Wildlife and Your Land

a series about managing your land for wildlife

To Cut or Not to Cut?

Managing Your Woodland for Wildlife

If you’re like most Wisconsin woodland owners, you own between 20-100
acres, and you enjoy a variety of activities on your land: watching
wildlife, hiking, hunting, picking berries, picnicking or taking photos of
wildlife and wildflowers. You delight in the beauty and solitude that
comes with owning a woodland. You warm yourself in late fall and
winter by cutting a little firewood, and you wouldn’t mind making a
little extra cash, though managing your woodland for commercial
purposes isn’t your highest priority. Mostly, you want to enhance your
woodland for wildlife and recreational purposes, but
you’re not exactly sure how to go about it. This publication
will give you some ideas about how to begin.

“T othat
cut or not to cut?” That is the question. Whether it is wiser to cut
gnarly old oak for hearthwarming firewood, or leave it for
wildlife food and shelter? Whether it is better to leave that stand of
maple to grow straight and tall for sawtimber, or be thinned to
encourage vegetation to benefit wildlife? Truly, the choice is yours and
will be unique to your land. The good news is that if you do decide to
cut, you don’t have to sacrifice wildlife habitat in the process. In
fact, certain timber harvest practices can actually enhance—
at a faster rate than nature alone—the attractiveness of
your property to certain types of wildlife. The first thing
you need to do is identify your wildlife and timber harvest
goals and choose the appropriate harvest method.
2 Wildlife and Your Land

To Cut or Not To Cut

2
7
3
6

1 9
8 8

Keeping Wildlife in Mind

Which trees you cut can have a major impact on wildlife. With wildlife habitat as our goal, here’s one
way to cut a small patch of woodland. Be sure to clearly mark trees you want preserved if you are
planning a timber sale. Do this in cooperation with a commercial timber operator. A professional forester
or wildlife manager can help you identify the best wildlife trees.

Tree 1: Preserve evergreen for cover value. Tree 6: Preserve dying tree for insects for
woodpeckers.
Tree 2: Cut these tall, straight hardwoods
for timber and to allow trees 1 and 8 Tree 7: Same as tree 2 and 3.
room to grow for wildlife. Make
brush piles with the slash. Tree 8: Preserve oak sapling for future
wildlife food.
Tree 3: Same as tree 2.
Tree 9: Preserve dead wood on the forest
Tree 4: Preserve. Best acorn producer on the floor for salamanders, insects,
property. snakes and chipmunks.

Tree 5: Preserve this den tree for fox family

that lives there.
 Wildlife and Your Land 3

Timber Management Basics

How you cut your woodlot depends on the 1. Clearcutting
kinds of trees you have, their ages, sizes, the
spacing between them, and their values to For Sunlovers Only
you for wildlife, aesthetics, recreation and
lumber. You can choose from three basic A clearcut removes all trees in a
methods to cut your woodlot: clearcutting, given area in one cut. It is used to
shelterwood cutting and selection cutting. regenerate trees that require full
Another option is to not cut at all. These sun such as aspen, tamarack, black
methods are briefly described below, but spruce, birch, black cherry, red
before you begin a project, consult with a pine, jack pine and sometimes oak.
DNR forester and wildlife manager These sun-loving trees are often the first to
about your plans. sprout after a clearcut. That’s why they’re
called pioneers. Once pioneer trees grow into
small trees, they literally shade out new
seedlings, making way for trees which prefer
rcut shade in order to sprout—maple, ash,
YClea erwood basswood and beech. Eventually, these shade-
lt
YShe tion loving trees will dominate the woodland
c
YSele ng unless you, or nature, take action.
hi Windstorms, tornadoes, insect infestations,
YNot flooding and fires can simulate the effects of
clearcutting, but since you can’t control these
events, you may want to take saw in hand
and give nature a little help.

