Forest management plans should consider wild turkeys and other wildlife species. Pine stands should have a forty-year or longer rotation length. Thinning and burning in many upland pine types are beneficial to timber and wildlife. Conversion of hardwood stands and large tracts of pine-hardwood forests to pine plantations could decrease turkey populations. Travel corridors and streamside management zones of older timber should be maintained at least three hundred feet wide where clear cutting is practiced.
Thin pine stands liberally as needed.
Prescribe burn as soon as the tree height in young stands allows safe burning. Burn woodlands during winter but avoid burning later than March 15 to prevent nest destruction. Ideally, fire should be used early enough to allow ample germination or green-up by the time flocks disperse. The South Carolina Forestry Commission provides technical assistance on fire use and can help with the construction of fire containment lanes. Managing Openings .