Favorite 'leave' trees for wildlife ?

[chain]

Here are mine: 

1. native pecan--woodducks, turkeys, squirrels, deer, raccoons, Black bear, woodpeckers, crows.

2. Persimmon..Soft mast but in years of plenty a great early fall wildlife attractor.

3. Black gum...In years of production important late winter food for trukeys, many others.*

4. Post oak....Also, at least in our forest, turkeys, deer, scrounge heavily for these acorns.


* Most all our large black gum are den trees.

[Chuck White]

Here, we like to leave a few Thorn Apples.

They are a favorite of the Roughed Grouse, Turkey, Deer, Squirrels, and more.

[clww]

Not a tree, but I'll add Autumn Olive. Grouse like those, too.

[Shotgun]

Grouse may like autumn olive, however, it's a very(!) invasive plant in Michigan.  AO is on my kill list on any property that I own, have control of, or that I can convince the owner to do the same.

Norm

[Jeff]

My cousins made the mistake of planting Autumn Olive at the old farm on the edge of one of the open areas. There are no longer the open areas.

I would say in Michigan one of the great wildlife leave trees would be Beech.

[Shotgun]

I would say in Michigan one of the great wildlife leave trees would be Beech.

I agree with you, Jeff, although American beech is under seige in the Upper Peninsula's maple/beech forests by beech bark disease.  They're going fast.  It's like the dutch elm disease of beech trees.  It's sad.

[Ron Wenrich]

For some guys, its any tree that doesn't have any current commercial value. 

[MHineman]

  Shagbark Hickory and Beech.  Kill all Autumn Olive.  They will take over fast.

[chain]

We've slowly converted our hedge from all Autmn olive to other hedge types, however, the Rough-leafed dogwood is very aggressive also. I believe our  seedlings came with a "windbreak or wildlife bundles' from MDC. This species is noticeable presently along the ditch-banks and hi-way fences indicating the seed is spread by birds. Also spreads by underground stems forming a thicket fairly quickly.

Importance of this Rough-leafed dogwood and also Flowering dogwood..as in Medicinal uses, the wood is known to contain a highly active antibiotic substance that is effective in preventing tooth-decay and other ailments. Forty species of birds are known to eat the fruit.

We leave the Dogwood so long as not in row- crop or crop-tree areas.

[davidlarson]

I think we're too far south (western North Carolina, between Boone and Asheville) to be in the primary range of autumn olive, but a friend who lives on his farm in eastern Ohio, near Athens, spends a lot of time and energy (and money) eradicating this plant, which he considers (I believe correctly) as a noxious non-native invasive plant.
Foresters have taught me to leave some den trees (standing dead trees) when I am collecting firewood, but to cut down dead trees near trails or wherever else people might be, for safety reasons -- so they don't fall on those people.  Collecting firewood from trees close to the trails is easier than retrieving it from deep in the woods, anyway.

[Ron Scott]

A good plan. ;)