Pushmataha Wildlife Management Area

Pushmataha Wildlife Management Area is a scientifically managed preserve of native flora and fauna in northern Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, five miles (8 km) south of Clayton, Oklahoma. It is managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The Pushmataha WMA comprises 19,237 acres (77.85 km2), over 29 square miles (75 km2), all of it in the Kiamichi Mountains. Its predominant characteristics are a mixture of oak/pine forest with steep slopes, shallow soils and rocky terrain.

Scientific management of native habitats is pursued in earnest in the WMA, which is home to one of the longest-running multi-year research projects in southeastern Oklahoma. Spanning almost 30 years is a research project examining the response of vegetation to fire frequency. The project occupies 130 acres (0.53 km2) of the 19,000-acre (77 km2) area, and is called the Pushmataha Forest Habitat Research Demonstration Area.[1]

Burnings take place as well to improve the timber stand and produce native wildlife foods, another area of study.[2]

  1. ^ Research report, "Pushmataha Forest Habitat Research Area", Tall Tibers Research Station. n.d.
  2. ^ Information courtesy the general profile for Pushmataha WMA written by Jack Waymire of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, available at "Pushmataha". Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2009.