Excerpt from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Woodlands of Minnesota Landowner Handbook with additional content by Jennifer Teegarden.
Wildlife need four key features: food, water, shelter, and space. Wildlife can generally find their own water sources, given suitable habitat. Adding food, shelter, and space will enhance wildlife habitat in your woods.
Different wildlife species have different needs, so any action you take will inevitably favor certain species over others. Be sure you are clear about what kinds of wildlife you wish to attract before making any changes to your land.
Image by skeeze from Pixaby.
Wildlife Openings
To attract wildlife, some landowners create wildlife openings—clearings in the woods. Unlike traditional food plots, which usually consist of planted non-native grasses or crops, wildlife openings use native vegetation more suitable to meeting wildlife needs.
Wildlife openings range from half an acre to 5 acres (10 acres if you live in the range of moose)—that mimic the type of openings created by natural disturbances such as fire or wind. Disturbance is nature’s way of renewing a forest, and many creatures depend on specific habitats created by a forest disturbance. Methods for creating and maintaining your wildlife opening could include hand-cutting trees and shrubs, brush mowing, and controlled burning with the help of a professional. Maintaining your opening is best done outside of the primary nesting season for birds (mid-May through early August). A natural resource professional can help you decide where to place the openings and best methods for creating them.
Photo Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
You do not need to remove all of the trees and shrubs in your opening. Wildlife can benefit from having a few nut- and fruit-bearing species, snags, fallen logs, and brush piles for shelter. Openings are typically irregular in shape, placed on a south- or southeast-facing slope to take advantage of the sun, and about three times as long as they are wide if small.
You may not need to clear new areas if you can improve existing openings by planting or regenerating native species. Pre-existing openings include yards, old pastures, edges between forest and agricultural fields, and open areas near lakeshore. You might also consider improving an existing food plot. Using pre-existing openings can prevent unnecessarily fragmenting of your woods.
Snags, Brush Piles, and Woody Debris
Large-diameter trees with cavities and dead trees—or snags—provide food, nesting, and for a variety of wildlife species. The insulation of a tree trunk allows wildlife to survive hot summers and cold winters. Many animals store their food in snags, while others eat the insects hiding under the bark. Mammals and birds take shelter in snags to raise their young. Bats, an important consumer of mosquitos, roost under loose bark, cavities, or crevices in trees. You can create a snag tree by girdling the entire base of a live tree.
Photo Credit: MN DNR
Brush piles provide songbirds, small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians a place to nest, rest, escape predators, and protection from harsh weather conditions. To create a brush pile, first place large logs at various angle on the ground to form the base. Then create a second layer by laying smaller logs perpendicular to the base. Next, lay 3 to 6 feet of brush using smaller limbs, sapling, loose brush, and tree boughs. Finish by loosely draping brush over the edges while leaving 6 to 8 inch openings in several places. Size should range from 10 to 20 feet wide by 4 to 8 feet tall.
Keeping woody debris in streams creates habitat for juvenile trout and provides refuge areas and deep pools for larger fish. Woody debris in lakes provides habitat for species such as ducks, turtles, aquatic insects, and fish. Finally, preserving any wetlands, bogs, or swamps on your property provides shelter, food, and water for many types of creatures.