I've got an area that I'm gonna dedicate to wildlife. It's in 20 yr old natural growth pine (old field) that I'm gonna cut. Lets just say 15 ac. Question is, what to do with it after I cut it.
1. I could burn it several times and try to convert it back to a field and plant soybeans. Mechanical site prep is out of the question ( bulldozer that is, not sure about mulcher).
2. I could just burn it every 3-4 yrs and keep it thick and nasty. I can build a couple of fire lanes and do that pretty easy.
3. Idk

This is a roughly how it is.

I'd want screening cover on the perimeter then fire breaks where I could burn the rest in 5 acre blocks for a 3 year rotation. One of the downside to the way I set my old field is that I planted hardwood trees in the fallow sections which limits my use of fire.

I like the drawing

An artist I'm not.

I would keep it on a two-three year burn rotation. Maybe plant a 1.5-2 acre winter plot, and the native vegetation would keep cover and summer forbs/grasses available.

Not exactly the ideal spot for a wildlife area, on paper at least. I'd plant it back in pines and write the reforestation off on your taxes.

I own more land around it. This is just whats in pines. It's actually a wildlife paradise, but I don't have much cover to hold them. The bottom is FULL of deer.
Thanks