WRP is a government cost-share program that turns marginal farmland into a forested wetland/moist-soil area. Moist-soil is defined as an area where native plants are allowed to grow during the summer and are flooded during the winter to provide foraging habitat for wintering waterfowl. Moist-soil areas, if managed correctly, can provide large amounts of food as well as a balanced diet for ducks. However, seed production in most WRP moist-soil areas are well below their full potential. Properly managing a moist-soil unit is more than just letting water in and out of the unit; it involves mowing, disking, timing of water removal and rate, and beaver control. Mowing and disking controls the colonization of shrubs and trees (i.e. black willow, green ash, and button bush), which reduces the area for your seed producing plants to grow. Mowing and disking also helps create plant diversity. So your unit is producing a variety of foods for ducks, instead of monoculture. Why is a monoculture not a good thing? A ducks diet changes throughout the winter. During migration, ducks are looking for carbohydrates to replenish energy reserves and to survive. Once ducks begin to molt into their breeding feathers, they begin to search out foods that are high in protein. Therefore growing a variety of foods will be beneficial in attracting and keeping ducks on your property. Beavers also impose a threat to moist-soil unit by clogging up water control structures and digging into levees causing major problems for landowners. Southern Forestry and Wildlife, LLC offers a turn-key operation for WRP landowners where we manage their moist-soil areas to maximize seed production and general maintenance of roads and levees.
