123

Using Farm Bill Programs for Pollinator Conservation

Technical Note No. 78

National Plant DataCenter

NaturalResourcesConservationService

United StatesDepartment ofAgriculture

August 2008

Issued August 2008

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all pro-grams.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for commu-nication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250–9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Cover photos:

Clockwise from top: Diverse native hedgerow in Yolo County, CA (photo by Katharina Ullmann, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation); Selasphorus hummingbird at Lilium bolanderi (Bolander’s lily) (photo by Mark Skinner, NRCS); Halictus solitary bee on Physocarpus capitatus (Pacific ninebark) (photo by Mace Vaughan, The Xerces Society for Inverte-brate Conservation); Speyeria diana (Diana) at Asclepias tuberosa (butter-fly weed) (photo by Mark Skinner, NRCS)

Technical Note No. 78, August 2008

Acknowledgments

This technical note was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and produced jointly by the NRCS National Plant Data Center, The Xerces Society for In-vertebrate Conservation, and San Francisco State University. It was written by Mace Vaughan, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, and Mark Skinner, USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center. Please contact Mark Skinner ([email protected]) for more information about this publication.

Technical Note No.78, August 2008 1


Introduction

More than 30 percent of our food relies on insect pol-lination, which is overwhelmingly provided by bees. The annual value of crops pollinated by wild, native bees in the United States is estimated at $3 billion. Native bees have declined due to habitat loss and the careless use of pesticides, among other factors. At the same time, managed colonies of European honey bees have suffered a 50 percent decline in recent decades and face immediate threats from invasive diseases, pests, and a mysterious ailment called Colony Collapse Disorder.

Recent research has shown that wild native bees, which number more than 4,000 species in North Amer-ica, can contribute substantially to crop pollination on farms where their habitat needs are met (fig. 1). In some cases like squash production in New Jersey, na-tive bees can provide 100 percent of necessary pollina-tion. As hives of European honey bees become scarcer and more expensive, restoring native pollinators becomes ever more important. And while individual native bee species are susceptible to particular pests, a diverse community of many species has been shown to provide consistent pollination services since declines are buffered by other species that are flourishing.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, otherwise known as the Farm Bill, authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to undertake a broad range of incentive-based conservation programs on agricultural land (table 1). Many of these programs rely on conservation practices that can be used to cre-ate or improve pollinator habitat. Previous USDA rule-making established the promotion and conservation of pollinator habitat as a Conservation Security Program goal and a priority for the Conservation Reserve Pro-gram’s State Acres for Wildlife (SAFE) practice. New language in the 2008 Farm Bill makes pollinators and their habitat a priority for every USDA land manager and conservationist. The new Farm Bill authorizes special consideration when determining payments for practices that promote pollinator habitat during En-vironmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) imple-mentation. It requires that native and managed pollina-tors be considered during the review or development

of Farm Bill conservation practice standards. Most important of all, the new Farm Bill authorizes the Sec-retary of Agriculture to encourage “the development of habitat for native and managed pollinators; and the use of conservation practices that encourage native and managed pollinators” during administration of any conservation program. Congress has recognized that pollinators are a crucial part of the healthy landscape panorama, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) participation will be vital to this effort.

Fortunately, the NRCS already offers many opportu-nities to conserve and create habitat for pollinators using existing programs and practices. NRCS conser-vation practices that address habitat needs for native bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, flies,

Figure 1 Leaf-cutter and mason bees in the genus Osmia are among the most important native crop pol-linators. (Photo by Mace Vaughan, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation)

2



Pro

gram

P

urp

ose

Lan

d e

ligib

ilit

yTyp

e o

f assis

tan

ce

Con

serv

atio

n R

eser

ve

Enh

ance

men

t P

rogr

am

(CR

EP

)

Land

ret

irem

ent

prog

ram

tha

t he

lps

agri

cul-

tura

l pro

duce

rs p

rote

ct e

nvir

onm

enta

lly s

ensi

-ti

ve la

nd, d

ecre

ase

eros

ion,

res

tore

wild

life

habi

tat,

and

saf

egua

rd g

roun

d an

d su

rfac

e w

a-te

r. A

n of

fsho

ot o

f th

e C

onse

rvat

ion

Res

erve

P

rogr

am, C

RE

P e

mph

asiz

es p

artn

ersh

ips

amon

g St

ate,

Tri

bal,

or lo

cal g

over

nmen

ts,

priv

ate

grou

ps, a

nd t

he U

SDA

.

Land

s th

at a

ddre

ss a

n ag

ricu

ltur

e-re

late

d en

-vi

ronm

enta

l iss

ue o

f St

ate

or N

atio

nal s

igni

fi-ca

nce

such

as

impa

cts

to w

ater

sup

plie

s, lo

ss o

f cr

itic

al h

abit

at f

or t

hrea

tene

d an

d en

dang

ered

w

ildlif

e sp

ecie

s, s

oil e

rosi

on, a

nd r

educ

ed h

abi-

tat

for

fish

popu

lati

ons

such

as

salm

on. E

nrol

l-m

ent

in a

Sta

te is

lim

ited

to

spec

ific

geog

raph

ic

area

s an

d pr

acti

ces;

abo

ut h

alf

the

Stat

es h

ave

CR

EP

pro

gram

s.

Ann

ual p

aym

ent

plus

cos

t-sh

are

of u

p to

50%

of

the

elig

ible

cos

ts t

o in

stal

l the

pra

ctic

e. C

RE

P

cont

ract

s re

quir

e a

10- t

o 15

-yea

r co

mm

itm

ent

to

keep

land

s ou

t of

agr

icul

tura

l pro

duct

ion.

CR

EP

is

adm

inis

tere

d by

FSA

; NR

CS

prov

ides

tec

hni-

cal a

ssis

tanc

e. C

onta

ct N

RC

S or

Far

m S

ervi

ces

Age

ncy

(FSA

) St

ate

or lo

cal o

ffice

. ht

tp://

ww

w.f

sa.u

sda.

gov/

FSA

/web

app?

area

=ho

me&

subj

ect=

copr

&to

pic=

cep

Con

serv

atio

n R

eser

ve

Pro

gram

(C

RP

)La

nd r

etir

emen

t pr

ogra

m e

ncou

rage

s fa

rmer

s to

con

vert

hig

hly

erod

ible

cro

plan

d or

oth

er

envi

ronm

enta

lly s

ensi

tive

acr

eage

to

vege

ta-

tive

cov

er s

uch

as t

ame

or n

ativ

e gr

asse

s,

wild

life

plan

ting

s, t

rees

, filt

erst

rips

, or

ripa

r-ia

n bu

ffer

s. A

ddre

sses

issu

es r

aise

d by

Sta

te,

regi

onal

, and

Nat

iona

l con

serv

atio

n in

itia

tive

s.

