Steam Mill Wildlife Management Area Food Plots - Addition

Two more food plots were added to Steam Mill Brook Wildlife Management Area in August. The additional spots combine to create another 1 1/3 acres of forage for the resident wildlife at this WMA. The two sites consisted of the Boarding House and Paro Place.

With the addition of these two sites there is about 7000 pounds of forage for the wildlife that call this WMA home.

A 1/3 acre plot was planted using Alfa-Rack Plus on a site know as the Boarding House. This sight was located on a high hill side making excellent drainage. The plant cover consisted mostly of golden rod, hairy vetch, milk weed, and a thin cover of native grasses. With these types of conditions a perennial plot can be established with pretty good results the first year.

Paro place is an old dwelling located of Walden Mountain Road that has an fallow field which is now growing into wild blueberries, dogwoods and other shrubs. This site is very acidic and has a lot of moss covering the ground.

Since this site is acidic and has such poor conditions for a perennial food plot at this point the decision was made to plant annual rye grass the first year. This will then be followed up by a perennial crop next year. This crop of rye grass will help with adding nutrients to the soil along when it is reincorporated into the soil. This organic matter will help buffer pH along with adding nutrients the perennial crop will consume as it decays.