DRIPPING WILDLIFE: SNAGS AND GIRDLING
In our continued effort to discuss and celebrate our Dripping wildlife, we present snags and girdling — and we're not talking stocking runs and tummy control pantyhose.
A snag is a $10 word for standing dead tree. Snags are rich in insects, often used as nesting cavities by birds, and are readily used by raptors as perch sites. Mammals use them for cover as well. Healthy woodlands consists of a variety of tree species that are young, medium-aged, mature, dead and standing, and dead and fallen over. Snag creation is purposely cutting select trees to kill them. Such trees could be invasive, non-native trees or native trees that threaten sensivite eco-systems. This snag creation process is usually accomplished by girdling the tree. Girdling is cutting a groove completely around a tree to interrupt the flow of sap and nutrients between the tree roots and crown, effectively starving the tree. If your property has a wildlife management valuation, creating and maintaining existing snags is actually a qualifying activity for maintaining your tax valuation.
While many of us might feel hesitation in girdling (except maybe before our high school reunion), the benefit of snags has made this Babbler look at a dead tree in a completely different light — not as an eyesore and weekend chore, but as a habitat for birds and cover for other wildlife.
Thank you to Keith Olenick of Dripping's Plateau Land & Wildlife Management for letting us know about snags and girdling. Keith also recommends an article on girdling here and an article on snags here.
A snag is a $10 word for standing dead tree. Snags are rich in insects, often used as nesting cavities by birds, and are readily used by raptors as perch sites. Mammals use them for cover as well. Healthy woodlands consists of a variety of tree species that are young, medium-aged, mature, dead and standing, and dead and fallen over. Snag creation is purposely cutting select trees to kill them. Such trees could be invasive, non-native trees or native trees that threaten sensivite eco-systems. This snag creation process is usually accomplished by girdling the tree. Girdling is cutting a groove completely around a tree to interrupt the flow of sap and nutrients between the tree roots and crown, effectively starving the tree. If your property has a wildlife management valuation, creating and maintaining existing snags is actually a qualifying activity for maintaining your tax valuation.
While many of us might feel hesitation in girdling (except maybe before our high school reunion), the benefit of snags has made this Babbler look at a dead tree in a completely different light — not as an eyesore and weekend chore, but as a habitat for birds and cover for other wildlife.
Thank you to Keith Olenick of Dripping's Plateau Land & Wildlife Management for letting us know about snags and girdling. Keith also recommends an article on girdling here and an article on snags here.
Posted by DSBabble.com at Wednesday, October 14, 2009 7:44 PM 
Categories: dripping wildlife
Tags: dripping springs plateau land and wildlife girdling snags
Categories: dripping wildlife
Tags: dripping springs plateau land and wildlife girdling snags
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