Many songbirds use wild plum and other low-growing shrubs for nesting, quail use them for escape cover and deer browse on their twigs. The earlier stages are more productive for wildlife, such as quail and rabbit. Disking and fire will help start the process all over again, making the area more productive. Fescue can inhibit the growth of other plants, and it produces little food or cover for wildlife. Some bare ground is important.
Studies show that most quail nests are located within a few feet of bare ground.
The hen quail will move her chicks immediately after hatching to bare ground in search of grit and insects. Disk strips through the field on the contour to expose 75 to 80 percent of the soil. Allow weeds to grow. Burn areas between the disked strips. Burned areas produce more kinds of seeds and insects that are important to quail chicks and songbirds.