DNR finalizes stewardship plan for Idlewild wildlife

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Iowa DNR has a new plan to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the Idlewild Wildlife Management Area.

On Friday, Sept. 22, DNR Forester Trent Stuchel hosted a public meeting in Floyd to collect feedback about a new stewardship plan for Idlewild, detailing the importance of maintaining the 176-acre forest and the steps they intend to take to do so.

The Idlewild Wildlife Management Area, located north of Floyd on the opposite side of the Cedar River from Idlewild County Park, is the first DNR managed wildlife forest in the county to have a stewardship plan developed. While the DNR manages several marshlands in the county, Idlewild is the only forested area in state control.

“This is the first official plan we’ve had on the area,” said Stuchel. “We’re essentially starting the forest management now.”

Unlike state parks, which are focused on facilitating recreational gatherings and activities like camping and parties, a wildlife management area is managed by the Wildlife Bureau with a focus on maintaining a healthy plant and animal ecosystem where everything from endangered or threatened species like Wood Turtles and Northern Long-eared bat to game animals like deer and wild turkey can call home.

To develop the stewardship plan, foresters Trent Stuchel and Greg Heidebrink, along with wildlife biologist Jason Auel, walked the forest to evaluate the present ecosystem and create a list of objectives for the area.

Once a rough plan was outlined, it was put through a review by botanists, avian ecologists, and other environmental specialists with the DNR. Then, finally, it was presented to the public before going into effect.

“Now that we’ve gone through that, we have the green light to go in and start actively managing the area,” said Stuchel.

One of the major priorities in the stewardship plan is to encourage the growth of new oak trees in the forest.

“We’re losing about 5,000 acres of oak every year in Iowa and there are all kinds of species that utilize oak trees,” said Stuchel. “They will not regenerate successfully in most situations without active management.”

Many of the existing trees in Idlewild are very old and very large, leaving little room for new trees to naturally develop outside of smaller species that thrive in the shade. In 100 years time, as the large oaks naturally die out, the animals that depend on them will struggle without new trees to take their place.

“We understand the way the ecosystem is moving currently and we want to sway it in a direction that’s going to improve wildlife habitat,” said Stuchel.

In order to nudge the ecosystem into a more favorable direction, the DNR will target older trees that are in decline for removal, setting the stage for new trees to grow. Clearcutting and controlled fire will be among the techniques used to clear out invasive species of plants and create conditions for young oaks to thrive.

Now that the Idlewild stewardship plan has been finalized, it will soon be posted online on the DNR’s website for public view.