Enriching log landings to sustain native bees and other pollinators: a guide for practitioners
| Authors: | Lauren S. Pile, Aliza Fassler, Connor D. Crouch, Morgan Davis, Daniel C. C. Dey, Brooke Hagarty, John M. Kabrick, David King, Benjamin O. Knapp, Susannah B. Lerman, Deborah S. Page-Dumroese, Will Rumpf, Sloane Scott |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Type: | General Technical Report |
| Station: | Northern Research Station |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-238 |
| Source: | Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-238. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. |
Abstract
Log landings—designated staging areas for logs during timber harvests—can be enriched as habitat for native bees and other pollinator species, turning often degraded areas into local hotspots for biodiversity. Pollinators provide an important ecosystem service for economically important agricultural crops and for trees and plants, but populations are declining due in large part to habitat loss. Enriching soils and seeding native plants on log landings (beyond traditional erosion mitigation practices) can provide pollinator habitat on the modern landscape. This guide provides information and resources for developing log landing enrichment projects in actively managed forest landscapes based on projects on log landings in midwestern national forests. The projects tested techniques to mitigate soil compaction, seed and monitor the success of native plant species that support pollinators, and reduce invasive plants with the goals of increasing floral and nesting resources for native pollinators and improving aesthetics.
Download Enriching Log Landings for Pollinators Worksheet (pdf, 135 KB)