Sunday, March 8, 2015

LANDSCAPING FOR WILDLIFE: CREATING BACKYARD HABITAT

http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/downloads/cwnj_61.pdf



Location is critical: Brush piles should be near food resources. Place near forest edges and clearings,
along roadsides or near wetlands and streams. Secluded piles are not as beneficial to wildlife. Several
medium-sized piles (6ft. high x 10ft. wide) are better than one huge one. Space piles out for maximum
effects. Allow native vines or other wildflowers/annuals to grow where pile meets the ground. This will
provide additional cover to wildlife.



Do not place brush pile near your house. It is better to place where there will
be minimal disturbance from people.



HOW TO CREATE A BRUSH PILE: 



1. To create a “log-based” brush pile, first you construct the base, using eight 6ft. long logs that are about
4-6” in diameter. Place the first four on the ground parallel to each other around -12” apart. Then place the
other four perpendicular to the bottom four. This makes it easier for wildlife to be able to access the base
of the brush pile and evade predators.



2. Stack brush on top of the logs. Place larger brush on the bottom and lighter brush on top. Your pile
should be at least 4ft. in height and 10ft. in diameter. The higher the pile the longer it will last.

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