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Improving Wildlife Habitat
There are many things you can do to attract wildlife to your property. How much time and effort you want to spend is entirely up to you. On a small scale, you can put up a bird feeder and a birdbath in places most suitable to attract a variety of birds. On a larger scale, you can improve living conditions for many types of wildlife. In fact, landowners are essential to wildlife. You have many choices. Here are a few:

• Plant flowering dogwoods and shadbush to provide food for over twenty species of songbirds.
  
  
• Encourage the growth of white pines, hemlocks and other conifers that provide important food for wintering birds like chickadees, pine siskins, and small mammals like red squirrels and voles.
  
  
• Weed, thin, or prune to favor trees and shrubs that produce food like acorns, nuts, fruits, and berries for wildlife.
  
  
• Clear a patch in your woodland for migratory songbirds, deer, ruffed grouse, woodcock and other species that benefit from the vigorous tree growth that occurs after space is opened up.
  
  
• Create or leave some "wildlife" trees: hollow logs or standing trees that provide roosts, nesting sites, and food for birds and small mammals.
  
  
• Create brush piles that wild turkeys, rabbits, hare, and small mammals use for nesting and hiding.
  
  
• Dig a small pond or pool so wildlife have an accessible water source.
  
  
• Keep a variety of species, ages, and sizes of trees to insure a continuous supply of food and shelter.
  
  
• Seed native grasses on trails, road banks, logging roads, wood yards, and in woodland.

For more information see Chapter Two of The Woods in Your Backyard

[Home Improvement for Wildlife: Making Your Woods Attractive to Wildlife (PDF: 956 KB)]

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[Maine Forest Service, Department of Conservation]
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