Loss of wildlife? (1 Viewer)

Hello,

Can you please advise, I am a resident of a area where we maintain grass
areas containing willow trees and a lake. We have recently been advised
and have actioned crowning of all these trees. A fellow resident is
concerned that due to the excessive chopping of the trees ( reduced by
50%) that this has resulted in the lose of our woodpeckers and other bird
species. Is this the case? or is they anything that can be done to
attract them back? We still have moorhens and recently ducks on the lake,
that seem not to be effected by this?

I look forward to your responses.

Thanks & regards

Angela
o

Why are you cutting down the trees, are them an exoctic species? This is happening in a park near by too because of that. They are going to replant it with native species though, which is good.

But I have no doubt that in your case it could very well reduce the number of species that need the trees, like the woodpecker and many others and I don't think there's much you can do besides planting more trees.

Well, take away the habitat and the brids will disappear.

If you've taken away 50% of the tree mass, then that's 50% of a woodpecker habitat, so you shouldn't be surprised that they've gone (probably starved or left).

Woodpeckers need semi-mature or mature standing live and dead wood. But tree surgeons and safety advisors think that any dead wood in public areas are a danger, and it gets removed. But standing dead wood (dead limbs etc) is perfectly natural and a vital habitat for many insects (and hence birds). So you've probably stripped out the habitat for woodpeckers, treecreepers, many moths and beetles, and also nesting sites for many bird species.

Next time someone tells you that a tree is 'diseased' or 'dying' because it has some dead wood, take them to any forest or old park and point them to trees that are about 300 years old or more, and made up of around 50% standing wood. Dead wood on trees is normal and only comes down in gales, don't let people kid you otherwise to drum up work.

having said all that, pollarding Willows is an ancient management technique that allows them to live longer, so it depends on the circumstances.