Getting Equipped for Habitat Management: Missouri NWTF Helps Fund Oaks and Wildlife Webinar Series
The Missouri State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation is helping provide a free online webinar series designed to give Missouri landowners practical information for improving forests and wildlife habitat — and there is still time to catch the final session.
The “Oaks and Wildlife” series is hosted by University of Missouri Extension and the Forest and Woodland Association of Missouri, with partial funding from the Missouri NWTF State Chapter. The final webinar will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 22. For this session, David Haake, a Morgan County landowner will present on prescribed fire, timber sales and forest thinning and how they benefit a variety of wildlife, including deer, turkey and songbirds.
The three-part series covers concerns surrounding wildlife populations, including wild turkeys and songbirds, the importance of upland oak forests and actions landowners can take to improve habitat conditions.
“Many woodland acres set idle with minimal management,” said Brian Schweiss, MU Extension sustainable forestry specialist. “While this provides some habitat, management actions can be implemented to improve it for better turkey nesting cover and feeding areas or fawn bedding areas that provide greater protection from predators.”
The webinar is intended for landowners and outdoor enthusiasts who want to better understand their woods but may not know where to begin. It will also help connect participants with management ideas and conservation resources that can guide future work on their property.
NWTF funding for the series supports one of the organization’s key conservation goals: giving private landowners the knowledge and tools needed to improve wildlife habitat. Because much of Missouri’s forestland is privately owned, informed landowners are essential to creating healthier forests and stronger wild turkey habitat across the state.
By helping fund the series, the NWTF is connecting Missouri landowners with information they can use to create healthier forests and better wildlife habitat on their properties.
The final “Oaks and Wildlife” webinar is free and will be presented virtually from noon to 1 p.m. July 22. Landowners can learn more and register through the MU Extension “Oaks and Wildlife” event page. The recordings of the webinar series will be available after the final session on July 22.