Improve Wildlife Habitat
Enhancing wildlife habitat can make your land more vibrant, healthy, and enjoyable - whether you like to bird watch, hunt, or just know you’re supporting the natural world.
Wildlife-friendly forestry also improves your timber, adds value to your property, and creates a healthier forest. It is a great way to leave a lasting impact for future generations.
Why Manage for Wildlife
- Better hunting and wildlife viewing
- More resilient land and greater biodiversity
- Legacy of stewardship
- Improved forest health and timber value
Simples Steps to Improve Wildlife Habitat
Wildlife has three basic needs - food, water, and cover, so improving wildlife habitat often revolves around enhancing those factors for the species you desire to encourage. That may look like:
- Diversifying habitat to create a mix of forest structures and ages
- Thinning overgrown woods to encourage growth of shrubs and seedlings
- Supporting good mast trees like oaks and hickories by reducing competition around them
- Planting native species that produce fruit and nuts
- Leaving some dead trees
- Taking steps to protect streams and wetlands
So What's Next?
Ready to explore forest management strategies tailored to your property to promote wildlife? We recommend doing two things:
1. Reach out to your local Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) staff. TWRA's specialty is all things wildlife - from hunting, fishing, and rare species protection to habitat creation and management. TWRA offers private lands management and assistance to landowners focused on managing for wildlife.
Check out TWRA's wildlife management resources:
2. Reach out to your local TDF area forester. Forests and wildlife are inherently connected. We can help you make forest management decisions that are good for wildlife.