Hig

hly

erod

ible

land

, wet

land

, str

eam

side

are

as

in p

astu

re la

nd, c

erta

in o

ther

land

s. E

ligib

le

wet

land

s m

ust

have

bee

n cr

oppe

d 3

of 1

0 pr

evio

us y

ears

, hig

hly

erod

ible

cro

plan

d 4

of

6 pr

evio

us y

ears

. Pol

linat

ors

are

high

pri

orit

y w

ildlif

e un

der

CR

P p

ract

ice

CP

38 S

afe

Acr

es

for

Wild

life

Enh

ance

men

t.

http

://w

ww

.fsa

.usd

a.go

v/In

tern

et/F

SA_F

ile/

safe

08.p

df

50%

cos

t-sh

are

for

esta

blis

hing

per

man

ent

cove

r an

d co

nser

vati

on p

ract

ices

, and

ann

ual r

enta

l pa

ymen

ts f

or la

nd e

nrol

led

in 1

0- t

o 15

-yea

r co

n-tr

acts

. Add

itio

nal fi

nanc

ial i

ncen

tive

s ar

e av

ail-

able

for

som

e pr

acti

ces.

CR

P is

adm

inis

tere

d by

F

SA; N

RC

S pr

ovid

es t

echn

ical

land

elig

ibili

ty

dete

rmin

atio

ns, c

onse

rvat

ion

plan

ning

, and

pr

acti

ce im

plem

enta

tion

. Con

tact

NR

CS

or F

SA

Stat

e or

loca

l offi

ce.

http

://w

ww

.fsa

.usd

a.go

v/F

SA/w

ebap

p?ar

ea=

hom

e&su

bjec

t=co

pr&

topi

c=cr

p

Con

serv

atio

n St

ewar

dshi

p P

rogr

am (

CSP

) (f

orm

erly

C

onse

rvat

ion

Secu

rity

P

rogr

am)

Add

ress

es r

esou

rce

conc

erns

com

preh

ensi

ve-

ly b

y 1)

und

erta

king

add

itio

nal c

onse

rvat

ion

acti

viti

es; a

nd 2

) im

prov

ing,

mai

ntai

ning

, and

m

anag

ing

exis

ting

con

serv

atio

n ac

tivi

ties

. The

C

SP e

ncou

rage

s fa

rmer

s to

bro

adly

impr

ove

thei

r co

nser

vati

on e

ffor

t to

pro

tect

wat

er a

nd

air

qual

ity,

impr

ove

soil

qual

ity,

sto

re c

arbo

n in

soi

ls, a

dd w

ildlif

e ha

bita

t, c

onse

rve

wat

er,

and

save

ene

rgy.

Pri

vate

and

Tri

bal a

gric

ultu

ral l

and,

and

for

est-

ed la

nd in

cide

ntal

to

agri

cult

ure.

Lan

d co

nver

t-ed

to

crop

land

sin

ce 2

008

is n

ot e

ligib

le.

Ann

ual p

aym

ents

bas

ed o

n ex

pens

es, f

oreg

one

inco

me,

and

env

iron

men

tal b

enefi

ts; 5

-yea

r co

ntra

cts

rene

wab

le f

or a

noth

er 5

yea

rs. C

onta

ct

NR

CS

Stat

e or

loca

l offi

ce.

http

://w

ww

.nrc

s.us

da.g

ov/p

rogr

ams/

csp

Env

iron

men

tal Q

ualit

y In

cent

ives

Pro

gram

(E

QIP

)P

rom

otes

agr

icul

tura

l pro

duct

ion

and

envi

ron-

men

tal q

ualit

y as

com

pati

ble

Nat

iona

l goa

ls b

y he

lpin

g el

igib

le p

arti

cipa

nts

inst

all o

r im

ple-

men

t st

ruct

ural

and

man

agem

ent

prac

tice

s.

Land

on

whi

ch a

gric

ultu

ral c

omm

odit

ies,

live

-st

ock,

or

fore

st-r

elat

ed p

rodu

cts

are

prod

uced

.U

p to

75%

cos

t-sh

are

for

inst

alle

d co

nser

vati

on

prac

tice

s or

100

% o

f fo

rego

ne in

com

e; c

ontr

acts

ru

n 1

year

pas

t la

st p

ract

ice

inst

alla

tion

, up

to

10 y

ears

. Up

to 3

yea

rs o

f in

cent

ive

paym

ents

for

ce

rtai

n m

anag

emen

t pr

acti

ces.

Spe

cial

pay

men

t co

nsid

erat

ion

for

prac

tice

s th

at p

rom

ote

polli

na-

tor

habi

tat.

Con

tact

NR

CS

Stat

e or

loca

l offi

ce.

http

://w

ww

.nrc

s.us

da.g

ov/p

rogr

ams/

eqip

Tab

le 1

M

ajor

Far

m B

ill C

onse

rvat

ion

prog

ram

s th

at c

an b

e us

ed t

o pr

omot

e po

llina

tors

on

wor

king

land

s. A

ll pr

ogra

ms

are

volu

ntar

y. P

leas

e se

e th

e N

RC

S W

eb s

ite

for

mor

e in

form

atio

n (h

ttp:

//ww

w.n

rcs.

usda

.gov

/pro

gram

s/),

and

vis

it t

he U

SDA

Ser

vice

Cen

ter

Loca

tor

to fi

nd U

SDA

offi

ces

that

adm

inis

ter

thes

e pr

ogra

ms

(offi

ces.

sc.e

gov.

usda

.gov

/loca

tor/

app)

.

3Technical Note No. 78, August 2008


Pro

gram

P

urp

ose

Lan

d e

ligib

ilit

yTyp

e o

f assis

tan

ce

Gra

ssla

nd R

eser

ve

Pro

gram

(G

RP

)H

elp

owne

rs a

nd o

pera

tors

pro

tect

gra

z-in

g us

es a

nd r

elat

ed c

onse

rvat

ion

valu

es b

y re

stor

ing

and

cons

ervi

ng e

ligib

le la

nd t

hrou

gh

rent

al c

ontr

acts

, eas

emen

ts, a

nd r

esto

rati

on

agre

emen

ts.

His

tori

cal g

rass

land

use

d pr

imar

ily f

or g

raz-

ing

that

has

hig

h co

nser

vati

on, e

colo

gica

l, or

ar

cheo

logi

cal v

alue

.

50%

cos

t-sh

are

for

rest

orat

ion;

ann

ual p

aym

ent

up t

o 75

% o

f th

e gr

azin

g va

lue

of t

he la

nd f

or 1

0-,

15-,

or 2

0-ye

ar r

enta

l con

trac

ts, o

r ea

sem

ent

pay-

men

ts n

o gr

eate

r th

an f

air

mar

ket

valu

e le

ss t

he

encu

mbe

red

graz

ing

valu

e fo

r pe

rman

ent

ease

-m

ents

or

ease

men

ts f

or t

he m

axim

um d

urat

ion

allo

wed

und

er S

tate

law

. GR

P is

join

tly

adm

in-

iste

red

by N

RC

S, F

SA, a

nd U

.S. F

ores

t Se

rvic

e.

Con

tact

NR

CS

or F

SA S

tate

or

loca

l offi

ce.

http

://w

ww

.nrc

s.us

da.g

ov/p

rogr

ams/

GR

P

Wet

land

Res

erve

Pro

gram

(W

RP

)La

nd r

etir

emen

t pr

ogra

m t

o re

stor

e, p

rote

ct,

or e

nhan

ce w

etla

nds

on p

riva

te o

r Tr

ibal

la

nds.

