Official Site of The State of New Jersey
October 29, 2019
New Jersey Fish and Wildlife will begin habitat work in the Winslow Wildlife Management Area today, October 29. Two four-acre fields with access roads will be cut off Broadlane Road and Inskip Road, for a total of 10 acres of clearing. Locations for these fields were selected based on forest stand composition and future management considerations. Both stands host an abundance of Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida); New Jersey’s most abundant and vigorous tree in terms of number of trees, volume, and growth rate.
Future management practices will include the planting of pineland-native herbaceous flowering plants, often referred to as a “pollinator mix”. These flowering species provide forage and cover for an abundance of field and meadow species, with a focus on the needs of insects dependent on flowering “pollinator” plants. These “keystone” insect species have a disproportionately large effect on their environment relative to their abundance.
Once suitable cover has been established, these fields will be included in Fish and Wildlife’s pheasant stocking program. The inclusion of these fields in the pheasant stocking program for regulated hunting is a demonstration of mutually beneficial habitat management practices for humans and wildlife.
New Jersey is home to a high biodiversity of wildlife, with each species relying on its respective habitat niche to survive. In a setting free from human development, natural disturbances maintain a high variety of habitat types to support these species. In New Jersey these natural disturbances are often reasonably suppressed to protect human life and property. Fish and Wildlife has taken a proactive stance on habitat management to replicate the presence of natural disturbances and ensure all of New Jersey’s wildlife has suitable habitat to thrive.
We appreciate the public support for proactive habitat management on these multi-use tracts.
