How to create and maintain wildlife habitat on your land

There are many things you can do to attract wildlife to your property and improve existing wildlife habitat:

• 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:

• Wildlife Brush Shelters
• Managing Small Woodlands for Raptors
• Amphibians in Managed Woodlands
• Habitat Piles