United States Department of Agriculture 647-CPS-1

NRCS, NHCP

November 2022

NRCS reviews and periodically updates conservation practice standards. To obtain the current 

version of this standard, contact your Natural Resources Conservation Service State office or 

visit the Field Office Technical Guide online by going to the NRCS website at 

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ and type FOTG in the search field. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Natural Resources Conservation Service 

CONSERVATION PRACTICE STANDARD 

EARLY SUCCESSIONAL HABITAT DEVELOPMENT-MGT 

CODE 647 

(ac)

DEFINITION 

Manage plant succession to develop and maintain early successional habitat to benefit desired wildlife

and/or natural communities. 

PURPOSE 

This practice is used to accomplish one or more of the following purposes– 

• To provide habitat for species requiring early successional habitat for all or part of their life cycle 

CONDITIONS WHERE PRACTICE APPLIES 

On all lands that are suitable for the kinds of desired wildlife and plant species. 

CRITERIA 

General Criteria Applicable to All Purposes 

Management will be designed to achieve the desired plant community structure (e.g., density, vertical and

horizontal cover) and plant species diversity. 

Where planting is needed, regionally adapted plant materials will be used. 

Site preparation, planting dates, and planting methods shall optimize survival. 

Planting of noxious weeds and invasive species is prohibited. 

Measures must be provided to control noxious weeds and invasive species. 

If using chemical methods of control, Pesticide Screening Tool (WinPST) shall be used to assess risks,

and appropriate mitigation to reduce known risks shall be employed. 

To benefit insect food sources for grassland nesting birds, spraying or other control of noxious weeds will

be in a targeted manner through the use of spot spraying, mechanical or hand wick applicators, or other

approved methods to protect grasses, forbs and legumes that benefit native pollinators and other wildlife. 

Management will be timed to minimize negative impacts to wildlife. Disturbance to habitat shall be

restricted during critical periods (e.g., wildlife nesting, brood rearing, fawning or calving seasons). 

Minimize soil disturbance in natural communities where soil integrity is essential, on steep slopes, on

highly erodible soil, and where establishment of invasive species is likely. 

When grazing is used as a management tool, a prescribed grazing plan developed to specifically meet the

intent and objective(s) of this practice standard is required. 
CONSIDERATIONS 

General Considerations 

Vegetative manipulation to maximize plant and animal diversity can be accomplished by disturbance

practices that include, but are not limited to: selected herbicide techniques, brush management prescribed

burning, light disking, mowing, prescribed grazing, or a combination of these. 

This practice should be applied periodically to maintain the desired early successional plant community

and rotated throughout the managed area. 

Wildlife habitat purposes often require lighter seeding rates than specified to prevent soil erosion. 

Design and install the treatment layout to facilitate: 

• operation of machinery 

• use of natural firebreaks or development and maintenance of bare soil firebreaks when prescribed

burning. 

When prescribed grazing, consider setting aside a paddock near the center of the pasture and defer

grazing until after the critical nest and brood rearing period. Many grassland birds require more than 40

days to fledge their young. 

When selecting plants and designing management for this practice, consider the needs of pollinators and

incorporate to the maximum extent practicable. 

PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS 

Written specifications, application schedules and maps shall be prepared for each site. Specifications shall

identify the amounts and kinds of habitat elements, locations and management actions necessary to

achieve management objectives. 

Specifications shall be transmitted to clients using approved specification sheets, job sheets, and

customized practice narratives or by other written documentation approved by NRCS. 

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 

The following actions shall be carried out to insure that this practice functions as intended throughout its

expected life. These actions include normal repetitive activities in the application and use of the practice

(operation), and repair and upkeep of the practice (maintenance). 

Occasional disturbance may be incorporated into the management plan to ensure the intended purpose of

this practice. 

Any use of fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals shall not compromise the intended purpose. 

REFERENCES 

Best, L. B., K. E. Freemark, J.J.Dinsmore and M. Camp. 1995. A review and synthesis of bird habitat use

in agricultural landscapes of Iowa. Am. Midl.Nat. 134:1-29. 

Burger, L.W. 2002. Quail management: Issues, concerns, and solutions for public and private lands-a

southeastern perspective. Proceedings of the National Quail Symposium 5. 

DeGraaf, R.M., M. Yamasaki. 2003. Options for managing early-successional forest and shrubland bird

habitats in the northeastern United States. Forest Ecology and Management 185: 179-191. 

Hamrick, R.G., and J.P. Carroll. 2002. Response of northern bobwhite populations to agricultural habitat

management in south Georgia. Proceedings of the 9th Annual Conference of the Wildlife Society 9:129. 

-CPS-2

NRCS, NHCP

647

November 2022
Oehler, J.D. et al. 2006. Managing grasslands, shrublands, and young forest habitats for wildlife – a guide

for the northeast. Northeast Upland Habitat Technical Committee, Massachusetts Division of Fish and

Wildlife. 104pp. 

Roseberry, J.L. 1992. Cooperative upland research. Effects of emerging farm practices and practices on

habitat quality for upland game: Upland game habitat associations. Illinois Department of Conservation 

Sepik, G. F., R. B. Owen, Jr., and M. W. Coulter. 1981. A landowner’s guide to woodcock management in

the Northeast. Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, Miscellaneous Report 253.23 pp. 

Shepherd, M. D., S. L. Buchmann, M. Vaughan, S. H. Black. 2003. Pollinator Conservation Handbook: A

Guide to Understanding, Protecting, and Providing Habitat for Native Pollinator Insects, 145 pp. Portland:

The Xerces Society. 

-CPS-3

NRCS, NHCP

647

November 2022