The Southeastern Landowner's Seasonal Management Calendar

Why Timing Matters

Land management in the Southeast is a year-round endeavor. The region’s mild winters, long growing seasons, and distinct wet and dry periods create specific windows for each management activity — and missing those windows can mean the difference between excellent results and wasted money.

A landowner who mulches a property in August but waits until March to apply herbicide will find the invasive stumps have already resprouted. A land manager who plans a prescribed burn for April but has not constructed firebreaks by February may lose the entire burn window. A planting crew that puts longleaf pine seedlings in the ground in April instead of January will see poor survival.

Timing is not everything, but in southeastern land management, it is close. This guide provides a month-by-month calendar of management activities for private landowners in Central Florida and the broader Southeast, organized by the activities most relevant to forest health, wildlife habitat, and property management.

January

Forestry Mulching

January is one of the best months for forestry mulching in the Southeast. Conditions are favorable:

Cooler temperatures are easier on equipment and operators
Deciduous hardwoods are leafless, improving operator visibility
Ground conditions are typically firm (before spring rains)
Snakes and other reptiles are inactive, reducing wildlife encounter risk

If you have a mulching project planned, January through March is the prime execution window.

Tree Planting

January is the heart of bare-root and containerized tree planting season. Longleaf pine seedlings, planted from December through February, have the highest survival rates because:

Seedlings are dormant and handle transplant stress better
Cool soil temperatures reduce moisture stress
Spring rains will follow shortly, supporting root establishment

For longleaf pine restoration projects, get seedlings in the ground by mid-February for best results.

EQIP Applications

January is a critical month for EQIP planning. Many state NRCS offices have early-year application deadlines (batching periods), and applications submitted in January or February are often ranked in the first funding cycle of the year.

If you are considering EQIP funding, visit your local NRCS office this month to begin or advance the application process.

Monitoring

Walk the property and assess winter wildlife use patterns (deer rubs, scrapes, browse lines, turkey roost sites)
Photograph permanent photo points for annual comparison
Note areas where invasive species are visible (evergreen invasives like Chinese privet and Brazilian pepper are easy to spot when deciduous native vegetation is dormant)

February

Prescribed Fire — Dormant Season

February is peak dormant season burn season across much of the Southeast. Conditions are often ideal:

Accumulated leaf litter and fine fuels are dry
Relative humidity is lower than other months
Wind patterns are generally predictable
Most wildlife species are not yet nesting

If your property has existing firebreaks and is in burnable condition, February is an excellent month to conduct dormant season prescribed fire. Contact your certified prescribed burn manager early — February is the busiest month for burn crews.

Firebreak Construction and Maintenance

If firebreaks need to be constructed or refreshed before burning season, February is the deadline. Firebreaks should be:

Disked or mowed to bare mineral soil or short vegetation
At least 10–20 feet wide for most prescribed burn applications
Continuous around the entire burn unit perimeter
Accessible for fire engines and crew vehicles

See our guide on firebreaks vs. fuel breaks for construction details.

Forestry Mulching (Continued)

February remains an excellent month for mulching operations. If your project started in January, this is continuation time. If you are starting now, ground conditions are still favorable in most of the Southeast.

Invasive Species Identification

With native deciduous trees and shrubs still dormant, February is an ideal time to walk your property and identify evergreen invasive species:

Chinese privet: Green leaves visible against dormant forest backdrop
Brazilian pepper: Bright red berries and green compound leaves are conspicuous
Japanese climbing fern: Green fronds draping through dormant canopy
Nandina: Red berries and semi-evergreen foliage

Mark or GPS these locations for future treatment.

March

Prescribed Fire — Transition Period

March is the transition from dormant season to growing season burning. Early March burns are still considered dormant season in most of the Southeast. Late March burns begin to overlap with early growing season conditions.