Far

med

wet

land

or

wet

land

con

vert

ed t

o ag

ricu

ltur

e be

fore

198

5, t

oget

her

wit

h fu

ncti

on-

ally

dep

ende

nt a

djac

ent

land

, or

crop

land

or

gras

slan

d th

at w

as u

sed

for

agri

cult

ural

pro

duc-

tion

pri

or t

o na

tura

l floo

ding

.

Pri

vate

land

s: 1

) P

erm

anen

t ea

sem

ent

paym

ent

equa

l to

forg

one

valu

e pl

us 1

00%

of

rest

orat

ion

cost

s; o

r 2)

30-

year

eas

emen

t pa

ymen

t (7

5% o

f fo

rgon

e va

lue)

plu

s 75

% o

f re

stor

atio

n co

sts;

or

3) r

esto

rati

on c

ost-

shar

e ag

reem

ent

(usu

ally

10

year

s) w

ith

paym

ent

of 7

5% o

f re

stor

atio

n co

sts.

Tr

ibal

land

s: r

esto

red

thro

ugh

any

com

bina

tion

of

2 a

nd 3

. Con

tact

NR

CS

Stat

e or

loca

l offi

ce.

http

://w

ww

.nrc

s.us

da.g

ov/p

rogr

ams/

wrp

Wild

life

Hab

itat

Inc

enti

ve

Pro

gram

(W

HIP

)D

evel

op w

ildlif

e ha

bita

t on

pri

vate

and

Tri

bal

land

s.H

igh-

prio

rity

fish

and

wild

life

habi

tats

, esp

e-ci

ally

hab

itat

for

dec

linin

g sp

ecie

s, o

ther

wis

e un

fund

ed b

enefi

cial

pra

ctic

es, o

r lo

cally

det

er-

min

ed fi

sh a

nd w

ildlif

e pr

iori

ty h

abit

ats.

Up

to 7

5% c

ost-

shar

e fo

r co

nser

vati

on p

ract

ices

un

der

stan

dard

5- t

o 10

-yea

r co

ntra

cts,

or

high

er

cost

-sha

re f

or a

lim

ited

num

ber

of 1

5-ye

ar c

on-

trac

ts. C

onta

ct N

RC

S St

ate

or lo

cal o

ffice

. ht

tp://

ww

w.n

rcs.

usda

.gov

/pro

gram

s/w

hip

Tab

le 1

M

ajor

Far

m B

ill C

onse

rvat

ion

Pro

gram

s th

at c

an b

e us

ed t

o pr

omot

e po

llina

tors

on

wor

king

land

s. A

ll pr

ogra

ms

are

volu

ntar

y. P

leas

e se

e th

e N

RC

S W

eb s

ite

for

mor

e in

form

atio

n ( h

ttp:

//ww

w.n

rcs.

usda

.gov

/pro

gram

s/),

and

vis

it t

he U

SDA

Ser

vice

Cen

ter

Loca

tor

to fi

nd U

SDA

offi

ces

that

adm

inis

ter

thes

e pr

ogra

ms

( offi

ces.

sc.e

gov.

usda

.gov

/loca

tor/

app)

—C

onti

nued

4



and hummingbirds, can have a great overall ecologi-cal benefit, and improve balance sheets for growers of adjacent insect-pollinated crops (fig. 2).

This technical note outlines opportunities within cur-rent Farm Bill programs to implement pollinator con-servation actions on the ground, especially what the NRCS field conservationists can do at the local or field level (Field-level opportunities). The field-level advice primarily explores how current conservation practices (e.g., Practice 340 —Cover Crop) can be used to benefit pollinators. Secondly, this technical note identifies op-portunities for NRCS State, area, basin, and watershed offices to support conservation of crop-pollinating native bees and provide and enhance pollinator habitat during land or wildlife habitat improvement activities (State-level opportunities). At the State level, support for pollinators and their habitats includes developing biology technology notes with State-appropriate plant lists, conservation program enhancement job sheets, and other guidance documents for field office conser-vationists.

We specifically promote native bees because of their economic importance for agriculture and their key-stone role in the healthy and complex food webs that support diverse wildlife. However, conservation prac-tices implemented for native bees will also greatly ben-efit an array of other pollinators and beneficial insects, including managed and feral European honey bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, and the preda-tors and parasites of crop pests. It is these insects that feed wildlife either directly or by producing many of the plant fruits that sustain birds and mammals and, thereby, help hold natural systems together.

Field-level opportunities

Incorporating pollinators into current conser-

vation practices

Tables 2 and 3 provide details on how current con-servation practices can be used to benefit pollina-tors, particularly crop-pollinating native bees. Native pollinator conservation practices provide natural or seasonal habitat to: 1) increase the abundance of pol-len and nectar while ensuring that plants are in flower from early in the spring (e.g., willow) through late fall (e.g., goldenrod); 2) add or protect potential nest sites; and 3) provide a refuge from pesticides. Whenever possible, conservationists should use native plants since native pollinators and other wildlife are adapted to them for food and shelter. Most of the conservation practices outlined in table 2 allow field office planners to include diverse flowering plants that provide se-quential bloom throughout the growing season. Some practices allow for creation or protection of nest sites, such as snags or stable untilled ground for solitary bees, or small cavities (usually created by rodents) for bumble bees. Any practice that increases areas of natural habitat that are not sprayed with pesticides or implements buffers to reduce pesticide drift will minimize harm to native pollinators. (See the Xerces Society publication Farming for Bees: Guidelines for

Providing Native Bee Habitat on Farms for more information.)

Table 2 lists conservation practices alphabetically and describes the potential for each practice to supply or improve habitat for pollinators. The pollinator notes column describes pollinator habitat components that can be provided by each practice and offers recom-mendations for management practices that require careful timing of management activities (e.g., mowing or fire) to benefit or reduce harm to pollinators. Table 3 presents the general habitat requirements of pollina-tors and lists the conservation practices that can be used to supply these requirements.

Figure 2 Creation of hedgerows at Butler Farm in Win-ters, CA, will provide pollinator nest sites, ref-uge, and forage. (Photo by Mace Vaughan, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation)



Co

nservati

on

practi

ce

(u

nit

)C

od

eP

oll

inato

r n

ote

s

Alle

y C

ropp

ing

(acr

e)31

1C

an in

clud

e na

tive

tre

es, s

hrub

s an

d vi

nes

(e.g

., bl

ack

locu

st (

Robin

ia p

seu

doa

ca

cia

), R

ubu

s s

pp.,

etc.

) or

row

cov

ers

(e.g

., va

riou

s le

gum

es)

that

pro

vide

nec

tar

or p

olle

n.

No

te: B

lack

locu

st s

houl

d be

use

d w

ith

care

bec

ause

it is

inva

sive

in c

erta

in h

abit

ats

outs

ide

of it

s na

tura

l ran

ge.

Cha

nnel

Ban

k Ve

geta

tion

(ac

re)

322

Can

incl

ude

dive

rse

flow

erin

g tr

ees,

shr

ubs,

vin

es, a

nd f

orbs

. Cha

nnel

ban

ks p

rovi

de a

uni

que

oppo

rtun

ity

to s

uppl

y ea

rly-

flow

erin

g w

illow

and

, in

dry

area

s, la

te fl

ower

ing

nati

ve f

orbs

(e.

g., g

olde

nrod

(S

oli

da

go s

pp.)

