Woody Plantings for Wildlife

American mountain Ash

Guest Column Article for Alpena News by Dr. Greg Corace of the Alpena-Montmorency Conservation District

Successful forest conservation and management start with a detailed knowledge of the land, its history, and its capabilities and limitations.  Such information should be the basis of forest planning. While winter in northern Michigan is a wonderful time for forest conservation planning, spring is a great time for action. Spring is an especially good time for planting vegetation that enhances composition (suite of species on a property) and structure (the vertical and horizontal arrangement of vegetation). Changes in forest composition and structure can influence wildlife use. Along with past management activities, the type and abundance of wildlife in an area are largely determined by the vegetation.

The first step in designing woody plantings is to understand site capabilities and limitations due to soil type, water availability, light levels, and other factors. After these factors are known, and preferably documented, the next step is to identify wildlife species or communities of interest. Although some plants benefit many types of wildlife, plantings will be most successful if they are customized according to the food preferences and cover requirements of the target species or community.

Because they have grown here for thousands of years, native woody plant species have two main advantages over non-native species. First, native species are well adapted to our site conditions and are more likely to thrive. Second, non-native plants can become weedy and crowd out native species. Autumn olive, glossy buckthorn, and other non-native woody plants can be a serious threat to the ecological integrity of forests.

NOTES ON COMMONLY PLANTED SPECIES & ASSOCIATED WILDLIFE

Apple fruits are very attractive to many types of wildlife. If new trees are to be planted, many authorities recommend standard-size trees over dwarfs and semi-dwarfs as they are much hardier and longer-lived. Young trees should be protected against browsing by rodents, lagomorphs (rabbits and hares), and cervids (deer and elk). Orchards provide a valuable habitat type, especially if they are not mowed until after the nesting season.

Crabapples are similar to apples except the fruit is smaller. They are useful for wildlife purposes because they consistently bear heavy crops of fruit and they provide cover, especially where they form spiny thickets. Like apples, crabapples need plenty of sun and well-drained soil. The flowers are also very fragrant and attractive.

Blackberries, raspberries, and related brambles are well known as an excellent source of "soft mast" (fruit) for wildlife (and people). The leaves and stems are also eaten by rabbits, bears, and deer. These species typically invade suitable areas via seed from bird droppings, but they can be planted if they fail to establish from natural sources.

Several species of dogwoods are native to the eastern U.S., including flowering dogwood that is often used as an ornamental. The species that are most commonly planted for wildlife (silky, red-osier, etc.) are small shrubs adapted to wet soils where they can be effectively used for streambank erosion control. They produce berries, browse, and cover.

There are two species of native elderberries, both of which produce fruit used by birds. American elderberry is adapted to wet soils and is the species people use for jam and wine. Red elder grows on moist soils.

The seeds of cone-bearing trees are valuable food for many species of birds and small mammals, but evergreens are most often planted for wildlife because of their winter cover value. Even small clusters of evergreens add greatly to the wildlife habitat quality of deciduous woodlands. The opposite is also true.

Mountain-ash, and its European counterpart, the Rowan-tree, are small trees of northern climates. They prefer moist sites and open areas, but they also thrive in partial shade and on thin soils in rocky areas. Both species produce large, flat clusters of showy, red berries that are eaten by many types of wildlife. Mountain-ash is also a preferred browse, so protection may be required.

OAKS - Because of their acorns and their browse value, oaks are among the most important of all trees for wildlife. Wherever they grow, all oak species should be favored if wildlife is an important objective. Oak requires a lot of sun to grow well, so established oaks should be given plenty of room to grow by thinning around them. If oaks are planted, they should be put in openings or gaps. In many areas it will also be necessary to protect them from browsing.

Also called juneberries, shadblow, sugarplums, and many other names, serviceberries are one of the earliest plants to bear fruit. They readily attract a wide variety of wildlife. Several native species occur and these are adapted to a wide variety of soil conditions. Serviceberries grow to become large shrubs or small trees that flower early in the spring and are well worth planting for aesthetic reasons alone.

There are several native species of viburnum shrubs, including arrowwood, highbush cranberry, and witherod (wild raisin). They typically prefer moist or wet soils and plenty of sun. Their fruits ripen in late summer and fall and tend to be persistent. Viburnum thickets are good summer cover.

Because of the costs involved, it is generally wise to consider plantings as a small part of a broader habitat management program that focuses on existing vegetation.

Greg Corace is the forester for the Alpena-Montmorency Conservation District. Information contained within was adapted from C.D. Burnett’s Forest Management Notes and is used by permission. For more information, including sources used in this article, Greg can be contacted via email (greg.corace@macd.org) or phone (989.356.3596 x102).