How to Design Wildlife Windbreaks

Wildlife windbreaks provide animals such as deer, turkey, quail and feral hogs protection from the elements and predators, as well as vegetation for food and nesting. To create a suitable wildlife habitat, find land that contains sufficient brush or tree cover, and choose the areas where you want to provide the windbreaks. The land outside of those areas should be cleared of brush and other vegetation.

Things You'll Need

  • Aerial photograph of the property
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Instructions

    • 1

      Obtain a good-quality, large-scale aerial photograph of the property for which the design will be made. You can get aerial photographs from U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Centers, which are usually located in county seats.

    • 2

      Draw circles on the photograph around strips of woody plants along rivers, streams and other bodies of water. Brush and trees outside the circles should be removed. The strips should be wide enough at most points so that you cannot see through them in the winter. These areas provide travel lanes for wildlife.

    • 3

      Circle blocks of brush on the photograph every 200 to 300 yards to provide places where wildlife can escape from predators. Areas outside of the circles should be cleared. Design the blocks so they have irregularly shaped boundaries. Making irregular edges is called brush sculpting, and provides better escape opportunities than straight boundaries.

    • 4

      Walk the property and compare the design with the actual site. Make needed adjustments or corrections to the design, based on your observations. Use the photograph containing your wildlife habitat design as a map of the areas to be cleared.