Use brush piles for fall leaf and branch cleanup
It’s fall in Western Pennsylvania! Once the spectacular-colored leaves have dropped from the trees and onto our yards, the hours of leaf raking begin.
As we contemplate where to put the leaves, twigs and dead or pruned tree branches, consider making a brush pile to help preserve wildlife versus recycling or disposing of all your organic yard and lawn waste.
Brush piles are assembled tree branches, twigs and leaves. Brush piles provide shelter and cover for wildlife, including birds and small mammals, as well as a place for the larval stages of butterflies, moths and other insects to overwinter in Western Pennsylvania.
To be effective, the brush pile needs to be a sizable volume of material, preferably located at the edge of a property or forest.
To build a brush pile, start by placing the largest tree branches as the bottom layer then begin layering smaller branches, leaves and twigs into a mound with the smallest branches on top. This formation slightly raises the brush pile from the ground, allowing entry by wildlife for protection from predators and the weather.
Leaves can be added throughout the process. Leaves will decompose over the course of winter and provide food and shelter for insects. Butterflies like the eastern comma (Polygonia comma), mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa), red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and moths like the Isabella tiger moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) and imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) overwinter by utilizing natural cavities of hollow branches or stalks and leaf litter for shelter and warmth.
You can be creative with brush piles while integrating them into your property’s natural landscape.
In a formally landscaped or smaller property, brush piles can be designed to blend into a native landscape thus preserving a natural design.
For a backyard vegetable, wildflower or bird garden, a smaller brush pile can be constructed 10 to 20 feet away from the garden for small birds to shelter and have easy access to the foraging areas in the garden.
Formally landscaped and smaller properties can benefit from a brush pile that doubles as a compost pile.
For brush piles that will become compost, substitute larger tree branches with finely shredded dead tree branches for your bottom layer. Use grass clippings and spread over the bottom layer of dead twigs and branches. Continue layering a mixture of browns (small dead tree branches or twigs, leaves) with greens (grass clippings) at a 2:1 ratio.
Over the winter and throughout spring, turn the top layers so that pile will decompose and be ready as a mulch for use in your summer garden and landscape beds.
Occasionally, in a landscape with habitat for wildlife, a small bird will succumb to a predatory bird like a Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii). While predatory birds can be an asset for keeping unwanted small mammal populations in check, the loss of an occasional small bird may occur. If this is a concern, any large piece of landscape fencing like welded wire can be inserted into the brush pile to allow smaller birds to enter but prevent larger predatory birds from entering. A creative and natural option would be to use pruned hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) branches with their long, sharp spines as the top layer of the brush pile to create a natural labyrinth of protection.
As we begin our fall yard cleanup, remember the value of preserving some of our yard waste for a brush pile. These efforts are a great opportunity to compost yard materials while providing cover and shelter for wildlife and ultimately enriching the soil underneath.
Penn State Extension has additional information on supporting wildlife habitat at extension.psu.edu/management-practices-for-enhancing-wildlife-habitat.
If you have questions about building brush piles, call the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Butler County Garden Hotline at 724-287-4761, ext. 7, or email the Master Gardeners at butlermg@psu.edu.
Peter Ekstam is a Penn State Extension Master Gardener of Butler County.
