4
sunlight or deer browsing, or
becomes a “monoculture,"
consisting of only one species.
Spicebush is a nice shrub, for
instance, and provides good
crops of berries, but on its own
certainly can’t sustain the
variety of wildlife that you’d like
to encourage.
This is the time when you
have to start to make some
difficult decisions. You may
love each and every individual
tree, but would careful and
thoughtful thinning of the
woods be better for the health
of the whole ecosystem.
Would removing some trunks
open up the canopy and let in
more light, thus encouraging
seedlings to grow, and letting
more diverse understory plants
develop.
Would the cutting back of a
shrub species that has crowded
out most other kinds of plants
allow for more variety of wildlife
food and nesting options.
If your woodland is large
enough (generally at least 10
acres), it might be financially
rewarding for you to have a
commercial logger do the
thinning, paying you for the
wood that he removes.
In that case, it is highly
recommended that you hire a
consultant forester who will
come in and mark the
appropriate trees to be
harvested, working towards
your goal of improving woodland
diversity and wildlife habitat.
Unlike some commercial
enterprises, your forester won’t
be targeting just the largest,
most valuable trees. He or she
will put the job proposal out for
bids, and will do the negotiating
and follow-through with the
logger, making sure that the
remaining forest is left as
undamaged as possible.
If you are planning extensive
improvements to your
property, selling some of the
lumber which is overcrowded
might be a way to finance your
other plans, while improving
habitat at the same time.
How do you decide what
changes, if any, to make in your
woodland. Your first step, after
studying your property, should
be to think about what wildlife
you want to encourage. Even if
you are mainly interested in one
specialty, such as birds, there
are still choices to be made.
Some species need large,
unfragmented tracts of woods.
While most of us can’t provide
the 100 or 1000 acres of
forest needed by these species
for survival, we might
successfully attract “interior
dwellers." Those birds need
mature forests with high
canopies and as little “edge"
(that area where woodland
meets field) as possible.
Other species are “edge
dwellers," thriving in the shelter
of shrubs and small trees on the
fringe of the woods, and making
use of nearby grasses to find
insects and seeds.
Another group of birds,
notably game birds like woodcock
and grouse, depends on open
areas bordered by fairly dense,
low, shrubby vegetation in which
they can hide from predators.
The same diversity in habitat
requirements applies to other
types of wildlife, so establishing
priorities may be necessary.
If you have some open areas,
you might let a portion grow up
naturally, allowing the grasses
to get tall enough to provide
good habitat.
If this area comes abruptly
up to the woods, consider
either cutting down some of
the trees along the outer edge
of the woodland and letting
nature replace them with
shrubs and seedlings; or speed
up the succession process by
planting them yourself along
the edge of the forested area.
Having a “soft" layered edge,
with a gradual blending of
grasses into shrubs and then
into trees, is nature’s way of
growing, and usually will attract
the greatest diversity of plants
and wildlife.
If you are still hesitant to
make changes in your forest,
remember that humans really
don’t manage wildlife, they
manage
habita
t.
Species will come – or stay
and reproduce – in response to
appropriate food, water, cover,
The health of our
forests and the ability
of future generations to
enjoy the full array of
forest wildlife depend on
a balanced approach to
forest management and
forest wildlife
conservation.
– Ruffed Grouse Society
