Five ways to create bobwhite quail habitat: funding available to Virginia forest landowners

Bobwhite quail populations have plummeted in recent years due to loss of appropriate habitat, which includes fallow lands, field and forest edges, and brushy, weedy areas. Forest landowners who want to create good habitat for bobwhite quail, which prefer sunny and open areas, have a new source of funds to support their goals.

Funding is available to forest landowners in 15 Virginia counties to implement beneficial forestry practices that promote healthy and productive forests and also create good habitat for quail. The five eligible practices include: vegetation management; commercial thinning in small acreage stands; planting of shortleaf or longleaf pine; non-commercial thinning, and prescribed burning in forest stands. Landowners can receive up to $10,000 in cost-share funding.

This program is designed for private, non-industrial forest landowners in the counties of Augusta, Bland, Culpeper, Essex, Greene, Greensville, Halifax, King and Queen, King William, Madison, Orange, Rappahannock, Southampton, Sussex and Wythe.

Funding is provided by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) and the program is administered by the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF).

Program registration is underway now.   To sign up, or to learn more about this program, contact your local VDOF office or visit the Agency’s website at dof.virginia.gov.

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