When I tour people through a managed forest, someone inevitably expresses surprise at the wildlife we find there. They seem to think that forests where timber harvesting has taken place are the last place animals want to be. In fact, managed forests play a beneficial role in most species’ lives.

Working forests, where timber is periodically harvested, typically have a variety of “neighborhoods.” You’ll find areas of dense, heavily canopied older trees not yet ready for harvest, which provide abundant protective cover for wildlife. In other areas, harvesting has created periodic openings in the forest canopy. Here sunlight and rain reach the ground spurring the growth of ground-level seedlings, lush vegetation and berries upon which wildlife — from deer to bear —love to dine.

At any time of year, our foresters and harvesting crews spend so much of their time alongside deer that they almost come to think of them as co-workers. The deer use our harvest areas like they’re an extra-large salad bowl, as the tree tops that are brought down to ground level provide a large volume of nutrient- packed leaf buds. Deer eating these buds will put on extra fat to help them survive our long, cold Adirondack winter. In a few more weeks, they’ll move to their winter yards — choosing a place with lots of softwoods (pine trees) where the snow can’t pile as deep, and close to a river that won’t freeze. When they find a spot close to a working forest, they’ll enjoy a little more food.

Tags: Harvesting, Wildlife