Wildlife Habitat - Creating Forest Openings

Why create or enhance open areas in your forest?  Openings in a continuous forest landscape can provide a diversity of habitat that will sustain a wider range of species.  Whether they occur naturally from fire, insects, disease or blowdown, or have been artificially created, forest openings can provide important food, nesting sites and escape places for wildlife. 

Creating forest openings is a major physical change to your property. There are pros and cons to undertaking such a project; before moving ahead it is important to evaluate your woodlot and the surrounding landscape. 
Assess the surrounding landscape before creating a forest opening.  If your woodlot is in an area close to farm fields, roads or utility rights-of-way (as seen above) there may not be a great need to create new openings.

First, you should determine whether any new openings are needed.  Perhaps the existing forest openings only need to be enhanced in order to meet your wildlife objectives. Second, you should look at the surrounding landscape. If you live in an area with small woodlots surrounded by farm fields, utility rights-of-way and roads, more forest openings are likely not needed. The last thing that you want to do is to add to the forest fragmentation that exists in many parts of southern Ontario.
Forest openings attract a variety of insects, an important source of food (protein) for some forest songbirds.  Photo by Terry Spivey, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org.

After finishing your assessment and finding that you have few forest openings on your property and live in an area that is predominantly forested, you may want to consider undertaking such a project. 
Here are some guidelines for creating forest openings for wildlife:
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 If possible, expand or enhance existing open areas. For example, openings can be developed as part of your harvesting operations, simply by maintaining a log landing or road widening as a wildlife opening.
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 Consider placing the opening in an area that will have the least impact on your forest.  Areas that have few existing trees, such as sites with shallow soil or frost pockets or areas that are excessively dry are good places for wildlife openings.
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 The openings should average 1 to 2 acres in size.  Areas smaller than this will generally only support shade tolerant species.
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 Openings should be j- or s-shaped to maximize edge effect.  The width should be 1-1 ½ times the height of the surrounding trees.
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 Orienting the opening on a south-facing slope in an east-to-west direction is the most desirable.  This will allow maximum sunlight into the opening.
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 Where feasible, locate the opening near conifers.  Clumps of conifers in or near the opening provide good escape cover and shelter for wildlife.
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 A number of well-scattered, smaller openings are more beneficial than a single large opening.
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 Locate openings so that they are bordering a recreational or skid trail.  Wildlife such as deer will often use these trails as travel corridors.
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 In areas of continuous forest, three to five percent of your total forested area should be maintained as wildlife openings (Northern Hardwood Notes – Marking Wildlife Openings. Carl H. Tubbs, Louis J. Verme, and Richard M. Godman).
An aerial view of a continuous forested landscape in Lanark County showing a log landing that is being managed as a permanent wildlife opening.

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Types of Forest Openings

Forest openings can be classified as either permanent or non-permanent. Permanent openings are generally maintained as herbaceous openings, while non-permanent openings are allowed to revert back to native vegetation. Although non-permanent openings are valuable to wildlife, such openings are short-lived. The benefit to wildlife is greatly increased if the opening is managed and maintained for herbaceous vegetation.

Non-Permanent Openings

Non-permanent forest openings are easy to establish, and the maintenance is minimal.  As a result they have a short life span (less than 20 years).

Try to locate openings where the current regeneration is less than 1 to 2 feet in height.  Advanced regeneration taller than this will likely sprout again after it has been cut, shortening the life span of the opening.  If your forest opening is in an area stocked with species that re-sprout more readily (e.g., red oak, maple, basswood, aspen), cut the area during the summer and spray the stumps with an approved herbicide to minimize re-sprouting.

Permanent Openings

Creating a permanent forest opening takes work, but it will provide an important food source for wildlife. Whether you are converting an existing log landing or creating a new opening, there are a number of steps that you need to follow in order to enhance wildlife value. Here are some guidelines about how to establish a herbaceous wildlife opening, once the stumps and debris have been removed.
A small log landing used during a harvesting operation that has been seeded for wildlife.

 Preparing the seedbed – for the best long-term results, you must control invading weeds on the site.  Otherwise, wildlife will eat the best forage, leaving the weeds.  Over time, the weed population will overtake the site.  You may want to apply an approved herbicide to control weeds before cultivating the site.

Exposing mineral soil – successful seed germination requires that the seed come into contact with mineral soil.  This can be accomplished by disking, cultivating or raking the site to break up the duff layer, exposing the mineral soil.

Seeding – the best investment that you can make is the purchase of a small hand seed spreader (cyclone spreader).  They can be purchased from most garden centres.  A spreader will efficiently broadcast the seed evenly over the site and will maximize seed coverage.

Timing – successful germination depends on having sufficient moisture and warm temperatures and on the seed coming into contact with the mineral soil.  This can best be achieved by seeding in the early spring, just before the last of the snow has melted.  The combination of warmer temperatures and moisture from melting snow will provide optimal conditions to stimulate germination.

Fall seeding is another option, when temperatures are a little cooler and there is more rainfall.

Seeding rates – the rate will depend on the seed mixture used.  There are a wide variety of seed mixtures available for food plots.  One dual purpose mixture (food and erosion control) used successfully in the Lanark County area is 3.7 lb. white Dutch clover, 3.7 lb. alsike clover, 3.7 lb. meadow fescue and 8.9 lb. timothy, seeded at 20 lb. per acre.  This is not a standard seed mix that can be purchased off the shelf; however, it can be prepared for you at most feed stores or agricultural retail outlets.

There are also commercial mixtures, specifically designed for food plots that will attract deer, turkey, grouse, rabbits and other foraging wildlife.  They are available from companies such as Bishop Seeds in Belleville.  For more information on their products visit the Web site <www.bishopseeds.ca> or call 1-800-411-2062.

Fertilizer – this is an option that you may want to consider, depending on the soil quality of your site.   The simplest way to determine whether fertilizing is required is to monitor the growth rate.  If the growth is poor, then you may want to apply a balanced fertilizer (i.e., 10-10-10) to the site.

Permanent openings require ongoing maintenance to prevent forest succession from taking over the site.  Generally a three- or four-year maintenance cycle should be considered.   Maintenance work may include reseeding patches of the opening and brush removal.

One Last Word

Whether you create forest openings for wildlife will depend on your property objectives and the surrounding landscape.  Remember, the following information should be used only as a guide.  If you have any questions you should seek out expert advice prior to undertaking such a project.  A list of forest consultants is available from the OWA’s Forest Service Directory for Landowners, located on the OWA’s sister website www.ontariowoodlot.com.

Reference Material

Forest Openings. Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 4 pages.

On Edge: Managing Edge for Wildlife. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. 12 pages.

Northern Hardwood Notes – Marking Wildlife Openings. Carl H. Tubbs, Louis J. Verme, and Richard M. Godman. 2 pages.

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