Pennsylvania Woodsman - Plant Diversity and Hunt Strategy w/ Steve Chilcote

Show Notes

On this week’s episode of the Pennsylvania Woodsman, we conclude the second half of our interview with Land and Timber Consultant, Steve Chilcote. In part one, Steve shares his background of forestry and land consulting which leads into topics of browse, cover, and invasive species management. In part two, Steve concludes his thoughts on a few more invasive species he typically finds on properties and the necessary measures to correct them. As plant communities transition with removal of invasives, Steve stresses that there needs to be quality plants that fill in the newly created space – otherwise invasives will reinhabit. Typically, the native seed bank has stored seeds for decades that only needed sunlight and reduced competition to flourish.

In some cases, adding conifer trees for improved cover or screening is possible for landscapes that lack this habitat feature. Steve breaks down the how, what, and where of conifer adding and management on some client properties. Lastly, Steve concludes with hunting tips and strategy for private landowners looking to shoot for the stars and harvest the most mature deer in the neighborhood. All the practices and techniques discussed throughout part one and two of this interview are conservation oriented at the core – it’s an added bonus when they allow better hunting opportunity!

Be sure to check out Steve at (chilcoteforester.com) and Facebook @chilcoteforester, as well as all his YouTube playlists at Chilcote Forestry.

Show Transcript