Clearcuts and Wildlife

Fresh clearcuts make some people shudder. only for does and their fawns, but for ruffed
They think they are unsightly and harmful to grouse. Grouse raise their broods in young
the environment. Yet, within months of a aspen stands where they find both food and
carefully planned clearcut, the site is shelter from preying goshawks and
lush with new growth that many owls. Bear, rabbit, woodcock, butter-
wildlife love, and at no loss to flies, and a wide variety of song-
environmental quality. birds such as indigo buntings,
towhees, song sparrows, yellow
White-tailed deer are warblers, yellowthroats and
attracted to the nutritious yellow chestnut-sided warblers also
warbler
twig litter left over from an find food and shelter in these
aspen clearcut. Later, the young stands. One of Wiscon-
deer return to feed on the sin’s rarest warblers, Kirtland’s
wren
sun-loving plants that invade warbler, requires young stands
the newly harvested area. The of jack pine. Jack pine require
thickets which quickly sprout regeneration through clearcutting
provide excellent hiding places, not or burning.
4 Wildlife and Your Land

Serviceberry and
dogwood saved Big oaks and
hickories left
for food and
seed trees

Trees left to shade

trout stream Boundary has
Gate irregular edge

Bridge

Log-loading site
enlarged and
seeded for wildlife
Uncut White
den trees pines
saved

Snags left standing

m
ea
str

Clearcuts with Wildlife Considerations

Illustration adapted by permission from Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Y Make your clearcuts into irregular shapes if you want to favor edge-
loving wildlife such as rabbits, deer and ruffed grouse. Irregular edges
are also more natural in design.
Y Leave an uncut area around roadways to create a visual buffer.
Y Leave an uncut area around waterways to protect water quality.
Y Seed log landings and roads for wildlife after the sale is completed.
Y Leave dead trees and wildlife shrubs standing in clearcuts for songbirds
and woodpeckers.
Y If possible, break up area to be clearcut into units 2-20 acres in size. Cut
one or more of these parcels every 5 years.
 Wildlife and Your Land 5

Aspen: Featured Clearcut Tree

Aspen is Wisconsin’s most well-known tree the forest grows back.
managed by clearcutting. It’s easy to manage, New aspen suckers
is valued for its pulpwood, and it provides sprout from roots and
excellent wildlife benefits. can grow 6 to 10 feet in
their first summer—more than one inch a
Aspen provides habitat for more wildlife than day! If left unmanaged, aspen live about 50
any other forest type. White-tailed deer, black years, decline in vigor, and then are replaced
bear, cottontails, snowshoe hare and beaver by sugar maple, yellow birch and white ash
thrive on the tasty bark, buds or catkins, which have established themselves in the
leaves and nutritious young sprouts. The soft shade of the older aspen. As aspen converts to
wood of mature aspen decays easily and forms its shade-loving successors, its associated
cavities for northern flying squirrels, black- wildlife community changes along with it.
capped chickadees, nuthatches and wood-
peckers. Chipmunks, voles and shrews also If you own an older forest of balsam fir or
call aspen forests home. northern hardwoods with two or three
healthy aspen trees per acre, you can convert
Ruffed grouse love aspen forests. Young your site back to aspen by clearcutting. Since
stands provide great cover for their broods wildlife managers have found that wildlife
and mature stands provide shelter as well as abundance varies with the age of the aspen,
nutritious catkins for winter food. The oldest it’s best to manage for aspen in patches.
stands attract courting grouse which “drum” Maintain one quarter of the trees at 1-10
for mates atop fallen aspen logs. years old; one quarter at 11-20 years; one
quarter at 21-30 years and one quarter above
Woodcock prefer aspen forests during 30 years. Cut these blocks in 2- to 20-acre
breeding season, and frequently stop there parcels.
during migration. Song sparrows, white-
throated sparrows, mourning warblers and Different wildlife like different size openings;
chestnut-sided warblers are attracted to ruffed grouse and woodcock like the smaller
young stands while ovenbirds, red-eyed clearings while deer prefer larger cuts. If you
vireos, thrushes, and flycatchers seek out clearcut in 20-acre blocks, leave scattered
large, older stands. The thick, moist leaf litter clumps of mature aspen for their swollen buds
and decaying logs provide the perfect hiding (catkins) which provide critical winter food for
place for eastern garter and red-bellied ruffed grouse.
snakes, blue-spotted and eastern tiger
salamanders, gray tree frogs and American As always, before you cut, look around you. If
toads. In spring, chorus frogs and spring your neighbors have recently clearcut their
peepers sing from temporary ponds that form properties, delay your clearcut until their
in depressions in aspen stands. trees just top the decade mark.

