We need to guard against destruction at any cost just to develop the land. Individuals, hunting camps, sportsmen's clubs, local chapters, boy and girl scout troops, to name a few, can help to increase the natural wildlife food supply and cover by planting trees, shrubs, seedlings, and seed species. Many Local Chapters in the Pennsylvania State Chapter have tree nursery projects, habitat projects on public ground, and spring, fall, and winter habitat projects for sportsmen to get involved. Wild turkey habitat projects on State Game Lands and State Forests are a major funding program for the Pennsylvania State Chapter Super Fund. It won't cost you much money, perhaps none at all, it will take a little time and maybe a little sweat.
Most sportsmen are aware that good habitat is essential for abundant wildlife.
But, unfortunately, habitat continues to be lost to highways, shopping centers, housing developments, commercial buildings, blacktop and concrete. You may have noticed the shrubs that produce berries and seeds for wildlife food become scarce over large areas of our north-central big woods and other mountain areas of the state, due to shading from maturing forest trees, over browsing by deer, and large tracts of forest destruction due to insects. Apple trees and other fruit bearing trees, that fed many deer and bear over the past 50 or more years, are now getting old and decayed and there aren't many young apple trees sprouting up to replace to older, decaying ones. Turkeys used to scratch and feed on wild chestnut, multiflora rose , and huge tracts of oak. These types of food sources have died out in our forests, are illegal to plant in Pennsylvania, or lost due to insect defoliation.