March burns can be excellent for:

Properties where earlier burn windows were missed
Situations where slightly warmer conditions are needed to consume heavy fuels
Transitional burns that combine dormant and early growing season fire effects

Herbicide Application — Spring Window

As invasive species begin active spring growth, herbicide effectiveness increases. March is a good month for:

Foliar spray of invasive species resprouts: Privet, tallow, and other woody invasive resprouts that appeared after fall/winter mulching are actively growing and absorbing herbicide
Basal bark treatment: Effective year-round but particularly practical before foliage obscures smaller stems
Pre-emergent herbicide: For properties with known cogongrass infestations, early detection of new growth allows targeted treatment before the grass reaches full height

Monitoring — Early Season

First native wildflowers begin blooming (spring beauties, violets, native azaleas)
Early-emerging native grasses (panicgrasses) start greening
Turkey gobbling season begins — listen for gobbling activity as an indicator of population presence
Monitor for early invasive species growth (cogongrass green-up, Japanese stiltgrass germination)

April

Growing Season Prescribed Fire Begins

April marks the beginning of the growing season burn window. Growing season burns are ecologically superior for many objectives:

More effective hardwood control (depletes root carbohydrate reserves during active growth)
Stimulates wiregrass flowering (essential for seed production)
Better approximates the historical lightning-season fire regime
Creates more natural mosaic of burned and unburned patches

However, growing season burns require more careful planning due to:

Higher ambient temperatures
More variable atmospheric conditions
Ground-nesting bird season (coordinate with biologists)
Increased smoke management concerns

Wildlife Nesting Season Begins

April through July is the primary nesting season for ground-nesting birds in the Southeast, including turkey, quail, and many songbird species. Management activities in nesting areas should be planned to minimize disturbance:

Forestry mulching: Can continue in areas away from known nesting concentrations. For properties with active quail populations, coordinate mulching timing with a wildlife biologist.
Prescribed fire: Growing-season burns during nesting season are ecologically beneficial (they approximate the natural fire regime), but the timing should be planned to avoid the peak of nesting activity for target species.
Herbicide application: Selective, targeted herbicide work (cut-stump, basal bark) has minimal wildlife disturbance and can continue through nesting season.

Food Plot Preparation

For properties that include food plots in their wildlife management program, April is the time to prepare warm-season food plots:

Soil test completed (should have been done in February/March)
Lime and fertilizer applied based on soil test results
Seedbed prepared (disk, smooth, pack)
Warm-season planting (iron clay cowpeas, lablab, sunflowers, soybeans) scheduled for late April through May

May

Growing Season Fire (Continued)

May is peak growing season burn month across much of the Southeast. For longleaf pine restoration properties where wiregrass flowering is an objective, May burns are ideal.

Invasive Species Treatment — Peak Season

As invasive species reach full spring growth, May is one of the most effective months for foliar herbicide application:

Cogongrass: Actively growing, maximum leaf area for herbicide absorption. Apply imazapyr or glyphosate when cogongrass is 18–24 inches tall.
Chinese privet: Full foliage provides maximum herbicide uptake surface
Japanese stiltgrass: Early treatment (before seed set in August) prevents next year’s infestation
Chinese tallow: Foliar spray of saplings and resprouts

Monitoring — Growing Season

Native groundcover species are actively growing — assess recovery in treated areas
Document wildflower species for baseline diversity records
Monitor for gopher tortoise activity on treated sites (new burrows, fresh aprons)
Check on tree plantings from January/February — assess survival and growth

June

Forestry Mulching — Summer Operations

June mulching is feasible but challenging due to heat. If scheduling allows, there are advantages to summer mulching:

Hardwoods are in full leaf, so cut-stump herbicide is most effective (maximum sap flow)
Summer mulching followed by immediate herbicide is the most effective one-two punch against resprouting invasive species

However, operator fatigue, equipment heat management, and insect pressure are all concerns during summer operations.

Growing Season Fire (Late Window)

June burns are possible but increasingly challenging due to:

Higher temperatures and lower humidity variability
Afternoon thunderstorm activity (unpredictable wind shifts)
Peak nesting season for many species

Most burn programs shift to monitoring and planning mode by mid-June and resume in the dormant season.

