Beneficial Management Practices: Environmental Manual for Crop Producers in Alberta - Non-cropped Land

BMPs to improve habitat on non-cropped land include:

• Retain existing natural areas to provide habitat for birds, small mammals, and insects.
• Enhance the habitat value of treed areas, including shelterbelts, by such practices as adding fruit- and nut-producing trees and shrubs and leaving dead trees, to provide habitat for birds, small mammals, insects and fungi.
• Provide or retain corridors between key habitat areas to provide shelter for wildlife moving between these areas. Fencelines and shelterbelts can be used as corridors.
• For hay land, use a flushing bar during haying. Delay haying near wet areas to minimize nesting losses for ground-nesting birds; wait until at least July 1, and, whenever possible, delay until about mid-July, when nesting is usually near completion.
• For pasture land, avoid overgrazing, and delay spring grazing near wet areas to minimize damage to nests.
• Enhance the habitat value of idle areas like field borders and abandoned farmyards by such practices as planting a variety of grasses, legumes or shrubs, and adding nesting boxes.
• Maintain the edges between habitat types because these areas usually have more diverse food and cover.