There are many things you can do to attract wildlife to your property:
- Thin your forest, leaving a snag for woodpeckers or raptors
- Leave fallen logs on the ground for salamanders
- Plant native Oregon white oak, which supports over 200 species of native wildlife.
- If you own farmland, you can attract native bees to pollinate your crops and increase yields.
- Improve stream sides for songbirds by planting native willows and other shrubs and trees. The Guide for Using Willamette Valley Native Plants Along Your Stream is a helpful resource for selecting plants.
- Visit the Streams & Wetlands service page to learn more about how to enhance and improve water quality and habitat.
- If you’d like to plant native species for pollinators, see our Pollinator Plants and Bloom Periods chart for our District and the greater Portland Metro Area.
- Plant a native habitat garden in your yard. The Meadowscaping Handbook is a great resources for this. For general help with naturescaping, visit the Backyard Habitat Certification Program or our neighbors at East Multnomah SWCD.
- Identify and remove invasive species. Be careful, though: many birds nest in blackberry, so you should avoid mowing it during nesting season (April – July).
- Manage stormwater on your property. Learn how at a Stormwater Stars demonstration.
Want to improve wildlife habitat on your forest land?
The Woodland Fish and Wildlife publication series is for you. A variety of practical “how to” publications are written just for small forest owners in the Pacific Northwest:
Posted in Education & Outreach, Habitats + Biodiversity