S ustaining quality wildlifehabitat is challenging,

especially where agriculturalfields offer little plant diversityand in suburban areas wherehuman development has fragmented the landscape.

Increasingly, these areas aremanaged primarily for people.But, an amazing variety of animals call the same areas homeand depend on us to make surethat their needs are met.

Working Trees are trees andshrubs, especially native species,

orking Trees for Wildlife

WAgroforestry

that are in the right place to do aspecific job. Whether WorkingTrees come in the form of awindbreak to enhance crop orlivestock production or a riparianforest buffer to filter stormwaterrunoff, they add critical wildlifehabitat to the landscape.

The benefits of Working Treesextend far beyond providingfood, cover, and nesting sites –all essential wildlife habitat components. Working Treesadd diversity and help reconnectthe landscape by creating travel

corridors for wildlife. But,remember, not all wildlifespecies are benefited by trees.

Integrating Working Trees ontothe land can add a new sourceof income, improve our environment, conserve naturalresources, increase property values, and save time, energy, and water.

Read on to discover howWorking Trees support a seemingly endless variety ofwildlife, while they enhanceproperty, income, and our lives.

Working Trees provide wildlife

habitat and contribute to the

social and economicwell-being of

landowners and community residents.

Photo by Steven Katovich, U S D A Forest Service

Migratory birds, like the American tree sparrow, spend the winterin the U S and migrate to northern Canada to breed and nest.

Original photo by Dave Menke, U S Fish & Wildlife Service

Territory

Animals movedaily, searchingfor food, or asthey migrate to wintering orbreeding grounds. Home rangevaries from less than one acre for beetlesto thousands of square miles for bears.

Environmental

Trees and shrubs clear toxic elementsfrom water and absorb runoff, reduce

flooding and erosion, replenishoxygen, cleanse the air, andenrich and restore soil.

Economic

Working Trees and wildlifesupport a billion dollarindustry of non-gamewildlife appreciation.Working Trees provide habitat fornative pollinating insects that provideanother billion dollars worth of pollinat-ing services. Properly designed, WorkingTrees can reduce work and home energyconsumption.

Amphibians live part of their life in waterand part on land. Green tree frogs aredrawn to open, damp areas and can befound hidden under flakes of bark on trees. Original photo by Laurie Reid, South Carolina Forestry Commission.

All animals need a unique combinationof food, water, cover, and territory. Thisenvironment in which an animal lives iscalled habitat and how these features arewoven together on the land affects thequality of their habitat. All of these habitatrequirements must be met as animal’sneeds change throughout the seasons.

Nocturnalanimals, like the

pocketed free-tailedbat, sleep duringthe day and areactive at night.

Original photo by Merlin Tuttle, Bat Conservation International.

Used with permission.

What Is Habitat?

Social

Working Trees and wildlife provide asense of place to an area and attractfamilies, nature photographers, bird-watchers, and those who like to huntand fish. The linear configuration ofsome Working Trees practices makesthem well suited for a trail orientedrecreation like walking or bicycling.

Educational

In a Working Trees outdoor classroom,students learn to identify plants and animals as they become aware of the importance of balanced human and environmental interactions.

Food

Most wildlife have food preferences anddiets that change with the seasons.Trees and shrubs provide seeds, berries,nuts, and fruits. Some animals also eatthe leaves, twigs, roots, buds, stems,grasses, mosses, and lichens that arefound in a woody environment.

Cover

Animals use all tiers of Working Trees,from the tree canopy down to burrowsin the ground. They breed, roost, nest,rear young, regulate body temperature,hide, and escape predation in tall grasses,dense shrubs, leaf litter, downed logs,stumps, rock piles, and brush piles.

Water

Almost all animals need access to cleanwater to survive – some simply needdrinking water, while others depend onwater to reproduce and live. Agroforestrypractices protect water quality and provide travel lanes to water sources likefarm ponds, streams, and wetlands.

Photo by Keith Weller, U S D A N R C S

Bumblebees are important cropand wildflower pollinators.

