Ash Management Guide for Private Forest Landowners

Chapter 6WildlifeAmong the AshGLOSSARYcavities: Holes in treessometimes used for nestingand reproduction by wildlifespecies, most frequently birdsor small mammals.Ash stands and ash trees are usedby a variety of wildlife speciesincluding large and small mammals,birds, reptiles, and amphibians.When ash stands and trees are older, theyprovide value as feeding sites for woodpeckers,nuthatches, and chickadees.Cavities in these same trees, whenfound near permanent wetlands, are alsoused by several species of waterfowl includingwood ducks, hooded mergansers,and goldeneyes.In northern Minnesota, large cavitiesmay also be used by fisher as den sites.Several species of birds use ash standsas nesting sites including great blue andgreen herons, and Cerulean warbler.Birds, however, tend to be linked to habitattype not tree species so while birdsmay be temporarily impacted by the lossof ash, they are likely to adapt and moveto other trees in the surrounding area. Asyounger trees or stands, ash is an importantsource of food for white tailed deerand moose. Forest landowners shouldmanage for a variety of age classes whenmanaging their ash resource becauseof the various values those resourcesprovide in different age classes or growthstages.For more informationon rare species on yourproperty, see AppendixC, on page 65.Moose are onemammal speciesfound in ashsystemsPhoto: Douglas Brown54