Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. If you are fortunate enough to have a woods as part of your property, you can support wildlife by management decisions. I’ve seen many newcomers who want their pines or hardwoods to be as tidy as their shrub borders – a practice that destroys many places birds, mammals and reptiles need for their lifecycle. Three types of dead wood are critical for a wildlife nurturing woodland.
Snags – dead trees that are still standing and provide sites for cavity nesting birds, logs with a large diameter that have fallen to the ground – besides protection the humid microclimate they create is critical for certain amphibians, and just plain brush – small diameter branches and twigs with accumulated leaves and vines all provide a distinct need in nature’s scheme. As we continue to loose natural habitat due to urbanization, let your property be a home to wildlife.