The National Deer Association met and surpassed an ambitious five-year goal to improve 1 million acres of public hunting land – in four years. Launched in response to declining deer harvests, habitat quality and hunter access on public lands, NDA’s Public Lands Initiative will close out its first four years, 2022-2025, having tackled forest health and access issues on 1,322,097 acres in 31 states.
In addition, and most notably, NDA continues to establish numerous relationships with federal and state agency staff across the country in new locations, allowing us to springboard this project into the future. These accomplishments are the result of continued support for the Public Lands Initiative from the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund.
“We are dedicated to improving habitat for deer that also benefits other wildlife and provides better opportunities for hunters,” said Nick Pinizzotto, NDA CEO. “Locking arms with the U.S. Forest Service, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s to make a tangible difference on the ground makes our success all the more satisfying.”
“Surpassing the Public Lands Initiative million-acre goal is a huge milestone for the NDA, and reaching it a year early is simply icing on the cake,” said Matt Ross, NDA Senior Director of Conservation. “We are proud to help deer hunters across the country, no matter where they hunt. The Public Lands Initiative is leaving a legacy of better management and hunting opportunities for all of us.”
Suppression of timber harvest and activities like prescribed fire on federal lands had reduced young forest and early successional cover, which was impacting deer harvests and hunter access. NDA’s initiative is reversing these trends through projects that enable conservation-oriented timber harvests and other activities such as restoring and/or enhancing:
- White oak woodlands and savannas in the Midwest and Cumberland plateau
- Longleaf pine ecosystems across the Southeast
- Aspen regeneration for deer forage and winter wildlife cover in the Northeast, Great Lakes and West
- Forest compositions that are more resistant to catastrophic wildfire, insects, and disease
- And much more
States Impacted
NDA’s Public Lands Initiative has impacted public lands in 31 states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Land Management Activities
Restoration activities that NDA has implemented have focused on land management that includes but is not limited to the following:
- Silviculture and timber sale planning
- Timber cruising
- Common Stand Exams
- Prescription development
- Timber sale preparation and administration
- Timber marking and sale layout
- Communicating with contractors and developing bid packages
- Operational and financial oversight
- Ensuring to follow standards for federal/state Best Management Practices
- Engineering work related to access of timber sale activities
- Road planning and enhancements (drainage design)
- Soil and water stabilization
- Hydrological restoration (Aquatic organism passageways, riparian/stream bank stabilization, etc.)
- Decommissioning to restore or maintain water quality
- Forest/Timber Stand Improvement (FSI/TSI) activities
- Reforestation/planting/seedling procurement
- Site preparation (mechanical, chemical, and prescribed fire), with or without product removal
- Piling
- Pre-commercial thinning (PCT)
- Mastication
- Release treatments (mechanical or chemical)
- Pruning
- Hazardous fuels reduction
- Project preparation, layout, and implementation of resource surveys required by NEPA
- Archaeological confirmations
- Botany surveys
- Noxious weed/Non-native invasive species treatments
- Wildlife/fisheries population and habitat management
- Population surveys
- Aspen release
- Nut/cone collection for nursery stock
- Openlands management (maintenance of fields, early succession and forage plots)
- Threatened & Endangered species management (red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise, rusty-patch bumblebee, golden winged warbler, etc)
- Brush piles/drumming logs establishement
- Fence removal/installation
- Research project implementation/administration
“Although we still have a year remaining in the initial five-year campaign, we aren’t going to let off the gas after that,” said Matt Ross. “NDA is committed to continue working with public land agency partners well beyond 2026. There’s plenty to do and, along with the full support of NDA members, groups like the Outdoor Fund, and our private industry allies, we don’t plan to stop until all deer hunters have access to high-quality hunting land.”
To support NDA’s Public Lands Initiative, make a donation to NDA’s Annual Fund and consider becoming an NDA member today to learn more about all our mission work.