For the Birds

Reader Contribution by C. Dayton
Published on February 9, 2013
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For years we’ve talked about cutting down the half-dozen or more dead trees behind our house that mark the start of the woods. They’re an eyesore; some lean over and others have broken off tops. They remain leafless while their neighbors are covered in green all summer long. But they’ve remained standing because cutting them down was never on the top of our priority list.

A few years ago we were discussing removing them and our son told us it would be a bad idea. He studied environmental science in college and told us we should appreciate the dead trees for the natural habitat they created. He called them a haven for birds that carve out nest cavities and eat the insects and larvae that live in dead wood. His assertions were confirmed this past summer when we walked through our woods with a forestry volunteer, who pointed out a gnarly old maple deep in our woods and suggested the best course of action for that tree was to allow it to remain in place as a wildlife tree. So the dead trees in the backyard were given a permanent reprieve, and in return for putting up with their undesirable appearance, we’ve been treated to numerous yard visits by a variety of cavity nesting birds.

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