). T

hese

sta

ble

area

s of

hab

itat

als

o m

ay s

uppo

rt s

olit

ary

bee

grou

nd-n

ests

whe

re t

he s

oil s

urfa

ce is

acc

essi

ble,

or

bum

ble

bees

whe

re v

eget

a-ti

on b

ecom

es d

ense

or

duff

laye

rs a

ccum

ulat

e.

Con

serv

atio

n C

over

(ac

re)

327

Can

incl

ude

dive

rse

forb

s (e

.g.,

vari

ous

legu

mes

) to

incr

ease

pla

nt d

iver

sity

and

ens

ure

flow

ers

are

in b

loom

for

as

long

as

pos

sibl

e, p

rovi

ding

nec

tar

and

polle

n th

roug

hout

the

sea

son.

Con

serv

atio

n C

rop

Rot

atio

n (a

cre)

328

Cov

er c

rops

use

d du

ring

con

serv

atio

n cr

op r

otat

ions

can

incl

ude

forb

s (e

.g.,

vari

ous

legu

mes

, buc

kwhe

at (

Erio

gon

um

sp

p.),

pha

celia

(P

haceli

a s

pp.)

, etc

.) t

hat

prov

ide

abun

dant

for

age

for

polli

nato

rs. I

nsec

tici

des

shou

ld n

ot b

e ap

plie

d to

th

ese

cons

erva

tion

cov

ers.

Mov

ing

inse

ct-p

ollin

ated

cro

ps n

o m

ore

than

800

fee

t du

ring

the

rot

atio

n m

ay h

elp

mai

ntai

n lo

cal p

opul

atio

ns o

f na

tive

bee

s th

at h

ave

beco

me

esta

blis

hed

beca

use

of a

spe

cific

cro

p or

con

serv

atio

n co

ver.

Con

stru

cted

Wet

land

(ac

re)

656

Can

incl

ude

stab

le s

oil a

s ne

stin

g su

bstr

ate

in m

ore

upla

nd a

reas

, as

wel

l as

plan

ts t

hat

prov

ide

polle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

na

tive

bee

s an

d ot

her

polli

nato

rs. P

ossi

ble

plan

t ge

nera

wit

h ob

ligat

e or

fac

ulta

tive

wet

land

spe

cies

incl

ude:

Ascle

pia

s,

Bid

en

s,

Cephala

nth

us,

Corn

us,

Crata

egu

s,

Epil

obiu

m,

Eu

pato

riu

m,

Hib

iscu

s,

Hy

peric

um

, Ir

is,

Ju

ncu

s,

Led

um

,

Lobeli

a,

Lu

dw

igia

, L

ysim

achia

, M

imu

lus,

Ran

un

cu

lus,

Rhexia

, R

hod

od

en

dron

, R

ibes,

Rosa

, R

ubu

s,

Sa

lix

, S

oli

da

go,

Spir

aea,

an

d V

accin

ium

. Loo

k fo

r ap

prop

riat

e w

etla

nd p

lant

s fo

r th

e re

gion

fro

m t

hese

and

oth

er g

ener

a.

Con

tour

Buf

fer

Stri

ps (

acre

)33

2C

an in

clud

e di

vers

e le

gum

es o

r ot

her

forb

s th

at p

rovi

de p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

nat

ive

bees

. In

addi

tion

, mow

ing

only

eve

ry

2 or

3 y

ears

to

bene

fit w

ildlif

e al

so w

ill b

enefi

t ne

stin

g bu

mbl

e be

es. T

o pr

otec

t bu

mbl

e be

e ne

sts,

mow

ing

shou

ld o

ccur

in

the

late

fal

l whe

n co

loni

es h

ave

died

for

the

yea

r an

d qu

eens

are

ove

rwin

teri

ng.

Cov

er C

rop

(acr

e)34

0C

an in

clud

e di

vers

e le

gum

es o

r ot

her

forb

s th

at p

rovi

de p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

nat

ive

bees

. Loo

k fo

r a

dive

rse

mix

of

cov-

er c

rop

plan

t sp

ecie

s th

at c

ome

into

blo

om a

t di

ffer

ent

tim

es a

nd p

rovi

de a

seq

uenc

e of

blo

om t

hrou

ghou

t th

e ye

ar. S

ome

exam

ples

incl

ude

clov

er (

Trif

oli

um

spp

.), p

hace

lia (

Phaceli

a s

pp.)

, and

buc

kwhe

at (

Erio

gon

um

spp

.). M

any

“ben

efici

al

inse

ct”

cove

r cr

op b

lend

s in

clud

e pl

ant

spec

ies

that

will

als

o pr

ovid

e fo

rage

for

pol

linat

ors.

Cri

tica

l Are

a P

lant

ing

(acr

e)34

2C

an in

clud

e flo

wer

ing

plan

t sp

ecie

s th

at p

rovi

de a

bund

ant

polle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

nat

ive

bees

and

oth

er p

ollin

ator

s.

Pla

nted

are

as m

ay s

uppo

rt s

tabl

e so

il fo

r gr

ound

-nes

ting

sol

itar

y be

es, o

r de

nse

vege

ta ti

on u

nder

whi

ch b

umbl

e be

e qu

eens

may

hib

erna

te o

r bu

ild n

ests

.

Ear

ly S

ucce

ssio

nal H

abit

at

Dev

elop

men

t/M

anag

emen

t (a

cre)

647

Thi

s m

anag

emen

t pr

acti

ce is

impo

rtan

t fo

r m

aint

aini

ng o

pen

and

sunn

y ha

bita

t fo

r po

llina

tors

. N

ote

: To

min

imiz

e da

mag

e to

pol

linat

or p

opul

atio

ns, d

istu

rban

ce p

ract

ices

sho

uld

be im

plem

ente

d on

ly e

very

2 t

o 3

year

s in

rot

atio

n an

d, id

eally

, on

only

30%

or

less

of

the

over

all s

ite.

Thi

s al

low

s fo

r ha

bita

t he

tero

gene

ity

and

oppo

rtun

i-ti

es f

or r

ecol

oni z

atio

n of

non

-tre

ated

hab

itat

. For

exa

mpl

e, m

anag

ers

coul

d m

ow o

r bu

rn a

sm

all p

orti

on o

f th

e ha

bita

t (l

ess

than

1/3

of

the

site

eac

h ye

ar o

r tw

o) o

n a

3- t

o 6-

year

cyc

le. A

lter

nati

vely

, the

y co

uld

trea

t a

fifth

of

the

site

eac

h ye

ar, o

n a

5-ye

ar c

ycle

. In

addi

tion

, whe

n po

ssib

le, d

istu

rban

ce p

ract

ices

sho

uld

be im

plem

ente

d w

hen

mos

t po

llina

tors

ar

e in

acti

ve, s

uch

as f

rom

late

fal

l to

earl

y sp

ring

. For

det

ails

, see

the

Xer

ces

Soci

ety

publ

icat

ion

Poll

ina

tors i

n N

atu

ra

l

Area

s:

A P

rim

er o

n H

abit

at

Man

agem

en

t.

