Log Wall for Wildlife

February has been a busy month at Southern Meadows. Working between excessive rain and biting chill, we managed to get a few projects completed. One of the winter projects was building a log wall from felled trees to create habitat for wildlife.

Over the past year we have amassed many tree trunks. Some were trees that came down in recent storms and some we cut down because they were growing in a concrete structure of a home that was never built (more on our plans for this space in a future post). What to do with all the tree trunks? 

Some were used to define walkways through our woods and the rest were stacked to create a log wall over the creek culvert. This pathway accesses the orchard and meadow from the woods. It is a shaded area but links to a wide open sunny space and is near water. 

The log walls will become a village for wildlife. It will attract all types of insects that will aide in the decomposition of the wood. These insects will attract birds, lizards and skinks [skinks also use logs for shelter and egg laying sites]. Chipmunks, mice, voles and moles use logs as places to hide and cache food. Snakes and foxes will be attracted to these mammals. [Circle of Life]

Logs also provide a place for fungi to grow, which provides a high protein source for critters. 

As the bark peels away, those spaces provide overwintering sites for butterflies and moths and habitat for spiders and other beneficial insects.

We built the wall simply by stacking cut logs. The largest sized logs were placed directly on the ground. Direct access to the ground will help the logs retain moisture. Then we staked medium to smaller logs being sure to leave gaps for animals to crawl in and out. We sited this log wall in a semi shaded area to prevent the logs from too much sun exposure. Full sun will heat the wood and support little life too much shade will be too cold for many insects.

sun + shade + water + shelter = habitat

I think our new log habitat is a perfect addition to our property. It adds interests, defines a space and provides wildlife value.