• About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Board of Directors >
      • 2021 Director Election
    • Staff >
      • Career Opportunities
    • Resource Assessment
    • Conservation Update Newsletter
    • FOIA Requests
  • 2020 Millage
    • 2021 Program Priorities
  • Resources
    • Rain barrels & Composters >
      • Rain Barrels Information
      • Rain Barrel Common Questions
    • Tool and Equipment Rental
    • School & Community Habitat Grant >
      • Applicant Resources
    • Contractor Lists
    • Hunter Access Program
  • Store
  • Events
    • Native Plant Expo & Marketplace
    • Tree & Shrub Distributions
    • Fish Stock Day
  • Conservation Planning
    • NRCS Farm Bill Programs
    • MAEAP
    • Local Cost-Share Opportunities
    • MI Farmland Preservation
    • Invasive Species
  • Education
    • Workshops & Programs >
      • Community Conservation Education
      • Conservation Agriculture Education
      • Conservation Stewards Program
    • Online resources >
      • Agriculture >
        • Farmland Preservation
        • Soils >
          • Washtenaw County Soils
          • Soil Sampling >
            • Homeowner Soil Testing
            • Agricultural Soil Testing
        • Windbreaks
        • Composting >
          • Composters
      • Forestry >
        • Tree & Shrub Planting Guide
        • Common Tree Diseases & Pests
        • Crop Tree Management
        • Fruit Tree Planting & Care
        • Likelihood of Deer Damage
        • Other Forestry Links
        • Pruning Forest Trees
        • Timber Sales
        • Urban Trees
      • Insects >
        • Animal & Insect Repellents
      • Invasive Species & Control
      • Native Plants >
        • Planting Native Plants
        • Seeding Wildflowers
      • Recycling
      • Water >
        • Groundwater >
          • Groundwater Protection - Agriculture
        • Pond Construction >
          • Pond Management
        • Rain Gardens
        • Shoreline Property
        • Stormwater Runoff & Management
        • Stream Bank Erosion and Control
        • Wells >
          • Water Testing
          • Water Screening Events
        • Wetlands >
          • Wetland Mitigation Banking
        • Wildlife >
          • Brush Piles
          • Clearcutting
          • Den Trees
  • Get Involved
WASHTENAW COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Board of Directors >
      • 2021 Director Election
    • Staff >
      • Career Opportunities
    • Resource Assessment
    • Conservation Update Newsletter
    • FOIA Requests
  • 2020 Millage
    • 2021 Program Priorities
  • Resources
    • Rain barrels & Composters >
      • Rain Barrels Information
      • Rain Barrel Common Questions
    • Tool and Equipment Rental
    • School & Community Habitat Grant >
      • Applicant Resources
    • Contractor Lists
    • Hunter Access Program
  • Store
  • Events
    • Native Plant Expo & Marketplace
    • Tree & Shrub Distributions
    • Fish Stock Day
  • Conservation Planning
    • NRCS Farm Bill Programs
    • MAEAP
    • Local Cost-Share Opportunities
    • MI Farmland Preservation
    • Invasive Species
  • Education
    • Workshops & Programs >
      • Community Conservation Education
      • Conservation Agriculture Education
      • Conservation Stewards Program
    • Online resources >
      • Agriculture >
        • Farmland Preservation
        • Soils >
          • Washtenaw County Soils
          • Soil Sampling >
            • Homeowner Soil Testing
            • Agricultural Soil Testing
        • Windbreaks
        • Composting >
          • Composters
      • Forestry >
        • Tree & Shrub Planting Guide
        • Common Tree Diseases & Pests
        • Crop Tree Management
        • Fruit Tree Planting & Care
        • Likelihood of Deer Damage
        • Other Forestry Links
        • Pruning Forest Trees
        • Timber Sales
        • Urban Trees
      • Insects >
        • Animal & Insect Repellents
      • Invasive Species & Control
      • Native Plants >
        • Planting Native Plants
        • Seeding Wildflowers
      • Recycling
      • Water >
        • Groundwater >
          • Groundwater Protection - Agriculture
        • Pond Construction >
          • Pond Management
        • Rain Gardens
        • Shoreline Property
        • Stormwater Runoff & Management
        • Stream Bank Erosion and Control
        • Wells >
          • Water Testing
          • Water Screening Events
        • Wetlands >
          • Wetland Mitigation Banking
        • Wildlife >
          • Brush Piles
          • Clearcutting
          • Den Trees
  • Get Involved