Original photo by Richard Straight, U S D A National Agroforestry Center

Benefits

A

B C

D

E

F

Every landscape area has a dominant landcover, most likely woodland, grassland,row crop, or urban land. Patches and corridors like streams, fence rows, roads,woodlots, or urbanized areas dissect thisdominant cover. Some wildlife speciesinhabit the dominant area, while other

Make A Difference In Your Neighborhood, Your Landscapespecies prefer the patches and corridors. Inmany cases, humans have altered, reduced,and even eliminated natural areas and thevegetative diversity that wildlife depend on,creating a “fragmented” landscape.Working Trees help offset fragmentation byproviding basic habitat, often a diverse

patch or travel corridor to connect otherpatches of habitat. To help reestablish suitable habitat, first identify regional landscape patterns around you. Then devisea plan that will have the greatest impact forwildlife in your area. Work with your neighbors to have even greater impact.

B. Riparian Forest Buffers

Vegetative buffers along waterways createtravel corridors for wildlife. While thetree canopy reduces water temperature,roots and fallen debris provide food andhiding places for aquatic animals.Riparian buffers filter nutrient-ladenrunoff from adjacent land to improvewater quality.

Working Trees And Wildlife

D. Alley Cropping

Alley cropping systems are designed togrow an annual crop between rows ofhigh value trees, like oak, pecan, or walnut, until the trees are harvested or the alley crops are shaded out. Alley cropping diversifies plant structure for wildlife habitat.

E. Silvopasture

Silvopastures combine trees, forage, andlivestock in an intensively managed system. Silvopastures are typically lessdiverse than a natural forest understory,but incorporating clumps of native grasses

and forbs can provide quality habitat for wild turkey and other animals.

C. Windbreaks

Properly designed and located wind-breaks protect soil, crops, livestock,buildings, and wildlife from harsh winds.Over 50 bird species are known to usewindbreaks during the breeding season.The microclimate that windbreaks createenable native insects to pollinate cropsmore efficiently.

A. Forest Farming

High value specialty crops like ginsengand goldenseal can be cultivated underthe protection of a forest canopy. Thisprovides a harvestable product for thelandowner which provides incentive tokeep the land in forest habitat. Thediversity created with forest farmingattracts a variety of wildlife species.

F. Special Applications

Many Working Trees practices have beenadapted to help people and communitiesdeal with problems, such as wastewaterand stormwater treatment, with fast growing willows and cottonwood trees.These trees provide wildlife habitat andmay be a future energy source.

Working Trees help keep water clean andcool for aquatic wildlife, like brook trout.

Original photo by Eric Engbretson, U S Fish & Wildlife Service.

Placement within landscape

The way elements are arranged within thelarger landscape determines the habitatvalue for different species. Having food,cover, and water located in the samevicinity creates optimal habitat, and mustconsider the wildlife species’ normal rangeof mobility. For example, if the desiredspecies seldom feeds more than 200 yardsfrom escape cover, it does little good toprovide cover a half mile from the food.

Designing For Wildlife

Disturbance

Historically, fire, floods, wind, ice, andwildlife browsing disturbed the land which inturn helped control invasive species and pro-mote native plant growth. Today, vegetation can be managed by mowing, disking, thinning, prescribed burning, andgrazing. The extent and timing of distur-bances helps create diversity and structure.Timing can also minimize impact to wildlife,such as mowing after nesting is complete.

Vertical structure

Different layers of vegetation allow anassortment of wildlife to utilize the samearea. Each tier creates a niche in the habitatarea. Five or more layers are optimal andinclude the canopy, understory, shrub layer,herbaceous layer, and the floor.

Horizontal structure

Arrange vegetation to provide the greatestwidth practical and transition smoothlyinto the adjoining land use. Incorporatingclump plantings under a tree canopy oralong the outside edge improves horizontalstructure. Minimize straight lines in thedesign if possible.