Fie

ld B

orde

r (f

oot)

386

Can

incl

ude

dive

rse

legu

mes

or

othe

r fo

rbs

that

pro

vide

pol

len

and

nect

ar f

or n

ativ

e be

es. S

triv

e fo

r a

mix

of

forb

s, v

ines

, an

d sh

rubs

tha

t co

me

into

blo

om a

t di

ffer

ent

tim

es t

hrou

ghou

t th

e ye

ar. S

ite

man

agem

ent

(for

exa

mpl

e, m

owin

g) s

houl

d oc

cur

in t

he la

te f

all t

o m

inim

ize

impa

cts

on p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

sou

rces

use

d by

pol

linat

ors.

Alt

erna

tive

ly, a

llow

ing

field

bo

rder

s to

bec

ome

over

grow

n m

ay p

rovi

de n

esti

ng h

abit

at f

or b

umbl

e be

es, a

s w

ell a

s ab

unda

nt f

orag

e. S

tabl

e (u

ntill

ed)

field

bor

ders

may

pro

vide

opp

ortu

niti

es f

or s

olit

ary

bees

to

nest

in t

he s

oil.

Tab

le 2

C

onse

rvat

ion

prac

tice

s th

at c

an b

e us

ed t

o cr

eate

or

enha

nce

polli

nato

r ha

bita

t

6



Co

nservati

on

practi

ce

(u

nit

)C

od

eP

oll

inato

r n

ote

s

Filt

er S

trip

(ac

re)

393

Can

incl

ude

legu

mes

or

othe

r fo

rbs

that

pro

vide

pol

len

and

nect

ar f

or n

ativ

e be

es. L

ook

for

a di

vers

e m

ix o

f co

ver

crop

pl

ant

spec

ies

that

com

e in

to b

loom

at

diff

eren

t ti

mes

and

pro

vide

a s

eque

nce

of b

loom

thr

ough

out

the

year

. Sit

e m

anag

e-m

ent

(for

exa

mpl

e, m

owin

g or

bur

ning

) sh

ould

occ

ur in

late

fal

l to

earl

y sp

ring

to

min

imiz

e im

pact

s on

pol

linat

ors.

Gra

ssed

Wat

erw

ay (

acre

)41

2C

an in

clud

e di

vers

e le

gum

es o

r ot

her

forb

s th

at p

rovi

de p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

nat

ive

bees

. In

dry

regi

ons,

the

se s

ites

may

be

abl

e to

sup

port

flow

erin

g fo

rbs

wit

h hi

gher

wat

er r

equi

rem

ents

and

thu

s pr

ovid

e bl

oom

late

r in

the

sum

mer

.

Hed

gero

w P

lant

ing

(foo

t)42

2C

an in

clud

e fo

rbs,

vin

es, a

nd s

hrub

s th

at p

rovi

de p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

nat

ive

bees

. Loo

k fo

r a

dive

rse

mix

of

plan

t sp

e-ci

es t

hat

com

e in

to b

loom

at

diff

eren

t ti

mes

and

pro

vide

a s

eque

nce

of b

loom

thr

ough

out

the

year

. Bee

nes

ting

sit

es a

lso

may

be

inco

rpor

ated

, inc

ludi

ng s

emi-b

are

grou

nd o

r w

oode

n bl

ock

nest

s. I

nclu

ding

str

ips

of u

nmow

ed g

rass

es a

nd f

orbs

al

ong

the

edge

of

the

hedg

erow

may

pro

vide

nes

ting

opp

ortu

niti

es f

or b

umbl

e be

es. T

his

prac

tice

als

o ca

n he

lp r

educ

e th

e dr

ift

of p

esti

cide

s in

to a

reas

of

polli

nato

r ha

bita

t.

Her

bace

ous

Win

d B

arri

ers

(foo

t)60

3C

an in

clud

e di

vers

e fo

rbs

and

shru

bs t

hat

prov

ide

polle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

nat

ive

bees

. Loo

k fo

r a

dive

rse

mix

of

plan

t sp

e-ci

es t

hat

com

e in

to b

loom

at

diff

eren

t ti

mes

and

pro

vide

a s

eque

nce

of b

loom

thr

ough

out

the

year

.

Mul

ti-S

tory

Cro

ppin

g (a

cre)

379

Can

incl

ude

woo

dy p

lant

s ca

refu

lly c

hose

n to

sup

ply

polle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

pol

linat

ors.

Loo

k fo

r m

ixes

of

plan

ts t

hat

flow

er a

t di

ffer

ent

tim

es t

hrou

ghou

t th

e gr

owin

g se

ason

and

can

sup

port

pop

ulat

ions

of

polli

nato

rs o

ver

tim

e.

Pas

ture

and

Hay

Pla

ntin

g (a

cre)

512

Can

incl

ude

dive

rse

legu

mes

(e.

g., a

lfal

fa)

or o

ther

for

bs t

hat,

whe

n in

blo

om, p

rovi

de p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

nat

ive

bees

.

Pes

t M

anag

emen

t (a

cre)

595

In g

ener

al, i

mpl

emen

ting

Int

egra

ted

Pes

t M

anag

emen

t (I

PM

) fo

r a

crop

red

uces

the

use

and

impa

ct o

f pe

st c

ontr

ol c

hem

i-ca

ls o

n po

llina

tors

. In

addi

tion

, pla

nt s

peci

es c

omm

only

use

d in

IP

M t

o su

ppor

t th

e be

nefic

ial i

nsec

ts t

hat

help

man

age

pest

s al

so c

an s

uppo

rt b

ees.

Exa

mpl

es o

f th

ese

plan

ts in

clud

e: p

hace

lia (

Ph

aceli

a s

pp.)

, sun

flow

ers

(Heli

an

thu

s s

pp.)

, bu

ckw

heat

(E

rio

gon

um

spp

.), a

nd y

arro

w (

Achil

lea

spp

.). P

est

man

agem

ent

prac

tice

s al

so c

an in

clud

e re

plac

emen

t of

in

vasi

ve o

r ex

otic

pla

nt s

peci

es w

ith

flow

erin

g na

tive

tre

es, s

hrub

s, v

ines

, leg

umes

, or

othe

r fo

rbs

that

pro

vide

pol

len

and

nect

ar f

or n

ativ

e be

es. L

ook

for

a di

vers

e m

ix o

f pl

ant

spec

ies

that

com

e in

to b

loom

at

diff

eren

t ti

mes

and

pro

vide

a

sequ

ence

of

bloo

m t

hrou

ghou

t th

e ye

ar.

Pre

scri

bed

Bur

ning

(ac

re)

338

Can

gre

atly

ben

efit

polli

nato

rs b

y m

aint

aini

ng a

div

erse

mix

of

open

, ear

ly s

ucce

s sio

nal h

abit

at in

var

ious

sta

ges

of h

abi-

tat

mat

urit

y.

No

te: I

t is

bes

t if

: 1)

only

30%

or

less

of

a si

te is

bur

ned

at a

ny o

ne t

ime

to a

llow

for

rec

olon

izat

ion

by p

ollin

ator

s fr

om

adja

cent

hab

itat

; 2)

burn

ing

occu

rs o

nly

ever

y 3

to 6

yea

rs; a

nd 3

) bu

rnin

g oc

curs

whe

n po

llina

tors

are

leas

t ac

tive

, suc

h as

whe

n m

ost

plan

ts h

ave

sene

sced

or

in t

he f

all.

