616 DESIGNING GROUSE COVERTS AND SETTING UP MANAGEMENT PLANS 



Some of the designs here suggested were first tried on the Connecticut Hill area in 1932 

 and since then have been widely adopted as productive covert patterns for grouse and other 

 woodland game on the State's various game management areas. Where sufficient time has 

 elapsed to produce the required conditions, the results appear to have been satisfactory. 



Planting Design for Open Land 



It is not generally realized that a considerable proportion of tomorrow's game coverts are 

 being artificially planted today. Nor is the statement wholly accurate for. in many cases, 

 reforestation is still carried out with little or no thought given to encouraging a crop of wild- 

 life as well as of timber. Yet with slight modifications of the practices usually employed such 

 could be the case. In fact many examples of integration of practices designed to produce both 

 crops may be found on State-owned game management and reforestation areas in New York. 

 As early as 1934 foresters and game managers drew up and adopted a set of regulations 

 governing the reforestation of idle acres calculated ultimately to accomplish this end. The 

 suggestions here presented place a bit more emphasis on eventually producing good grouse as 

 well as forest cover than do the ones referred to above since they are for use on an area where 

 wildlife is the major crop to be encouraged. 



Usually the minimum needs of grouse can be satisfied by providing a patch of second- 

 growth hardwoods for spring breeding grounds together with scattered low conifers or their 

 equivalent for winter shelter. This, in turn, must be edged with such pioneer trees and shrubs 

 as cherry, popple, briers and dogwood to provide summer and fall feeding grounds for broods 

 and adults. Under favorable conditions, suitable year-round environment may be furnished 



^????Wm^^^m^^??7^^^^^^m^^' 



.. . .!■■.■.■■■■■.■■■■■■.■ 



A THEORETICAL 

 [a??v1 Hardwoods 



B PRACTICAL 

 Conifers 



FIGURE 66. SIMPLEST DESIGN FOR PLANTING OPEN LAND TO PROVIDE SOME GROUSE COVER 



J 



