Everyday is Earth Day for Landowner Bill Owen

Private landowner, William ‘Bill’ Owen III, is the model of an excellent land steward.  Owen is converting 175 acres of land into a longleaf pine plantation to provide ample habitat for wildlife and various plant species adapted to such an environment.  Brian Saunders, NRCS District Conservationist in Sussex County, worked with Owen to develop a wildlife habitat development plan to install conservation practices needed for wildlife growth. “These practices are being implemented on farms and open land all throughout the low lying, more sensitive areas of the Coastal Plain region,” says Saunders.

 Longleaf pines were nearly eradicated years ago in Virginia. Owen knows that red-cockaded woodpeckers, Northern bobwhite quail, Bachman’s sparrows and a host of other species depend on longleaf forests.  He signed up for NRCS’ Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) for technical assistance and cost-sharing. 

With guidance from NRCS, Owen burned and prepared the area for planting the longleaf stand. Prescribed burning reduces competition of invasive plant species and reintroduces organic matter back into the soil.  It is also beneficial for wildlife because as smaller grasses and shrubs grow back, it provides cover as well as a food source for many birds and small animals.  As part of his long-term WHIP contract, Owen will use prescribed burning techniques every five years for the next 15 years.

Last year, Owen put in firebreaks to help prevent uncontrollable forest fires.  A firebreak is a strip of bare land or vegetation that retards fire.  These firebreaks are normally positioned to contain prescribed and accidental fires within smaller blocks of the timber stand.  Owen is taking advantage of the vegetated firebreaks by planting species that are beneficial to wildlife. In the future, he hopes to put an easement on the land in order to ensure the area remains a mature longleaf forest.

For Owen, the key to making sure our wildlife habitat is protected is first having a desire to improve our natural resources, and second, to contact the right people to make it happen. Saunders says Owen is very proactive with conservation and wants only the best for his land.

< Back to ...