Principles of wildlife habitat management

Abstract

Simply stated, habitat is where an animal lives and must include all the resources an animal needs to survive and reproduce. An animal's habitat has to provide five essential factors: food, cover, water, space, and interspersion. Habitat management is identifying which factors are scarce enough to limit populations, and then improving the habitat to remove the limiting factors. By putting your efforts on limiting factors you will get the greatest response in wildlife populations for the resources expended. You must accurately identify limiting factors, to avoid unnecessary efforts on nonlimiting factors.

Parent Publication

• Central hardwood notes

Citation

Wiggers, Ernie P. 1989. Principles of wildlife habitat management. In: Hutchinson, Jay G., ed. Central hardwood notes. St. Paul, MN.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station. 9.01