Invasive Species Treatment (Continued)

June remains a productive month for herbicide application on invasive species. Focus on:

Follow-up treatment of areas sprayed in May
Spot treatment of cogongrass patches that were missed earlier
Hack-and-squirt treatment of scattered invasive hardwoods that do not justify a mulching crew

July

Assessment and Planning

July is the hottest month in the Southeast and the least productive for field operations. Use this time for:

Property assessment: Walk the property in early morning or late evening and assess the results of spring management activities. How is the groundcover responding? Are invasive species under control? How did the spring burns perform?
Planning for fall: Develop the fall management plan — which areas need mulching, which need burning, which need herbicide, which need planting?
EQIP planning: If you plan to submit an EQIP application for the next fiscal year, July is the time to begin working with your NRCS planner. Fall batching deadlines approach quickly.
Contractor scheduling: Good land management contractors are booked months in advance. Schedule fall and winter mulching, burning, and planting now.

Monitoring

Mid-summer is peak wildflower season in many southeastern plant communities. Document species diversity.
Check for late-season invasive species emergence
Monitor deer browse patterns in treated areas — summer is when nutritional stress is highest and deer use of improved habitat is most visible

August

Fall Management Preparation

August is preparation month. The focus shifts from active field operations to organizing the fall and winter management push:

Firebreak assessment: Walk firebreak perimeters and identify areas that need maintenance before fall/winter burn season
Equipment scheduling: Confirm scheduling for fall mulching, burning, and planting contractors
Seed ordering: If native groundcover planting is planned for fall, order seed now. Popular species and local ecotypes sell out early.
Seedling ordering: If longleaf pine planting is planned for January/February, order containerized seedlings from the nursery now.

Late-Season Herbicide

August is the last effective month for cogongrass herbicide treatment before the grass begins to senesce in fall. A second application (if the first was applied in May) is often needed to address regrowth.

Japanese stiltgrass should be treated before it sets seed in August/September. Once seed is produced, the next year’s infestation is guaranteed.

September

Fall Prescribed Fire

September burns are uncommon but can be useful in specific situations:

Reducing fuel loads before fall hunting seasons
Managing specific invasive species that are most vulnerable in early fall
Properties where no other burn window is available

Fall Planting Begins

Late September marks the beginning of the fall native plant seeding window in the Southeast:

Native warm-season grasses: Broadcast or drill native grass seed into prepared seedbeds or recently burned areas
Native wildflower seed: Many wildflower species germinate best from fall-sown seed that experiences winter stratification
Cool-season food plots: Plant annual ryegrass, winter wheat, crimson clover, and other cool-season food plot species for deer and turkey

Forestry Mulching — Fall Operations

September marks the return to favorable mulching conditions as temperatures moderate. The fall mulching window (September through March) is the most productive period for mechanical operations in the Southeast.

October

Cool-Season Food Plot Planting (Continued)

October is the prime month for planting cool-season food plots across the Southeast:

Oats, wheat, annual ryegrass, crimson clover, white clover, and brassicas (turnips, radishes)
Planting should be complete by mid-October in the upper Southeast, late October in Central Florida
Ensure adequate soil moisture — irrigate if available and conditions are dry

Forestry Mulching (Continued)

October conditions are ideal for mulching:

Moderate temperatures
Firm ground conditions (before winter rains in many areas)
Excellent operator productivity
Fall mulching allows winter rest before spring groundcover response

Invasive Species Identification — Fall Window

October is another excellent window for identifying invasive species, particularly:

Chinese tallow: The brilliant red/orange fall foliage makes tallow trees unmistakable and easy to map from a distance or from aerial imagery
Cogongrass: Silver-white seed heads are visible and distinctive in fall
Nandina: Bright red berries are conspicuous

Map these locations for winter treatment.

November

Dormant Season Prescribed Fire Begins

November marks the beginning of the dormant season burn window across the lower Southeast. In Central Florida, leaf drop and fine fuel curing create burnable conditions by mid-November in most years.