Managing for Aspen Forests are always changing. By letting

nature take its course, rather than
After Wisconsin’s virgin forests were cut, clearcutting, you are not stopping your forest
aspen naturally sprouted under the bright from changing, but allowing it to change in a
sun all across the cutover landscape. Though different way. If you delay your aspen clearcut
still common today, this valuable wildlife tree too long, the trees will die of old age and
is declining in abundance. One reason is that eliminate their natural capability to sprout
many landowners are reluctant to clearcut from the roots. Making wise management
because they prefer older trees. But if done decisions today can keep your forest
right, clearcutting aspen can provide a variety productive for wildlife tomorrow.
of ages. And, you’ll be amazed at how quickly
6 Wildlife and Your Land

2. Shelterwood Cutting
For Partial Sun-lovers

A shelterwood cut involves

harvesting trees in at least two
cuts. This method is used to
regenerate trees that favor partial-
sun conditions such as oak, hickory,
white spruce and white cedar. The first cut
allows more light to reach the forest floor and
prompts tree seedlings to sprout and grow
beneath the shade of the shelterwood trees.
You will need to mark the trees you want
preserved as shelterwood trees before the
first cut—these are usually the more mature
and bountiful nut producers. Once the new
seedlings have become well established, the
shelterwood trees are removed. After both
cuts, sunlight prompts a flourish of food-
producing grasses, shrubs, brambles and
vines—a potential boon for wildlife.

Oak: Featured Shelterwood Tree

Oaks produce acorns and wildlife seek out voles. The leaves and deep furrowed bark
acorns more than any other food. They hide insects which provide food to a variety of
provide energy-rich and nutritious food for songbirds such as great-crested flycatchers,
deer, bears, gray and fox squirrels, chip- scarlet tanagers, red-eyed vireos, and Black-
munks, raccoons and mice. Many birds, from burnian warblers. The ground litter under an
blue jays, nuthatches, red-bellied and red- oak’s sprawling branches supports many
headed woodpeckers to wild turkeys, grouse, insects, toads, blue-spotted salamanders, hog-
wood ducks, and quail include acorns in their nose and fox snakes, rufous-sided towhees,
diet. whip-poor-wills, and brown thrashers.

In addition to acorns, oaks have light, open

canopies which encourage brush and grass Managing for Oak
growth that provides excellent forage and
cover. In addition, the trunks and large limbs Concern has arisen about the future of
often rot out before the tree actually dies, Wisconsin’s slow-growing oak woodlands.
providing excellent den sites for cavity Prized for their timber and firewood values,
dwelling birds and mammals. Raccoons, oaks are being harvested at an alarming rate.
foxes, and pileated woodpeckers are some of In southwestern and central parts of the
the larger inhabitants of oak cavities. state, harvest has exceeded growth by more
than 30 percent. In addition, some oak forests
Oak twigs provide browse which is highly are being replaced by shade tolerant trees
sought after by deer, cottontails, mice and such as maple, basswood and ash.
 Wildlife and Your Land 7

That’s because we have stopped the wild fires

that historically held back succession yet
Shelterwood Cutting
didn’t harm the fire-tolerant oaks.
Shelterwood cutting is the most common
method of oak regeneration, though
Fortunately, foresters have developed
clearcutting is sometimes used. Both require
management techniques that have proven
careful management. Shelterwood and
successful at regenerating oaks. While the
clearcutting lets in sunlight that encourages
following practices are similar for all oak
oak seedlings. But increased sunlight also
types, consult with your local forester or
encourages other, often faster growing, plants
wildlife manager before implementing any
to flourish. If left unchecked, these plants will
management strategy.
out-compete the oak for water and nutrients
and will eventually shade out and kill the
oak seedlings. To prevent this, you may need
Planting Oaks and Acorns to apply herbicides, conduct a controlled burn
or lightly graze the woodlot. Get assistant
If you have patience and the money, consider from a DNR wildlife manager or forester
planting oak seedlings or acorns. before attempting weed control.

