News Release

For Immediate Release

November 17, 2006

Brush Piles: Good for Wildlife

Colchester, VT…Whether you live in the countryside and have a series of large brush piles along a forest edge or if you only have a small single pile near a bird feeder in your back yard, you can make your land more accommodating for wildlife.

Piles of tree limbs, brush, rocks and other debris, large or small, can offer refuge to birds and other wildlife from the weather and predators. Once common on most farms, brush pile habitat has been lost in may parts of the country side as fence lines have disappeared. Larger fields and ‘clean farming’ methods have led to fewer brush piles.

Depending on size and location, brush piles provide habitat for rabbits, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys, cardinals, sparrows, wrens, frogs and many other small mammals and birds. They may also attract bear, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, hawks, owls and other predators because of the mammal and bird populations using them.

A good time to build a brush pile is right now, as part of timber harvesting, stand improvement or firewood cutting. Good locations are at the edge of woodlands, and along field borders, and in hedgerows. Generally start with larger materials such as logs and rocks and build up using smaller materials. Four piles per acre, spaced 75 feet apart, will provide good wildlife cover.

Build a home for wildlife. Additional brush pile building and maintenance tips are located at the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Agricultural Wildlife Conservation Center’s website at www.whmi.nrcs.usda.gov.

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The Natural Resources Conservation Service works in partnership with the American people to conserve and sustain natural resources on private lands. An Equal Opportunity Employer