Early dormant season burns are useful for:

Reducing fuel loads before hunting season
Maintaining firebreaks and access roads
Training burns on new properties where fire is being reintroduced for the first time

Forestry Mulching (Prime Season)

November through February is the prime season for forestry mulching in the Southeast. All conditions favor productive operations:

Cool temperatures maximize equipment efficiency and operator comfort
Deciduous hardwoods are dropping leaves, improving visibility
Ground conditions are optimal for tracked machinery
Snake and insect pressure is minimal

Herbicide — Late Fall Window

Late fall herbicide application targets:

Evergreen invasive species (Chinese privet, Brazilian pepper) that are still actively growing when native deciduous species are dormant. Selective foliar spray can target these evergreen invaders with minimal impact on dormant native plants.
Cut-stump treatment: Remains effective year-round on freshly cut stumps.

December

Tree Planting Season Opens

December marks the beginning of the bare-root and containerized tree planting window:

Longleaf pine seedlings: December through February planting for best survival
Hardwood seedlings (oaks for mast production, if applicable): December through February
Ensure seedlings are properly stored and handled — desiccation is the leading cause of planting mortality

Dormant Season Prescribed Fire (Continued)

December burns are effective for:

Fuel reduction
Maintenance burning on properties that are already in fire-maintained condition
Preparing units for January/February tree planting (burning creates favorable planting conditions)

Forestry Mulching (Prime Season Continued)

December is peak mulching season. Schedule projects well in advance — experienced mulching operators are heavily booked from November through March.

Year-End Review and Planning

December is an ideal time to:

Review the year’s management activities and results
Update property maps with treated areas, remaining problem areas, and priorities for the coming year
Develop the next year’s management budget
Submit or finalize EQIP applications before year-end deadlines
Renew or renegotiate hunting leases based on habitat improvements

Year-Round Activities

Certain management activities are not season-specific and should be maintained throughout the year:

Property Access

Maintain access roads and trails — overgrowth can make roads impassable in one growing season
Clear drainage structures (culverts, ditches) before and after rain events
Repair erosion damage promptly

Monitoring

Walk the property regularly (monthly if possible) to detect invasive species early, observe wildlife activity, and identify emerging management needs
Maintain photo point documentation at established locations
Record wildlife observations (species seen, numbers, locations)

Record Keeping

Keep detailed records of all management activities (dates, methods, areas treated, costs, contractors used)
Maintain herbicide application records (product, rate, date, weather conditions, area treated)
Document prescribed fire activity (date, acreage, weather, fire behavior, crew)
Organize EQIP documentation and correspondence

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the single most important month for land management?

There is no single most important month — consistent year-round management produces the best results. However, if forced to prioritize, February and March are arguably the highest-impact months because they are the intersection of peak dormant-season burn opportunity, prime forestry mulching conditions, and early EQIP application season.

Can I do forestry mulching in summer?

Yes, but it is less efficient and more physically demanding due to heat. Summer mulching has the advantage of treating hardwoods during active growth, which improves cut-stump herbicide effectiveness. If your schedule requires summer mulching, it is entirely feasible — just plan for slightly lower daily production and ensure the operator has adequate heat management.

When should I burn — dormant season or growing season?

It depends on your objectives. Dormant season burns (December–March) are easier to conduct, safer, and appropriate for general fuel reduction and maintenance. Growing season burns (April–July) are ecologically superior for hardwood control, wiregrass flowering, and longleaf pine ecosystem restoration. Many well-managed properties alternate between dormant and growing season burns. See our prescribed fire guide for detailed seasonal recommendations.

How far in advance should I book contractors?

For forestry mulching and prescribed fire, book 3–6 months in advance during the busy season (October–March). For summer work, shorter lead times are usually possible. For tree planting crews, book by September for January/February planting. For EQIP-funded work, allow extra time for contract approval and scheduling.

What if I missed a management window?

Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If you missed the February burn window, burn in March. If you did not get mulching done before spring, schedule it for fall. The most important thing is to begin the management process and maintain momentum. Every year of consistent management builds on the previous year’s progress.