Purchase seedlings in bulk quantities from To conduct a shelterwood cut, first harvest
DNR nurseries or buy them from commercial 30-60% of the trees in your woodlot, but leave
nurseries. Gather acorns for planting as they the largest, healthiest and most prolific acorn
ripen and fall. To weed out the duds, place producers. These trees provide the seed
fresh acorns in water and discard the source needed for the next generation of oaks
floaters. Then, plant a lot. Germination is in your stand. After about 3 to 8 years, when
low with this method because hungry oak saplings are established and regen-
squirrels and other critters dig up the nuts. If eration is considered adequate, harvest most
you’re planting a small plot, a simple chicken of the remaining trees. Again, keep a few
wire fence can protect the seeds. Be sure to mature acorn producers; it will be years
plant white oak acorns the same fall you before the young trees can produce acorns of
collect them. Red oak acorns can either be their own.
planted that fall or the following spring if
kept in cold storage. Ask your DNR forester Since oaks typically produce a good acorn
for specifics. crop only once every 3-5 years, promote a
variety of oak types if you have them. This
Always plant seedlings and acorns in areas will help ensure a reliable acorn crop even if
where weeds have been controlled. To prevent one variety fails to produce in a given year.
new grasses and weeds from out-competing
your seedlings, manually weed small plots To promote oaks in mixed hardwood forests,
and apply herbicides on larger plots. To remove select maple, basswood, ash, and elm
prevent damage from browsing deer, rabbits trees. Manage for weeds and brush as
and mice, protect oak seedlings with plastic mentioned above.
cylinders or other tree-protecting devices.
Oaks are one of Wisconsin’s most valuable
resources. Your efforts to maintain oak on
your property will reward you with a lifetime
of wildlife habitat and the beauty of owning
and protecting an oak woodland.
8 Wildlife and Your Land

3. Selection Cutting
Made for the Shade
Selection cutting is used to
regenerate shade-tolerant trees
such as white ash, sugar maple,
basswood and balsam fir.
Selection cutting involves the
removal of individual or small
groups of trees from a diverse
range of tree sizes and ages.
The result is a variety of food
and cover options for wildlife,
from brush to tall trees, and
from evergreen to leafy trees.
Woodpeckers, deer, salamanders,
ovenbirds, gray foxes and gos-
hawks thrive in this diverse
habitat. The small openings you
create through selection harvest-
ing promote new saplings and
also provide grasses for wildlife.

Selection Cutting with Wildlife Considerations

Y Save a variety of mature nut-producers such as oak, hickory, beech, walnut, and
butternut trees. Since the average oak tree produces an acorn crop just once every 3-
5 years, a variety of nut producers will ensure a consistent supply of food during off
years.
Y To produce adequate food for wildlife throughout any given year, you will need at
least 25 nut trees, 14 inches or more in diameter per acre.
Y Avoid cutting old trees with sprawling branches. They often produce abundant nut
crops and can make good den trees.
Y Protect seed- and berry-producing shrubs in the understory, especially those that
hold their berries during winter such as dogwood, elderberry, alder, mulberry,
blueberry, blackberry and wild grape. When nut production is low, these fruits
become primary food sources.
Y Leave plenty of space between trees to encourage wildlife shrubs. If you need a rule
of thumb, take the diameter (in inches) of a given tree and double it. Then simply
drop the inches and call them feet instead. For example, for a tree 15 inches in
diameter you’d leave about 30 feet between it and its nearest competitor.
 Wildlife and Your Land 9

Hemlock: Featured Selection Cut Tree

Wisconsin has a variety of evergreen trees. Managing for Hemlock
Eastern hemlock is one of the most majestic.
This tree sprouts in moist soils beneath the
Because hemlock regenerates in shade,
shade of more sun-loving trees. It can
selection cutting is the best cutting method.
remain, stunted, for 25 to 200 years under
However, if you have pure stands of hemlock,
shady conditions until windthrow or fire
it’s best to leave small hemlock groves,
opens the canopy and lets sun in. It then
about several acres in size, uncut. This
grows very quickly.
is particularly significant along
swamp edges and in hard-
Though hemlock’s market value is low, its
wood stands located
wildlife value is high. Wildlife use hemlock as
adjacent to wintering
single trees, small clumps, in pure stands or
areas.
as a component in mixed hardwood stands.
Hemlock provides food and shelter for white-
Although hemlock was
tailed deer, yellow-bellied sapsuckers and
once very common
solitary vireos. Black-throated blue warbler,
in northern Wiscon-
black-throated green warbler and Black-
sin, past logging and
burnian warbler nest in thick hemlock groves
fire has drastically reduced
as do the veery and junco. The seeds from
its distribution and
hemlock cones provide food for red crossbills,
abundance. Today,
pine siskins, chickadees and red squirrels.
hemlock’s main range
Sharp-shinned hawks, ravens, deer and more
includes north central
take refuge from winter winds and deep snow
and northeastern Wis-
within dense hemlock stands.
consin but outliers can be found
on rocky north-facing slopes
Mature hemlock spreads its dark green
of the Baraboo Range in
branches so densely that only a passing
southern Wis-
sunbeam or two ever penetrates to
consin. Manage
the forest floor. Its shallow root
it with
system grows best in rich, moist soils.
care.
Hemlock is long-lived and often is
the only evergreen present in
northern hardwood stands.
It is also often found
associated with white cedar
along swamp edges.
10 Wildlife and Your Land

