Habitat Management Report
WMA: | Little Willow River WMA |
Species: | The WMA is managed to provide habitat for furbearers, migratory waterfowl, deer, and ruffed grouse. |
Objectives
Wild rice stands will be established and maintained.
Provide wetland habitat for waterfowl nesting and migration, as well as furbearers, through the impoundments and the lowland areas along the river.
White cedar stands will be protected and enhanced for winter cover.
Primary forest management involves habitat improvement to favor deer and ruffed grouse.
Habitat management will favor openland species such as sharp-tailed grouse and short-eared owls and wetland species such as sandhill cranes. The previously cleared wildlife openings and openland will be activley maintained.
Strategies
Attempts are being made to see if more wild rice can be established in the Round Lake unit by maintaining lower water levels.
The white cedar stand will be protected with no active management planned.
The two impoundments that have been developed now have fairly extensive stands of wild rice through seeding efforts.
Some of the cutover areas have been site prepped and planted to conifers.
This WMA will be monitored for invasive species and control measures implemented as appropriate.
Several wildlife openings have been developed through clearing efforts and are usually mowed each year. There is a large existing opening that extends over on to private land. A strip along the boundary with the private land was planted to red pine to break up the opening and screen it from the private land. This opening was burned once and the edges are periodically mowed.
The hardwood and conifer forest habitats will be maintained or enhanced through normal timber harvest operations.