Brush Piles

Picture
Brush piles make good cover for several animals including cottontail rabbits, quail and several species of songbirds.  They are also a productive and beneficial way to clean up wind blown trees or treetops after a timber sale.

They can be constructed by placing large boughs or logs (4" and larger) on the ground parallel to each other and a few feet apart in a small area (12' x 12' to 15' x 15') See #1 in diagram.

Place another row of logs on top of the first layer running in the other direction, log cabin-like.  Continue laying branches in this criss-cross fashion until the pile is a 4 to 5 feet tall.  See #2 in diagram.

Small branches and twigs can be piled on top to provide a roof.  See #3 and 4 in diagram. Branches and twigs can be added to the structure each year.

Some people like to insert a few 6 to 8" soil tiles end to end in with the bottom layer of logs.  This provides excellent protection from the weather for rabbits and other small mammals.

Brush piles are most effective when constructed on or near the edge of a woodlot where they are easily accessible to the edge dwelling species.  There should be about 1 or 2 brushpiles per 10 acres.

Washtenaw County Conservation District
(734) 302-8715
info@washtenawcd.org

​ 705 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Copyright 2020
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Board of Directors >
      • 2021 Director Election
    • Staff >
      • Career Opportunities
    • Resource Assessment
    • Conservation Update Newsletter
    • FOIA Requests
  • 2020 Millage
    • 2021 Program Priorities
  • Resources
    • Rain barrels & Composters >
      • Rain Barrels Information
      • Rain Barrel Common Questions
    • Tool and Equipment Rental
    • School & Community Habitat Grant >
      • Applicant Resources
    • Contractor Lists
    • Hunter Access Program
  • Store
  • Events
    • Native Plant Expo & Marketplace
    • Tree & Shrub Distributions
    • Fish Stock Day
  • Conservation Planning
    • NRCS Farm Bill Programs
    • MAEAP
    • Local Cost-Share Opportunities
    • MI Farmland Preservation
    • Invasive Species
  • Education
    • Workshops & Programs >
      • Community Conservation Education
      • Conservation Agriculture Education
      • Conservation Stewards Program
    • Online resources >
      • Agriculture >
        • Farmland Preservation
        • Soils >
          • Washtenaw County Soils
          • Soil Sampling >
            • Homeowner Soil Testing
            • Agricultural Soil Testing
        • Windbreaks
        • Composting >
          • Composters
      • Forestry >
        • Tree & Shrub Planting Guide
        • Common Tree Diseases & Pests
        • Crop Tree Management
        • Fruit Tree Planting & Care
        • Likelihood of Deer Damage
        • Other Forestry Links
        • Pruning Forest Trees
        • Timber Sales
        • Urban Trees
      • Insects >
        • Animal & Insect Repellents
      • Invasive Species & Control
      • Native Plants >
        • Planting Native Plants
        • Seeding Wildflowers
      • Recycling
      • Water >
        • Groundwater >
          • Groundwater Protection - Agriculture
        • Pond Construction >
          • Pond Management
        • Rain Gardens
        • Shoreline Property
        • Stormwater Runoff & Management
        • Stream Bank Erosion and Control
        • Wells >
          • Water Testing
          • Water Screening Events
        • Wetlands >
          • Wetland Mitigation Banking
        • Wildlife >
          • Brush Piles
          • Clearcutting
          • Den Trees
  • Get Involved
  • Live Chat Support ×

    Connecting

    You: ::content::
    ::agent_name:: ::content::
    ::content::
    ::content::