To the guys with acreage

EatenByLimestone said:

Do you leave a few standing dead for wildlife habitat?

Matt

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If they don't start paying rent I'll have to start felling trees and that could get dangerous! I have plenty of dead trees still standing some are occupied and some are not, plenty of places for the wildlife on our property.

zap

I think it would have to be a perfect CNS shot to have them standing dead. I'd never leave them. Trees on the other hand, sure, why not? I only have an acre, so discount this response appropriately. ;-)

Right now there is no risk of me finishing off all of the standing dead in the next 15 years so I am thinking the critters are safe...

Now given the fact that Archery Whitetail season is just around the corner some animals may not be quite as safe.

If its a hollow tree, dead or alive, I really don't want it, but the critters do! I don't think they really like the solid ones and I have more than I will ever get to in my life time anyway. It does appear the deer actually like the trails I put it, I think they use them more than I do.

I have a few dead standing but will cut them down when I have a chance.

I actually deaden a few here and there specifically for wildlife. Its amazing how much habitat, food, and shelter a dead tree provides.

There's one with a wasp nest in it that I'm not having anything to do with. Also one right next to the road and hovering over the power lines that's safe from me (can't speak for the power company though). I take out the easy ones, but the 2 acres across the road are really dense and full of dead trees, down and standing. Every year I say I'm going to start cutting a path or two, but never happens.

Matt, there are a couple of old dead trees at the edges of my two ponds. I leave them for kingfishers, woodpeckers, etc.. Some of the older dead trees, as long as they are reasonabley safe, are left alone for other birds.

There a a couple of cherry and ash that are near death. Once dead, I'll remove these for the firewood and to allow other small trees to grow in their place. John_M

No, not really. I suppose I have in the past but can't really recall it. Truthfully you can't keep up with all the dead trees anyway and they're my first priority to cut down.

EatenByLimestone said:

Do you leave a few standing dead for wildlife habitat?

Matt

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I leave all of them. I rarely ever cut down a standing dead oak tree. I wait until the roots rot off and they tip over on their own, then I turn them into firewood once they are on the ground. Oak lasts indefinitely, until it touches the ground, then it usually rots within about 10 years. I have way more than enough that fall over on their own to keep me plenty busy.

I'm not exactly on what you might call acreage. I got rid of all my standing dead this spring. I traded views of flickers and downies for an unobstructed view of the horizon. Not to worry, there are hundreds of small standing dead elm in the woodlands around me, so my little feathered friends will be well fed. I just won't be watching them with my field glasses anymore.

We have 250 acres or so of forest with plenty of standing dead trees. We leave all that are being occupied, especially the condo trees. Also we never burn the slash: just pile it neatly and watch the wildlife from birds to foxes and bears use the free housing
Ed

Yes, we do leave some standing dead trees.

1. We have more wood than we need.
2. Some rot too much before we can get to them.
3. Emerald Ash Borer has killed a pastel of ash trees.
4. We do not mind sharing our woods with critters.
5. Some are in wet spots and/or hard to get to so we leave them.
6. Some are on the creek bank and are not worth fighting that slope.

7 acres here, a mix of pine, hemlock, oak, beech and birch for the most part. I keep the inside perimeter clean of standing dead, I don't like the look of woodpeckered, rotting tree trunks standing around. If they are out of sight back in the woods then I don't care. If a fresh tree dies and it is within reach I will chop it up for burning purposes. Like others said, I have plenty of wildlife habitat for the critters with or without a few dead trees standing around.

I have a few pines with some rather large woodpecker holes .

Birds and bugs are more than welcome to get some use from them. (dead standing pine)
A few dead trees and branches here and there is what a forest is supposed to look like.

If it's rotted out hollow- I leave it. I also have left some big pines on the ground for the carbon base here.

I have about 2.5 acres of wooded land. I cut out all the dead stuff. There's no standing dead in my woods Poor stuff, all winds up getting slid into the side door of the Jotul. I've found that some of the larger trees have dead limbs and they sometimes get used by the woodpeckers and squirrels. I can tell you that I have downy woodpecker, red bellied woodpecker, nuthatches, flickers, american goldfinch, purple finch, bluebirds, robins, bluejay, assorted sparrows and starlings, cowbirds, wrens, red tailed hawk, owls, chickadee, hummingbirds, groundhog, deer, squirrel, chipmunk, snake, fox, skunk, and a whole host of who knows what else movin' around in those two+ acres.

I have 10 acres here in michigan. I have some 30+ dbh elm that have died...only have a couple big ones still alive. I now have had Piliated and redheaded woodpeckers both nesting in one of the big dead elms.A first for them nesting on this land since I moved here back in 91.Really fun seeing the redheaded babies learning to fly and chasing each other.And seeing those huge piliated fly by and hear them drumming is awesome. So if you want these woodpeckers leave a giant or two dead standing. I only cut up the ones that fall over naturally. I figure that wood is in the bank till it falls.

I have about 4 acres that was open and really thick grass when I was a kid. Over the years, ash trees really took off. Now they are all dead, so I'm trying to clear them all out to make room for something else. The rest of the property has quite a few large dead ash trees, but they aren't easy to get to. I'll get 'em when they fall over on their own, and I can make some trails.

On the family land there is so many trees that I wouldn't worry whether I take or leave standing dead . . . that said . . . I tend to leave the dead trees alone for the most part . . . partly to give critters a home/place to eat . . . but mostly because my real concern is with large, dead branches dropping on me, dead tops snapping off, etc. I would rather cut a live tree any day.

Glacialhills said:

I have 10 acres here in michigan. I have some 30+ dbh elm that have died...only have a couple big ones still alive. I now have had Piliated and redheaded woodpeckers both nesting in one of the big dead elms.A first for them nesting on this land since I moved here back in 91.Really fun seeing the redheaded babies learning to fly and chasing each other.And seeing those huge piliated fly by and hear them drumming is awesome. So if you want these woodpeckers leave a giant or two dead standing. I only cut up the ones that fall over naturally. I figure that wood is in the bank till it falls.

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Those pileated woodpeckers are neat but usually we have to go to the west side of the state to see them. So we were amazed last winter when we spotted one on our place! I have not seen it since March though so maybe we no longer have one.

On the red headed ones, it is amazing watching them teaching the young how to eat without having to be fed by the adult.

EatenByLimestone said:

Do you leave a few standing dead for wildlife habitat?

Matt

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If they are far enough back to not be an eyesore or threaten to fall into the yard, I leave all the dead Poplar standing for the Woodpeckers otherwise I drop them and let them rot.

My definition of what is an eyesore is different from the wife's and she's always on my case to drop them. She says there's 15 more acres of wildlife habitat, that these 3 acres are her's.

I don't leave the dead standing trees up for more than a year or so. Currently I have three medium sized pines that I need to fall which will be next years firewood. I just need to find some hardwood or Doug Fir to augment the Pine.