Tree removal during the autumn season can benefit urban, suburban, and rural wildlife as well as homeowners and their families. When dead or decaying trees are cut down, their weakened branches no longer offer unsafe perching and resting places for birds and small animals. Rotting tree cavities no longer lure birds and squirrels into these precarious spaces.

Removing dying trees with dried and cracking branches from home lawns or gardens surrounding commercial buildings also helps to prevent injury to local wildlife. Home dwellers are well aware of the dangers of neglecting weak, unhealthy trees positioned near their houses. Neglecting necessary tree care by professional arborists can result in badly damaged roofs, walls, windows, cars, and lawn furniture.

Some of the fungus and disease or pest infestations that can attack previously healthy, sturdy trees may also be somewhat harmful to animal life. Birds and small mammals like squirrels, woodchucks, and chipmunks can become ill or have allergic reactions to some diseases or pests that attack tree bark and foliage. In addition, diseased trees may lose most of their leaves in the summer, exposing bird resting nooks to the watchful eyes of preying cats and larger birds competing for resting space in the fall. Removing dead trees can help to eliminate these issues.

Drawbacks of Fall Tree Removal for Wildlife

There are also some drawbacks to tree removal for wildlife during the fall season to consider. Birds and small mammals are seriously disadvantaged by the loss of attractive secluded cavities in snags, or dead standing trees. The majority of snags are older tall trees. Their height offers an important element of safety for resting at a safe distance from the ground and low-climbing animals like many domesticated cats. Also, healthy insects that birds can safely eat are often present in the dead, porous wood of snags.

With fewer clusters of fallen leaves and bark on the ground, moles and chipmunks have less natural insulation material to cover entrances to their underground winter burrows. Nuts and acorns that fall from some tree species may have been cleared away with debris from tree removal, leaving less winter food supplies for squirrels.

“Nurse logs” consist of porous wood, and if they’re removed from lawns, insects that usually inhabit them are missing from the usual diets of birds and small animals. In ponds and lakeside areas, waterfowl and small amphibians use these logs as lookout perches and resting areas.

One helpful practice that eco-friendly tree care teams and gardeners now use is constructing nesting boxes and perching platforms for the next spring season as they remove dead and diseased trees during autumn. This helps to ensure a healthy and safe environment for birds and small animal wildlife in the year ahead.

For excellent and professional tree removal service in Columbus, OH, consult with our expert arborists at Bluegrass Tree & Lawn.