Diversity of vegetation

By combining a variety of native conifer-ous and deciduous trees and shrubs andincluding perennial and annual herbaceousvegetation, summer and fall fruiting andflowering dates are extended. Use nativeplants whenever possible because they usually provide better habitat and areadapted to local growing conditions. Amixture of vegetation reduces the possibility of losing all plants to disease,insects, or a catastrophic event.

White-taileddeer are apopular gameanimal. Theyare also valuableas watchable wildlifeand as a huntableresource.

Original photo by Mark Gocke. Used with permission. !Consider wildlife conflicts

When human habitats and natural habitatsoverlap, even in the best of circumstances,conflicts like crop or yard damage canoccur. Through proper planning anddesign these negative issues can be minimized or eliminated.

Beneficial insects, likethe ladybird beetle, help

control insect pests. Original photo by

Jon Sullivan.

Travel lanes

Many species of wildlife need a minimumamount of a particular habitat type; if itgets to be too small they won’t use it.Vegetation can be used to connect severalsmall isolated areas within a landscape, thusmaking it more viable and increasing theusable space for wildlife.

Supply rocks andstone piles

Large flat rocks offer a place for lizards, butterflies, chipmunks, snakes, andskinks to bask in the sun,which they need to do toregulate body temperature.

Identify “host” plants

Some animals are dependent ona specific plant. Incorporate hostvegetation into your WorkingTrees planting.

Provide perches

Eagles, hawks, and other raptorslike to perch on high branchesfrom which they can spot prey.Erect poles to provide perchesuntil trees are established.

Small changes thatyou make todaywill add up to a big difference forwildlife.

Minimize pesticide use

Pesticides can kill more than justtarget pests; they harm animalsthat eat the sprayed vegetation and

eliminate pollinators.Consider spot spraying

or biological controlmethods.

Leavesnags

A snag is adeteriorating or

dead standingtree. Over 85

North Americanbird species rely on

snags to nest, feed, or seekshelter. If they don’t pose a hazard, leave snags standing.

Provide artificial shelters or food sources

While your agroforestry plantingdevelops into quality habitat,erect special houses and feedersto attract bluebirds, purple martins, bats, bees, or toads.

Leave woody debris

Limbs, rootwads, and whole treesin streams supply food for crittersat the bottom of the food chainand create a place for small fishto hide.

Let the natural formdominate

Thickets, brush piles, and fallenbranches provide cover for rabbits,thrushes, and snakes. Minimizepruning to encourage naturaldiversity in the structure of plants.

Go native and think seasonal

Native plants are adapted to localsoil, rainfall, and sunlight condi-tions; they are apt to thrive andrequire less maintenance. Chooseplants that provide food through-out the year.

Have fun with the border

An unmowed grassy area alongside WorkingTrees provides spring nesting areas and a fallseed supply. Irregular borders and curvesare aesthetically pleasing and provide roomto add clumps of berry-producing shrubsthat will attract all types of wildlife.

Raccoonspreferwell-woodedareas. Allmammalshave hairand producemilk to feedtheir young.Original photo by Terry Spivey, U S D A Forest Service

Many threatened and endangered species,like the red cockaded woodpecker, arebenefited by permanent vegetation, such asa short-leaf pine silvopasture. Original photo by Bill Lea, Southern Research Station, U S D A Forest Service.

Contact: USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC), East Campus–UNL, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583–0822. Phone: 402–437–5178; fax:402–437–5712; Web site: www.unl.edu/nac.

The USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) is a partnership of the Forest Service (Research & Development and State & PrivateForestry) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It is administered by the Forest Service, Southern Research Station; its pro-gram manager and headquarters are located in Huntsville, AL, on the campus of Alabama A&M University, while its research, clearing-house, and technology transfer staff are concentrated in Lincoln, NE, at the University of Nebraska. NAC’s purpose is to accelerate thedevelopment and application of agroforestry technologies to attain more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable land use sys-tems. To accomplish its mission, NAC interacts with a national network of partners and cooperators to conduct research, develop tech-nologies and tools, establish demonstrations, and provide useful information to natural resource professionals.

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First Edition 1999, Second Printing 1999; Second Edition 2005; Third Edition 2007

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