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You are here: Home / Trees / Why Keep a Dead Tree In Your Yard?

Updated on April 19, 2017

Why Keep a Dead Tree In Your Yard?

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As I was heading out to work this morning, I looked up at the large pecan tree in the backyard and saw both the male and female wood duck who have been hanging around our yard for a few weeks. The male was flying off and the female was flying into a cavity in one of the large branches of the tree. This large branch has a nice cavity in it, perfect for nesting animals. It looks like we’re going to have some ducklings in the yard this year!

Male and Female Wood Ducks in My Tree
Male and Female Wood Ducks in My Backyard Tree

Cavity Trees: Important Wildlife Homes in Your Yard

The tree cavity that the wood duck is nesting in
The tree cavity that the wood duck is nesting in

You might be surprised at the many birds and small mammals that use cavity trees and snags (dead limbs with holes in them) to nest in. Woodpeckers, sapsuckers, and northern flickers will carve out holes in rotting tree limbs for a nesting site. After they abandon these holes, other birds such as titmouses, ducks, chickadees, swifts, bluebirds, and owls will make us of them. There are about 85 birds in North America that make use of cavities or snags for nesting sites. Small mammals such as flying squirrels, martens, fishers, raccoons, bats, and even black bears will use large holes in trees or abandoned bird nesting holes. These cavities are important habitat for nesting and den sites.

Habitat for cavity-nesting birds and mammals has been declining, especially in towns and cities. People often remove trees from their yards, especially those that have holes in them. Many cavity-nesting birds and bats in North America eat insects – so it’s good to have them around for insect control (See Cavity Nesting Birds of North American Forests for more info).

Safety First

Obviously, if a tree or snag is dangerous or in really bad shape, you need to remove it from your yard for the safety of your family, your neighbors, and to protect your property. However, if the tree looks healthy (you can always check with an arborist if you are concerned about a tree), consider keeping that snag or cavity around for the critters to use.

We have many cavity-nesting birds in the area – woodpeckers, barred owls, and wood ducks, to name a few. We’ve also seen that same tree cavity used by a raccoon for a nesting site last year. Watching the baby raccoon peek its tiny head out of the hole in our pecan was highly entertaining. This cavity in our pecan tree is a popular spot!

Another tree in our yard with a great nesting site
Another tree in our yard with a great nesting site

If you don’t have any trees with cavities in your yard, you might consider adding bluebird or wood duck boxes. These can act as surrogates for natural tree cavities. Be sure to follow the instructions for placing them in the right location. You probably will need to add a predator guard to your bird boxes if you put them in your yard. The guards will help keep out snakes and mammals that feed on bird eggs.

Raccoons in a cavity tree
Raccoons in a cavity tree
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Article by Garden Experiments / Trees, Wildlife / backyard habitat, trees

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Welcome! My name is Kathy and I live in Mississippi Zone 7B. Gardening has always relaxed and rooted me (literally!). It's my happy place. With over 25 years of gardening, I am far from an expert, but I learn from all my experiments. This blog talks about the plants, backyard critters, and more that have made my garden special. Read More

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