Managing Trees & Public Spaces for Wildlife – Take Two!

Hello Wild Side Readers,

If you are new to this blog, I share information on Ohio’s wildlife, but as an educator, I also create posts related to presentations at educational events. Recently, I had the honor of presenting a webinar for the Smithsonian Gardens ‘Let’s Talk Gardens’ webinar series. I spoke about managing trees and small forest patches in urban and suburban areas for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. The below links are resources I shared during that presentation, as well as the slide set.

One item I didn’t get to in my presentation, was several new fact sheets for those interested in wildlife-friendly landscaping. The two fact sheets below share information on several native trees and shrubs that provide benefits to multiple species. Enjoy!

Native Trees: Creating Living Landscapes for Birds, Butterflies, Bees, and Other Beneficials

Native Shrubs: Creating Living Landscapes for Birds, Butterflies, Bees, and Other Beneficials

Also be sure to check out the NEW Plant by Numbers Guides for Specialist Bees, Bumble Bees, and Butterflies & Moths.

 

Managing Public Trees and Spaces for Wildlife – slide set

Managing Public Trees and Spaces for Wildlife – webinar

 

Links/Resources:

Doug Tallamy webinar – Restoring Nature’s Relationships at Home (the connection between trees and caterpillars)

3 Billion Birds Lost Research and Website

Alternatives to Non-native, Invasive Plants Brochure and Website– Ohio Invasive Plant Council

Butterflies & Moths of North America

American Trails Info on Greenway Planning

Bringing the Snag into the Urban Forest (Arborists and Wildlife: Retaining Trees for Wildlife Habitat) – Brian French

Dead Wood for Wildlife webinar

Nest Box & Bat House Resources

Ohio Lights Out Program

American Bird Conservation Info on Preventing Bird Collisions

Wildlife Conflict Resources

Buckeye Yard and Garden Online  – provides timely information about Ohio growing conditions, pest, disease, and cultural problems.

Urban Wildlife Information Network

USDA Forest Service Urban Forest Info:

Urban & Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grants

Urban Forest Research

Urban Field Stations

The Cross Pollinator Newsletter – great article on urban forest patches and their importance!

Fact Sheets/Bulletins:

Ohio Woodland Stewards Invasive Species Fact Sheets

Managing Small Forest Patches for BirdsOhio Bird Conservation Initiative

Creating Snags (Controlling Undesirable Trees, Shrubs, and Vines) – OSU Extension fact sheet

Crop Tree Management – OSU Extension fact sheet

Enhancing Food (Mast) Production for Woodland Wildlife – OSU Extension fact sheet

Ohio Trees for Bees – OSU Extension fact sheet

Nesting and Overwintering Habitat for Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects

Research papers:

Wang et al. 2021 – Tree species richness and diversity predicts the magnitude of urban heat island mitigation effects of greenspaces

Baker et al. 2020 – Suitability of native milkweed (Asclepias) species versus cultivars for supporting monarch butterflies and bees in urban gardens

Ricker et al. 2019 – Comparing Insect Pollination Visitation for Six Native Shrub Species and their Cultivars

Narango et al. 2018 – Nonnative plants reduce population growth of an insectivorous bird

Mason et al. 2006 – Designing suburban greenways to provide habitat for forest-breeding birds

Recommended Books:

Good Garden Bugs by Mary M. Gardiner

Shrubs and Woody Vines of Indiana and the Midwest by Sally and Harmon Weeks

Native Trees of the Midwest by Weeks, Weeks, and Parker

 

If you would like more information on forest management, please visit the Ohio Woodland Stewards website. We also have a list of webinars on a variety of forestry and wildlife topics. Enjoy!

Marne Titchenell

Wildlife Program Specialist