Summary of Timber Management Practices

Clearcut Shelterwood Selection

Sun-Loving Trees Partial Sun-Loving Trees Shade-Loving Trees
Aspen Oak Ash
Birch White Cedar Basswood
Tamarack White Spruce Maples
Jack Pine Hickory Balsam Fir
Red Pine
Black Spruce

Remember, different trees require different amounts of sunlight to

flourish. In turn, these trees attract different kinds of wildlife to
your property. How you manage your woodlot will, in part,
determine the types of wildlife you will likely see. Illustration
adapted by permission from the Minnesota Department of
Natural Resources.
 Wildlife and Your Land 11

General Timber Management Guidelines

No matter what timber harvest methods you 3. Clean Your House,
decide to use, keep in mind three basic
principles: protect dead wood; protect perch
Not Your Woods
and nest trees and clean your house, not your
woods. Once you have decided which trees Y Build brush piles from tree tops and
you want to save for wildlife, mark the trees woody debris which remain after harvest.
clearly with the help of a professional
forester. If you are working with commercial Y Leave dead wood on the ground for
timber harvesters, be sure to give them your chipmunks, snakes, salamanders, insects
wildlife goals in writing. This will help and other small creatures.
ensure that the wildlife trees and shrubs you Y Leave small trees and shrubs for wildlife
want protected will not be cut by accident. food and cover.
Y Seed log landings and roads with
1. Protect Dead Wood perennial grasses and legumes and
maintain in an open condition if you are
managing for edge-loving wildlife.
Y Check dead and dying trees for
active wildlife dens and nests before
cutting; avoid cutting inhabited trees.
Y Preserve at least one to six dead trees per
acre.
Y Save at least one tree of any size per acre
with broken tops, woodpecker holes,
fungal growth or bark wounds. This
indicates a future den or cavity tree.

2. Protect Perch and

Nest Trees

Y Save large pines for eagle and

osprey nest trees if you live near a lake or
large river.
Y Save large oaks, maples and other long-
lived trees, especially those located near
waterways or on south- and east-facing
slopes in southern Wisconsin. They may
be used as roosts and perches by wild
turkeys, songbirds and hawks.
12 Wildlife and Your Land

Letting Nature Take its Course

No Timber Harvest

A final option is to let nature take its course. Not

harvesting trees is a clear option and one that
many landowners prefer because of the benefits
for woodpeckers, salamanders, warblers and other
wildlife which depend on old forests. In addition,
old growth stands are rare in Wisconsin. If you
have one, or own property next to one, be sure you
contact a DNR forester or wildlife manager to help
you develop a management plan.

The Final Say

When managing your woodland for wildlife,

you will always have the last say when
deciding whether to cut or leave a particular
tree. You should always give careful attention
to the variety and condition of trees as well
as the spacing between them. Obviously, not
everything can be explained in this
publication, so don’t hesitate to give your
local DNR wildlife manager or DNR forester
a call if you have additional questions and
concerns. They’ll have specific
recommendations for you.

Wildlife and Your Land Staff: Mary K. Judd, Project Director; Diane
Schwartz, Project Assistant; Todd Peterson, Agricultural and Rural
Land Use Specialist. Graphics and layout, Kandis Elliot. Funding for
this project was provided in part through the Federal Aid in Wildlife
Restoration Act and through the Natural Resources Foundation of
Wisconsin, Inc., P.O. Box 129, Madison, WI, 53701. Published by the
Bureau of Wildlife Management, Wisconsin Department of Natural Federal Aid Project
Resources, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI, 53707. funded by your purchase of
hunting equipment
PUBL-WM-224