Pre

scri

bed

For

estr

y (a

cre)

409

Can

hel

p m

aint

ain

open

und

erst

ory

and

fore

st g

aps

that

sup

port

div

erse

for

bs a

nd s

hrub

s th

at p

rovi

de p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

fo

r po

llina

tors

. Sta

ndin

g de

ad t

rees

may

be

kept

or

drill

ed w

ith

smoo

th 3

- to

6-in

ch d

eep

hole

s to

pro

vide

nes

ting

sit

es f

or

bees

.

Pre

scri

bed

Gra

zing

(ac

re)

528

Can

hel

p m

aint

ain

earl

y su

cces

sion

al h

abit

at a

nd it

s as

soci

ated

flow

erin

g pl

ants

. Ens

ure

that

gra

zing

obj

ecti

ves

incl

ude

a di

vers

e pl

ant

com

mun

ity

that

inco

rpor

ates

legu

mes

, for

bs, a

nd a

ppro

pria

te fl

ower

ing

woo

dy s

peci

es t

o cr

eate

flor

al a

nd

stru

ctur

al d

iver

sity

.

Ran

ge P

lant

ing

(acr

e)55

0C

an in

clud

e di

vers

e le

gum

es, o

ther

for

bs a

nd s

hrub

s th

at p

rovi

de p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

nat

ive

bees

.

Res

idue

and

Till

age

Man

agem

ent,

N

o-T

ill/S

trip

Till

/Dir

ect

Seed

(ac

re)

329

Can

pro

tect

bee

s th

at a

re n

esti

ng in

the

gro

und

at t

he b

ase

of t

he p

lant

s th

ey p

ollin

ate.

Soi

l till

age

digs

up

thes

e ne

sts

(loc

ated

0.5

to

3 fe

et u

nder

grou

nd)

or b

lock

s em

erge

nce

of n

ew a

dult

bee

s br

ed t

he p

roce

edin

g ye

ar.

Res

tora

tion

and

Man

agem

ent

of

Rar

e an

d D

eclin

ing

Hab

itat

s (a

cre)

643

Can

be

used

to

prov

ide

dive

rse

loca

lly g

row

n na

tive

for

age

(for

bs, s

hrub

s, v

ines

, and

tre

es)

and

nest

ing

reso

urce

s fo

r po

l-lin

ator

s. M

any

spec

ialis

t po

llina

tors

tha

t ar

e cl

osel

y ti

ed t

o ra

re p

lant

s or

hab

itat

s m

ay s

igni

fican

tly

bene

fit f

rom

eff

orts

to

prot

ect

rare

hab

itat

. In

addi

tion

, cer

tain

rar

e pl

ants

req

uire

pol

linat

ors

to r

epro

duce

. N

ote

: Pol

linat

or p

lant

s sh

ould

onl

y be

pla

nted

if t

hey

wer

e pa

rt o

f th

e ra

re e

cosy

stem

you

are

try

ing

to r

esto

re.

Tab

le 2

C

onse

rvat

ion

prac

tice

s th

at c

an b

e us

ed t

o cr

eate

or

enha

nce

polli

nato

r ha

bita

t—C

onti

nued



Co

nservati

on

practi

ce

(u

nit

)C

od

eP

oll

inato

r n

ote

s

Rip

aria

n F

ores

t B

uffe

r (a

cre)

391

Can

incl

ude

tree

s, s

hrub

s, a

nd f

orbs

esp

ecia

lly c

hose

n to

pro

vide

pol

len

and

nect

ar f

or p

ollin

ator

s. T

he s

tabl

e ha

bita

t m

ay s

uppl

y ne

st s

ites

to

solit

ary

grou

nd a

nd w

ood-

tunn

el n

esti

ng b

ees,

as

wel

l as

bum

ble

bees

. Thi

s pr

acti

ce a

lso

can

help

red

uce

drif

t of

pes

tici

des

onto

are

as o

f po

llina

tor

habi

tat.

Rip

aria

n H

erba

ceou

s C

over

(ac

re)

390

Can

incl

ude

dive

rse

forb

s th

at p

rovi

de p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

nat

ive

bees

. In

drie

r pa

rts

of t

he U

.S.,

man

y of

the

se f

orbs

flo

wer

in t

he la

te s

umm

er a

nd f

all,

whe

n po

llina

tor

fora

ge is

nee

ded

mos

t.

Silv

opas

ture

Est

ablis

hmen

t (a

cre)

381

If g

razi

ng in

tens

ity

is lo

w e

noug

h to

allo

w f

or p

lant

s to

flow

er, t

his

prac

tice

can

incl

ude

legu

mes

and

oth

er f

orbs

tha

t pr

ovid

e po

llen

and

nect

ar f

or b

ees.

Tre

es a

nd s

hrub

s th

at p

rovi

de p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

als

o ca

n be

pla

nted

.

Stre

am H

abit

at I

mpr

ovem

ent

and

Man

agem

ent

(acr

e)39

5P

lant

s ch

osen

for

adj

oini

ng r

ipar

ian

area

s ca

n in

clud

e tr

ees,

shr

ubs,

and

for

bs t

hat

prov

ide

polle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

pol

lina-

tors

. Max

imiz

ing

plan

t di

vers

ity

alon

g ri

pari

an c

orri

dors

will

res

ult

in m

ore

polli

nato

rs a

nd o

ther

ter

rest

rial

inse

cts

to

feed

fish

in t

he s

trea

ms.

Stre

amba

nk a

nd S

hore

line

Pro

tec-

tion

(fo

ot)

580

If v

eget

atio

n is

use

d fo

r st

ream

bank

pro

tect

ion,

pla

nts

can

incl

ude

tree

s, s

hrub

s, a

nd f

orbs

esp

ecia

lly c

hose

n to

pro

vide

po

llen

and

nect

ar f

or p

ollin

ator

s. G

ood

cand

idat

es in

clud

e w

illow

(Sali

x s

pp.)

, dog

woo

d (C

orn

us s

pp.)

, and

gol

denr

od

(Soli

dago s

pp.)

.

Stri

pcro

ppin

g (a

cre)

585

Can

incl

ude

dive

rse

legu

mes

or

othe

r fo

rbs

that

pro

vide

pol

len

and

nect

ar f

or n

ativ

e be

es. I

f in

sect

pol

linat

ed c

rops

are

gr

own,

pla

nts

used

in a

djac

ent

stri

ps o

f ve

geta

tive

cov

er m

ay b

e ca

refu

lly c

hose

n to

pro

vide

a c

ompl

emen

tary

blo

om

peri

od t

o th

e cr

op, s

uch

that

the

flow

ers

avai

labl

e in

the

fiel

d ar

e ex

tend

ed o

ver

a lo

nger

per

iod

of t

ime.

Tree

/Shr

ub E

stab

lishm

ent

(acr

e)61

2C

an in

clud

e tr

ees,

shr

ubs,

and

vin

es e

spec

ially

cho

sen

to p

rovi

de p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

pol

linat

ors.

Woo

dy p

lant

s w

ith

pith

y st

ems

(e.g

., el

derb

erry

(Sam

bu

cu

s s

pp.)

, box

elde

r (A

cer n

egu

ndo),

and

ras

pber

ries

(R

ubu

s s

pp.)

als

o m

ay b

e ch

o-se

n to

pro

vide

pot

enti

al n

est

site

s fo

r so

litar

y be

es t

hat

nest

in w

ood

stem

s.

