Wildlife Habitat Enhancement
A cavity we created in the trunk of a silver maple in the Royal Oak Arboretum.
Environmentalism is on the rise, and doing your part is responsible, easy, and cheap. As arborists, we’re only visitors to the arboreal world. It’s important to be mindful of those who permanently reside in or utilize the bounties trees provide.
Changing the way we see trees
Trees aren’t simply giant lawn ornaments. Trees provide essential habitat elements to a long list of animals, invertebrates, lichen, fungi etc.. Living and dead limbs, cavities, leaves--it’s all important to a functional ecosystem.
We usually remove some or all of the essential parts of ecosystems in order to build our own habitats. In traditional arboriculture, it’s common practice to removal “unsightly” decaying limbs, but here in modern times context matters. Some branches should come out if they pose a hazard to something, but indiscriminately removing all dead branches is not advisable when it comes to maintaining biodiversity. Wildlife depend on all parts of trees in order to survive.
We present you with alternatives to the traditional way of working with your trees. Each case is specific, but here are some general ideas:
+ Do Nothing
As far as wildlife is concerned, the best thing you can do with your trees is nothing. That’s right. If a tree is right next to the house, it should be maintained to be safe. But if it’s way in the back corner of the property? Leave it be.
+ Wildlife Snag
Should one of your trees be condemned and needs removing, a cheaper and more ecological alternative to complete removal is to turn it into a haven for wildlife. Basically, the trunk is retained in order to still provide food and shelter for wildlife nearby. Click to read more about wildlife snags.
+ Shelter Creation/Installation
In certain cases, shelters can be created or installed into both living and dead trees. This is obviously damaging to a tree, so we often select trees that are either not-desirable, very tolerant to abusive pruning, or already condemned. If natural shelters already exist in a tree, we can monitor them for safety.
+ Keep the Brush
Should tree surgery be necessary, the removed parts can still be utilized to make shelter and food for animals on the ground. This is also a big money saver. Often times a large portion of the cost of tree work comes from disposing of the material. This eliminates that part of the process, and instead of putting it in the trash, becomes a useful habitat element. Features like nurse logs look right at home in a natural landscape, but no so much in a formal setting.
The main concept for helping wildlife is to ensure all of the essential parts of their natural ecosystems are present. Should an active bird nest be present in a tree, we will postpone work until the nesting period is over.