Wildlife and Habitat

Every animal in the forest needs shelter, food and water, collectively known as habitat. Habitat requirements are species-specific and vary with the seasons. Good winter habitat is not always good summer habitat for a given animal and vice versa. Some species are habitat specialists and are always found in a certain type or age of forest -- such as ruffed grouse associated with aspen stands. Others, like deer, are generalists and can be found in a wide range of habitats. Site index (a measure of the site's quality for growing trees) is also a good measure of both tree-growing potential and of wildlife habitat. Better sites tend to have the most potential for both trees and wildlife.

If you would like to learn about habitats specific to certain Wisconsin wildlife species, check out Wildlife Primer -- publication #WM-220-00 -- that is part of the Wildlife & Your Land Series. These publications are available at your local DNR Service Center or via download from the DNR’s Web site at www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/publ/wildland.htm. Specific sections of the Wildlife Primer publication include: Mammals, Birds, and Reptiles and Amphibians.

Habitats can be degraded or improved by management actions. That is the basis for good forestry and wildlife management. Some animals primarily inhabit the over-story, or leaves and branches of trees, while others favor the under-story, or brush and vegetation growing lower to the ground. Dead trees, called snags, and the cavities they contain provide homes for woodpeckers, other birds, squirrels, raccoons and even bears. Contact a wildlife manager or forester to help you assess your woodland's habitat potential. If you would like to find out what species utilize your woodland yourself, obtain a copy of the DNR publication #WM-294-00 How to Inventory and Monitor Wildlife on Your Land.

Improving Wildlife Habitat
Permanent woodlands of at least a half-acre size can be valuable habitat for many wildlife species. Woodlands with tree cavities, snags, thickets, dense shrubs, and brush piles all offer useful habitat sites for many kinds of animals from squirrels, raccoons, several bird species to deer, bears or wolves. Many woodland owners today enjoy and manage for non-game species as much as or even more than game species. To improve wildlife habitat, first find out what species live in your area whose habitat requirements are compatible with your forest management goals. Then decide which animal species you would like to attract to your woodlands. A wildlife specialist can help you improve your stand for that particular species. Here are examples of habitat characteristics for some popular species:

Ruffed grouse prefer aspen stands four to 15 years old for brood cover, six to 25 year old stands for fall and spring cover, and older stands for food and nesting cover. To attract grouse, keep stands small (2-10 acres) and create a mix of sapling, poletimber and sawtimber sized stands interspersed with permanent openings.

For more information, check out "Ecology of the Ruffed Grouse" (Wisconsin Woodlands G3252) or "A Landowner's Guide to Woodland Wildlife Management with emphasis on the Ruffed Grouse" (Wisconsin Woodlands G3578).

To manage for white-tailed deer, provide dense escape cover by clearcutting or shelterwood harvests that create dense sapling stands. Clearcuts should be less than 400 feet wide because deer will not feed in the center of larger clearcuts. Plant or maintain conifer stands with a dense canopy and aspen stands for food, while maintaining open vegetated areas. Preferred browse plants include dogwoods, mountain and red maple, ash, northern white cedar, eastern hemlock, filbert (hazel), birches, willows, mountain ash, and sumac.

You can attract a diversity of songbirds by diversifying the woodland habitat. Some species are attracted to woodland edges, but others require large stands of forest. Snags and cavity trees can be created to attract birds. For more information on creating or maintaining habitat for wildlife, contact a wildlife habitat specialist with your county DNR office, or call DNR-Bureau of Forestry at 608-266-8576 or a local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office. Another great resource available for those interested in improving bird habitat on their property is Birds and Forests: A Management and Conservation Guide by Janet C. Green. It is published by the Minnesota DNR and is available form Minnesota’s Bookstore www.comm.media.state.mn.us/bookstore

US Fish and Wildlife Services Field Offices:
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has wildlife biologists at field offices throughout the state that are available to help with your wildlife questions.
Green Bay --- 920-465-7440
Ashland --- 715-682-6185
Mayville --- 920-387-2658
Madison --- 608-221-1206
Necedah --- 608-565-2551
Trempealeau --- 608-539-2311
La Crosse --- 608-783-8431

Threatened & Endangered Species
The Endangered Species Act protects some 1,258 endangered or threatened plant and animal species nationwide. The law prohibits any action that negatively affects habitat for these species, including the use of certain pesticides or taking any plants deemed essential habitat.

For more information contact:
Region Three
Chief, Ecological Services Operations
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Bishop Henry Federal Building
One Federal Drive
Ft. Snelling, MN 55111-4056
midwest.fws.gov/endangered

You can also find more information about animal and plant species endangered or threatened in Wisconsin by following the link here to the WDNR's Endangered and Threatened Species Web page.

Safeguarding Habitat While Harvesting Timber
Some woodland owners mistakenly believe that wildlife cannot flourish in woods that are periodically harvested. This is true for only a few species. Careful woodland management can allow regular harvesting of your timber stand while supporting many wildlife species. In most areas, only 1 to 3 percent of the entire forest area is harvested in a year, so the impact on habitat can be relatively minor. However, forest roads that are poorly located, constructed or maintained are the largest source of nonpoint source pollution from forest areas, which negatively impacts aquatic habitat. Roads over steep slopes, erodible soils or stream crossings hold the greatest potential for degrading water quality and/or habitat. Careful planning before harvesting timber will help ensure that habitats are protected or minimally affected. Make a list of site-specific forestry Best Management Practices you will need to protect habitat and water quality in all timber sale contracts, timber harvest plans and forest management plans. If you know of an endangered or a threatened species living in your woodlands, plan operations to ensure that habitat is left undisturbed (mark as “no take”.) Remember: The habitat needs to be of sufficient size and quality to support the species during the time it is using your woodland.

Here are some habitat-protecting Best Management Practices for harvesting timber:
--- Make clearcuts as small as possible by cutting in narrow, irregular shapes or feathering (thinning into) the borders where they adjoin older stands;
--- Leave tree islands in the clearcuts or corridors;
--- Leave dead standing trees or snags;
--- Carefully plan a system of skid trails, log landings and temporary haul roads, avoiding known habitat areas if possible (see Wisconsin’s Forestry Best Management Practices for Water Quality Bureau of Forestry, Wisconsin DNR, for more information at: http://dnr.wi.gov/forestry/usesof/bmp/)
--- Minimize the length and grade of trails and roads and the number of stream crossings to minimize soil erosion and habitat disruption;
--- Where possible, select road locations on well-drained soil that allow for drainage away from the road;
--- Mulch and/or seed inactive roads;
--- Avoid bulldozing trees into large piles;
--- Maintain equipment regularly to prevent fuel or lubricant leaks—it is illegal to dump fuel and lubricants on the land or waters in the state;
--- Have a shovel and bucket handy for accidents and plugs and clamps to control a hydraulic line break and larger leaks.
--- Keep slash out of streams or rivers.

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