Encourage wildlife in your forest

Most forestland owners welcome wildlife on their property—it¹s one of the pleasures of rural living. At the same time there may be certain species you wish to encourage more than others. Successful wildlife management requires an understanding of the roles played by animals in the forest and their individual species¹ needs. (see also What is Wildlife?)

Managing for wildlife
Generally, wildlife management does not involve managing animals themselves, but rather managing the habitat they live in. The theory is that if appropriate habitat is available, animals will utilize it, a ³Field of Dreams² approach.

Wildlife requires four elements—water, food, cover, and space. These elements are collectively known as habitat and each animal species has its own requirements. When one or more of these elements is scarce, it becomes a limiting factor for the species. To increase abundance of a desired species, it is often necessary to determine the limiting factor and find a way to increase that element.

Water is vital to all animals. While a few can get the water they need from their food, most require an external source. That means that water is an extremely important forest element. Besides the water source itself (creeks, springs, ponds, seeps, etc.), animals need to be able to reach the water safely which often means corridors of vegetation or other cover leading to the water. If water is a limiting factor for a desired species, artificial ³bodies of water² can be added, for example, quail guzzlers.

Food is an obvious requirement. Each species has its own needs—some eat only plants (herbivores), others only animals (carnivores), while still others eat both (omnivores). Animals may have very specific requirements or eat a variety of foods depending on availability. Common foods include berries and other fruit (soft mast), nuts and acorns (hard mast), grasses and herbs (forbs), and shrubs (browse).

Cover is required by all wildlife for protection from predators and adverse weather conditions. Cover for travel, escape, and feeding is also needed in varying degrees. In certain seasons, nesting cover may become a priority. Cover requirements depend on species: shrubs, brush piles, tree cavities, fallen logs and stumps, burrows in the ground, etc., all can fulfill this need. When animals are displaced from their homes (cover), they become particularly vulnerable unless an appropriate, unoccupied place is found.
Space requirements are more difficult to provide than the more concrete food, water, and cover, but it is important nonetheless. Each species has its own home range, the space it needs to carry out its life cycle. Some animals have a small home range; they travel very little over a lifetime. Others, such as mountain lions and migratory bird species, require very large areas indeed. These animals¹ ranges can extend far beyond property boundaries. Because of increasing fragmentation of forest habitats, many of the species that require large tracts of land are experiencing declines. One way to counter this trend is to work with neighbors to establish and maintain corridors and functionally larger habitats that go beyond a single property.

Some species need more than one habitat type to meet their needs. Turkeys, for example, feed on grasses, forbs, seeds, and insects in forest clearings in the spring and summer. Then in the fall they feed on mast in the forest. Other species live on the boundaries and use more than one type, e.g. the edge of a forest and meadow.

Unique habitat elements
Some habitat elements that are especially valuable to wildlife include:

• Snags—dead, standing trees provide potential nesting, roosting, and perching sites for reptiles, mammals (bats, flying squirrels, raccoons, etc), and birds (swallows, bluebirds, chickadees); also provides food and shelter to various insects and other arthropods.
• Fallen logs—provide cover for salamanders, chipmunks, and invertebrates, and nesting or courtship sites for birds (grouse, juncos, etc).
• Rock piles and brush piles—the spaces among the rocks or in the brush provide cover for reptiles, ground squirrels, quail, and other species.
• Grasses and Forbs—may provide nesting sites for many birds, cover for snakes, lizards and small rodents.
• Leaf litter and small wood—provide protective cover and foraging cover for species such as shrews and salamanders.
• Evergreen plants—provide sheltered areas during winter storms. Even mistletoe clumps can provide cover and food during the winter.
• Water bodies—all water sources are valuable areas and should be protected. Water is vital for all species of animals—insects, fish, large and small mammals, etc. These are also good places for wildlife viewing.
• Vernal pools—seasonal ponds are important for amphibians and numerous invertebrate species.

Make your plans

Decide on your goals—do you want to encourage particular species or increase all species (the overall diversity of wildlife in your forest)?

Then take an inventory of your property. What habitat elements already exist? What wildlife utilize it now? What could be enhanced or restored to increase available habitat for desired species? The size, location, and other physical characteristics of your property will determine what is possible.

Next, learn about the species you want to attract. What are their habitat needs? What is the limiting factor in your forest? What techniques are available to address those limitations? What times of year are best to do the work?

It¹s a good idea to write down your wildlife management plans to help guide your activities over time. This also allows you to more easily share your plans with wildlife professionals or funders. Professional advice can save you time, energy, and money.

Now you are ready to begin your wildlife management activities. But first, it is important to have a system in place to monitor your results. This way you can determine if your plans are working as expected or if you need to change or adapt your techniques. Monitoring will also give you valuable data about your forest and help you become more familiar with the wildlife there.

Some easy ways to enhance wildlife habitat

• Plant native oaks. These mast-producing trees benefit numerous animals—over 300 wildlife species utilize oaks either directly or indirectly.
• Leave snags in place or create new ones. Snags in various stages of decay are necessary for different species.
• Thin or burn patches of the forest to create browse for deer or other herbivores.
• Leave downed wood, such as logs, to decay in place on the forest floor.
• Leave (or augment) large woody debris in streams
• Plant native grasses and forbs
• Add artificial shelters such as nesting boxes for birds or bat boxes, especially when snags or other appropriate cover are limiting.
• Plant native wildflowers to attract butterflies and other insects.
• Use pesticides and herbicides only when absolutely necessary—they may harm non-target species.
• Create brush and/or rock piles
• Provide water through guzzlers or other structures
• Increase the variety of plant types. This will not only increase the diversity of food and cover available, it will also introduce redundancy into the forest ecosystem. Thus, if one species of plant does poorly, wildlife may be able to utilize another.
  

Funding wildlife restoration projects
Some enhancement/restoration projects may require technical expertise and/or permits. Both technical and financial assistance exists to help landowners. Contact one of the following organizations or agencies for more information and to find out about funding availability and criteria:

General contacts:
Your local Forestry Assistance Specialist
Your local Resource Conservation District (RCD)

Funding sources (availability varies) and resources:
The Cost Share and Assistance Programs for Individual California Landowners and Indian Tribes contains information on numerous cost-share programs.

Potential funding sources include:

• CFIP (California Forest Improvement Program)
• EQIP (Environment Quality Improvement Program)
• CalFED
• California Fish & Game programs
• Proposition 40
• US Fish & Wildlife Service programs

Or, if you are totally confused, call the California Forest Stewardship Helpline at 1-800-738-TREE.