pattern of treated and
    untreated lengths will provide a diversity of habitat types.
    Additional sites may be treated along the undisturbed sections at no
    less than 3-year intervals.

**[Planting shrubs and field borders]{.underline}**

-   Divide the area to be planted into at least two (2) zones:

1.  In the zone closest to the woodland, plant at least two (2) rows of
    shrubs on 6' x 6' spacing. See IN FOTG Standard (645) [Upland
    Wildlife Habitat
    Management](http://efotg.nrcs.usda.gov/references/public/IN/upland_wildlife_habitat.pdf)
    for more information and a list of shrub species.

2.  The outside zone nearest the cropland should be planted to a mixture
    of grasses, legumes and forbs beneficial to wildlife. See IN FOTG
    Standard (645) [Upland Wildlife Habitat
    Management](http://efotg.nrcs.usda.gov/references/public/IN/upland_wildlife_habitat.pdf)
    for more information and a list of appropriate species.

-   The width of the area to be planted along the woodland edge will be
    at least 30 feet.

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-   Where the planting area can be wider than the minimum, an additional
    zone of small fruit, seed, and nut bearing trees should be planted
    closest to the woods on 10' x 10' spacing.

**CONSIDERATIONS**

During the planning process, it is important to determine the targeted
wildlife species, and to identify any unintended consequences of edge
feathering. In some cases, for example, increasing the feathered edge
may enhance the ability of invasive plant species to move into the
forest and decrease its value to wildlife. Edge may also have a negative
impact on some wildlife species such as Cerulean warbler that need
large, intact forests, although many interior forest birds seek out
areas of dense woody cover prior to and during migration.

Landowners may opt to retain one living Shagbark Hickory or other tree
having exfoliating (loose) bark per practice site to provide roosting
and rearing sites for the Indiana bat. Standing, girdled trees also
provide important nesting habitat for a wide variety of cavity-nesting
wildlife as the trees begin to decay. The decomposing trees attract
insects and other invertebrates, which in turn provide food for other
wildlife. For safety reasons, all standing dead and/or girdled trees
should be located away from lanes, roads, paths, or other frequently
traveled areas.

When thinning overstory trees in and along woodland edges, consider
avoiding areas with valuable crop trees.

Consult a professional forester before implementing this practice when
the primary goal of the woodland is forest production or high value
timber products.

Consider implementing this practice in conjunction with future planned
timber harvests and/or timber stand improvement (TSI) practices.

Logs from this practice may be used for posts, lumber or firewood.

**MAINTENANCE**

As tree species within the treated areas grow in height and diameter and
shading increases, the structural characteristics and types of
vegetation within the site that once provided food and cover close to
ground level will decline. Reapply the edge feathering practice to those
same sites to regain the beneficial habitat components, or create
additional edge-feathered sites nearby to replace those that are
maturing. It is best to set up a maintenance regime whereby no more than
one-third of the existing sites are treated in any given year. Adjacent
or nearby sites should not be treated within a 3-year interval.

Use herbicides or other appropriate measures, on a spot basis, to
control invasive vegetation and noxious weeds.

**REFERENCES**

Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife,
Habitat Management Fact Sheet: *[Woodland Edge
Enhancement](http://www.in.gov/dnr/files/woodland.pdf).*

Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, *Private Lands Wildlife
Management: A Technical Guidance Manual and Correspondence Course*,
February 1, 1992.

Missouri Department of Conservation, [*Wildlife Management for Missouri
Landowners: Edge Feathering,* Forest
keepers](http://216.119.79.248/pdfs/27.pdf), Bulletin #27.

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Indiana Field Office
Technical Guide Standard 647 - *[Early Successional Habitat
Development/Management](http://efotg.nrcs.usda.gov/references/public/IN/early_successional_habitat.pdf),*
October 2008.

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Illinois Conservation
Practices Job Sheet 645D -- [*Woodland Edge Feathering,* September
2005](http://efotg.nrcs.usda.gov/references/public/IL/645DUWHMSjs.pdf).

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