Upl

and

Wild

life

Hab

itat

Man

age-

men

t (a

cre)

645

Can

incl

ude

man

agin

g fo

r po

llina

tor

fora

ge o

r po

llina

tor

nest

sit

es, s

uch

as in

clud

ing

nest

blo

cks

or s

nags

for

sol

itar

y be

es t

hat

nest

in t

unne

ls in

woo

d, a

cces

s to

bar

e so

il fo

r gr

ound

-nes

ting

sol

itar

y be

es, a

nd s

mal

l mam

mal

bur

row

s or

ov

ergr

own

gras

s co

ver

for

bum

ble

bees

. N

ote

: Ple

ase

see

Ear

ly S

ucce

ssio

nal H

abit

at D

evel

opm

ent/

Man

agem

ent

(647

) an

d P

resc

ribe

d B

urni

ng (

338)

for

man

age-

men

t te

chni

ques

tha

t m

inim

ize

the

disr

upti

on o

f po

llina

tor

com

mun

itie

s.

Vege

tati

ve B

arri

ers

(foo

t)60

1C

an in

clud

e pl

ants

tha

t pr

ovid

e po

llen

and

nect

ar f

or p

ollin

ator

s.

Wet

land

Enh

ance

men

t (a

cre)

659

Wet

land

and

adj

acen

t up

land

can

incl

ude

tree

s, s

hrub

s, a

nd f

orbs

esp

ecia

lly c

hose

n to

pro

vide

pol

len

and

nect

ar f

or p

ol-

linat

ors.

Sna

gs c

an b

e pr

otec

ted

or n

est

bloc

ks f

or b

ees

erec

ted.

Wet

land

Res

tora

tion

(ac

re)

657

Wet

land

and

adj

acen

t up

land

can

incl

ude

tree

s, s

hrub

s, a

nd f

orbs

esp

ecia

lly c

hose

n to

pro

vide

pol

len

and

nect

ar f

or p

ol-

linat

ors.

Sna

gs c

an b

e pr

otec

ted

or n

est

bloc

ks f

or b

ees

erec

ted.

Wet

land

Wild

life

Hab

itat

Man

age-

men

t (a

cre)

644

Wet

land

and

adj

acen

t up

land

can

incl

ude

tree

s, s

hrub

s, a

nd f

orbs

esp

ecia

lly c

hose

n to

pro

vide

pol

len

and

nect

ar f

or p

ol-

linat

ors.

Sna

gs c

an b

e pr

otec

ted

or n

est

bloc

ks f

or b

ees

erec

ted.

N

ote

: Ple

ase

see

Ear

ly S

ucce

ssio

nal H

abit

at D

evel

opm

ent/

Man

agem

ent

(647

) an

d P

resc

ribe

d B

urni

ng (

338)

for

man

age-

men

t te

chni

ques

tha

t m

inim

ize

the

disr

upti

on o

f po

llina

tor

com

mun

itie

s.

Win

dbre

ak/S

helt

erbe

lt E

stab

lish-

men

t (f

oot)

380

Can

incl

ude

tree

s, s

hrub

s, v

ines

, and

for

bs e

spec

ially

cho

sen

to p

rovi

de p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

pol

linat

ors.

Win

dbre

aks

and

shel

ter

belt

s ar

e a

good

pla

ce t

o pu

t ne

stin

g st

ruct

ures

for

nat

ive

bees

, and

the

y ca

n he

lp r

educ

e dr

ift

of in

sect

icid

es

onto

a s

ite.

Win

dbre

ak/S

helt

erbe

lt R

enov

atio

n (f

oot)

650

Can

incl

ude

tree

s, s

hrub

s, v

ines

, and

for

bs e

spec

ially

cho

sen

to p

rovi

de p

olle

n an

d ne

ctar

for

pol

linat

ors.

If

appr

opri

ate,

de

ad t

rees

and

sna

gs m

ay b

e ke

pt o

r dr

illed

wit

h ho

les

to p

rovi

de n

esti

ng s

ites

for

bee

s.

Tab

le 2

C

onse

rvat

ion

prac

tice

s th

at c

an b

e us

ed t

o cr

eate

or

enha

nce

polli

nato

r ha

bita

t—C

onti

nued

No

te: M

any

FSA

-spo

nsor

ed C

RP

and

CR

EP

con

serv

atio

n pr

acti

ces

are

sim

ilar

in n

ame

and

inte

nt, s

o th

e re

com

men

dati

ons

in t

his

tabl

e ca

n of

ten

be a

pplie

d to

the

m.

8



Pollinator resource Code and conservation practice (unit)

Forage (diverse sources of pollen and nec-tar that support pollinators from early in the spring to late in the fall)

311—Alley Cropping (acre)322—Channel Bank Vegetation (acre)327—Conservation Cover (acre)328—Conservation Crop Rotation (acre)656—Constructed Wetland (acre)332—Contour Buffer Strips (acre)340—Cover Crop (acre)342—Critical Area Planting (acre)386—Field Border (foot)393—Filter Strip (acre)412—Grassed Waterway (acre)422—Hedgerow Planting (foot)603—Herbaceous Wind Barriers (foot)379—Multi-Story Cropping (acre)512—Pasture and Hay Planting (acre)595—Pest Management (acre)409—Prescribed Forestry (acre)528—Prescribed Grazing (acre)550—Range Planting (acre)643—Restoration and Management of Rare and Declining Habitats (acre)391—Riparian Forest Buffer (acre)390—Riparian Herbaceous Cover (acre)381—Silvopasture Establishment (acre)395—Stream Habitat Improvement and Management (acre)580—Streambank and Shoreline Protection (foot)585—Stripcropping (acre)612—Tree/Shrub Establishment (acre)645—Upland Wildlife Habitat Management (acre)601—Vegetative Barriers (foot)659—Wetland Enhancement (acre)657—Wetland Restoration (acre)644—Wetland Wildlife Habitat Management (acre)380—Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment (foot)650—Windbreak/Shelterbelt Renovation (foot)

Nest sites (stable ground, holes in wood, cavities for bumble bees, or overwintering sites for bumble bee queens)

322—Channel Bank Vegetation (acre)656—Constructed Wetland (acre)332—Contour Buffer Strips (acre)342—Critical Area Planting (acre)386—Field Border (foot)422—Hedgerow Planting (foot)409—Prescribed Forestry (acre)329—Residue and Tillage Management, No-Till/Strip Till/Direct Seed (acre)643—Restoration and Management of Rare and Declining Habitats (acre)391—Riparian Forest Buffer (acre)612—Tree/Shrub Establishment (acre)645—Upland Wildlife Habitat Management (acre)659—Wetland Enhancement (acre)657—Wetland Restoration (acre)644—Wetland Wildlife Habitat Management (acre)380—Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment (foot)650—Windbreak/Shelterbelt Renovation (foot)

Table 3 Pollinator requirements and the conservation practices that can be used to provide them in the field



Pollinator resource Code and conservation practice (unit)

Pesticide protection (refuge from spray, buffers to drift, etc.)

