In more natural settings, yard brush and branches can be reused to form a brush pile for wildlife.  Brush piles provide shelter for chipmunks, woodchucks, weasels, skunks, red fox, numerous bird species, garter snakes, salamanders, and more.  Animals also use brush piles for nesting and den sites.

Why A Brush Pile?

• It creates shelter for our furred and feathered friends.

• It is a great service project for groups of all types. 

• It reuses brush and branch yard waste. 
  

Getting Started 
(From Rabbitat - Brush Piles for Wildlife by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources except where noted)

Place brush piles near wildlife food sources.  Good locations include: along forest roads and edges; in woodland openings; along field edges and corners; and beside streams and wetlands.  Isolated piles are not likely to be well-used (Natural Resources Conservation Service).

Brush piles have two basic components - a base and a brushy top.  The base raises the brush pile off the ground and creates tunnels for dens, nests, and escape routes.  The brushy top protects this space from predators.  Shallow depressions can also be dug before beginning the brush pile to provide more hiding space for animals (Natural Resources Conservation Service).

Base materials can vary depending on what is available.  The most common materials are stones and logs.  Stones should be about 8 to 12 inches in diameter and placed in three loose piles, each at the corner of a triangle.  Logs, 4 to 6 inches in diameter, should be cut between 4 and 6 feet long and placed, log cabin-style, 4 feet high.  The intent is to make a pyramid-type structure that has a hollow core (Natural Resources Conservation Service).  Oak, black locust, cedar, and other hardwoods make good bases because they resist rotting.  Large stumps, cull logs, or old fence posts may also be used as base materials.  Materials that contain toxic substances (i.e. pressure treated lumber/posts, creosote railroad ties, lead painted surfaces, tires, etc.) should not be used (Natural Resources Conservation Service).

As you build the base, add branches into the interior of the structure.  After the base has been completed, pile on the brush - placing the larger, stouter limbs first, and smaller limbs last.  You may need to occasionally place heavier branches on top to keep the stacked brush in place.  Be sure to place the individual branches at different angles and directions to ensure that the materials lock together and form air spaces.  

When finished, the brush pile should be about 6 to 8 feet high and 6 to 8 feet wide, and shaped like an igloo.  You can build smaller brush piles, they just won't attract as many animals.  Add to the brush pile as new brushy material is available (Natural Resources Conservation Service). 

Plant native vines such as American bittersweet, wild grape, or Virginia creeper as an attractive cover for the brush pile; border with wildflowers; or screen with shrubs.  Shrubs can provide additional food and cover (Natural Resources Conservation Service).

Caution should be taken when creating brush piles in densely populated areas, for they may lead to nuisance wildlife problems. Skunks, opossums and raccoons will, on occasion, live in or under these brush piles and may cause a nuisance situation for nearby homeowners ( Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection)

Brush piles are flammable.  Keep them away from buildings (Natural Resources Conservation Service).

More Brush Pile Information:

Below are some links to more information on creating wildlife habitat.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Rabbitat - Brush Piles for Wildlife (pdf)
Critter Condos - Managing Dead Wood for Wildlife (pdf)

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection 
Brush Piles for Wildlife

University of Wisconsin Extension
Wisconsin Woodlands: Wildlife Management (pdf)

National Wildlife Federation
Brush Pile

Natural Resources Conservation Service
Wildlife Brush Piles (pdf)