322—Channel Bank Vegetation (acre)656—Constructed Wetland (acre)342—Critical Area Planting (acre)422—Hedgerow Planting (foot)391—Riparian Forest Buffer (acre)657—Wetland Restoration (acre)380—Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment (foot)

Site management for pollinators 647—Early Successional Habitat Development or Management (acre)595—Pest Management (acre)338—Prescribed Burning (acre)409—Prescribed Forestry (acre)528—Prescribed Grazing (acre)643—Restoration and Management of Rare and Declining Habitats (acre)645—Upland Wildlife Habitat Management (acre)644—Wetland Wildlife Habitat Management (acre)

Table 3 Pollinator requirements and the conservation practices that can be used to provide them in the field—Continued

State-level opportunities

Pollinator conservation biology technical

notes

Each State can develop pollinator conservation biol-ogy tech ni cal notes to help field conserva tionists promote pollinators in their conservation planning and implementation. Ideally, the notes will:

land as possible in relatively natural condition since many pollinators require this for successful completion of their life cycles.

plants used by native bees (or other pollinators such as butterflies) that could be included in various conservation practices throughout the State. Important information to include for each plant is flowering period and suitable habitat conditions for planting, as well as information on seeding rates.

-cies in bloom throughout the growing season. In practice, this means providing at least three blooming pollinator plants during spring, sum-mer, and fall.

pollinating native bees. These nest sites include:

– partially bare, well-drained ground for solitary ground-nesting bees

– narrow tunnels in standing dead wood or plants with pithy stems for solitary tunnel-nesting bees

– small cavities, such as abandoned rodent bur-rows or areas of overgrown, fallen grass for bumble bees

Oregon, New Jersey, and Montana NRCS State offices have produced pollinator conservation biology techni-cal notes, and others are in the making. The Xerces Society drew from these sources and other technical materials to create a template of a State technical note. These documents and others referenced in State-

level opportunities are listed with Web locations in table 4, as are complementary Fish and Wildlife Habi-tat Management Leaflets produced by the Agricultural Wildlife Conservation Center. These documents are also available at the PLANTS Database at http://plants.usda.gov/pollinators/NRCSdocuments.html.

10



Descrip

tio

n o

r t

itle

Do

cu

men

t ty

pe

Sco

pe

Web

lo

cati

on

(if

avail

ab

le)

Bat

s (P

DF

; 935

KB

)F

ish

and

Wild

life

Hab

itat

M

anag

emen

t Le

aflet

U.S

.ht

tp://

dire

ctiv

es.s

c.eg

ov.u

sda.

gov/

med

ia/p

df/T

N_B

_4_a

.pdf

But

terfl

ies

(PD

F; 2

312

KB

)F

ish

and

Wild

life

Hab

itat

M

anag

emen

t Le

aflet

U.S

.ht

tp://

dire

ctiv

es.s

c.eg

ov.u

sda.

gov/

med

ia/p

df/T

N_B

_12_

a.pd

f

Con

serv

atio

n C

over

: Wild

-flo

wer

Mea

dow

for

Wild

life

and

Pol

linat

ors

327a

(P

DF

; 95

KB

)

Con

serv

atio

n P

ract

ice

Job

Shee

tV

irgi

nia

http

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otg.

nrcs

.usd

a.go

v/re

fere

nces

/pub

lic/V

A/3

27a_

Cov

er_C

rop_

Wild

flow

er_j

s_F

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Cou

nty

Irri

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d La

nd

Info

rmat

ion

MT

200

8 (D

OC

; 79

KB

)

Con

serv

atio

n P

roje

ct

Ran

king

Cri

teri

aM

onta

na

http

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ww

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nrcs

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ogra

ms/

eqip

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riga

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CSP

Wild

life

Enh

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men

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ctiv

ity

- Pol

linat

or A

reas

(P

DF

; 74

KB

)

Con

serv

atio

n Se

curi

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Pro

gram

, Enh

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men

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Job

Shee

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Ala

bam

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p://f

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c.sc

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ch/c

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polli

nato

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pdf

EQ

IP R

anki

ng I

nstr

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SD F

Y08

(D

OC

; 389

KB

)C

onse

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Pro

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R

anki

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EQ

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RC

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Cou

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2005

(P

DF

; 73

KB

)

Con

serv

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n P

roje

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Ran

king

Cri

teri

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Fac

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Aff

ecti

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utte

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Use

of

Filt

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s in

Sou

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wes

t M

inne

sota

(P

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9 K

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Pol

linat

or C

onse

rvat

ion

Bio

logy

Tec

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eafle

tM

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pdf

Hab

itat

Dev

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r P

ollin

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Ins

ects

MT-

20

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7 K

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Pol

linat

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Bio

logy

Tec

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ote

Mon

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12



Pollinator conservation job sheets

States can also develop pollinator conservation job sheets. For example, Virginia has produced a Conser-vation Cover job sheet on establishing and maintaining wildflower meadows for wildlife and pollinators (fig. 3). This job sheet provides general criteria and specifi-cations, details on site maintenance, lists of appropri-ate plants, and tools for site planning.

Conservation project ranking criteria

States can include a line item that provides additional points during scoring if proposed conservation proj-ects address the flowering or nesting needs of pollina-tors. In Montana, an EQIP or WHIP line item awards 20 additional points for projects that include sequen-tially blooming pollinator-friendly plants. South Dako-ta and California have also developed project ranking criteria that support pollinators.

Conservation Security Program, pollinator

enhancements

The Conservation Security Program (CSP) includes enhance ments that may be pulled into State programs to conserve pollinators. Nectar Corridors (CSP En-hancement Activity Job Sheet for Plant Management EPL41) and Native, Culturally Significant Plants (EPL40) both provide additional incentives for incor-poration of pollinator habitat into CSP contracts. In addition, an enhancement specifically for pollinator habitat is available for the 2008 Conservation Security Program sign-up. The Conservation Security Program was replaced by the Conservation Stewardship Pro-gram in May 2008, but, these enhancements will con-tinue in similar form.

Other State opportunities

NRCS State programs can add pollinator habitat crite-ria to their existing Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Guides, or develop specific documents that assess pollinator habitat. They can also incorporate information on pol-linators into their State vegetation guides.

Plant Materials Center assistance

Regional NRCS Plant Materials Centers (PMC) and plant material specialists can develop field trials to test individual plants or combinations of plant materials with a native pollinator focus. The Corvallis PMC (Cor-vallis, OR), Rose Lake PMC (East Lansing, MI), Lock-eford PMC (Locke ford, CA), and the National PMC (Beltsville, MD) are currently developing demonstra-tion insectary plantings and recommendations for pol-linator seeding mixes. PMC staff can work with States to produce regional pollinator conservation biology technical notes and other documents.

State office assistance

The NRCS Agricultural Wildlife Conservation Center and several private foundations funded the Xerces Society to provide NRCS State offices with technical support to help implement pollinator conservation measures. Please contact Mace Vaughan ([email protected]) if you are interested in this ser-vice.

For more information about pollinator conservation measures, please see the NRCS Ecological Sciences Division publications (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/ECS/database/technotes.html), or visit the Xerces Society (http://www.xerces.org/Pollinator_In-sect_Conservation/agriculture.html) or the Pollinator Partnership (http://www.pollinator.org).

Figure 3 Fire can be used in meadows, prairies, and sa-vannahs to encourage forbs that feed and shelter pollinators. (Photo by Jeff Vanaga, NRCS)

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Documents