How to help the Redheaded Woodpecker

There are many ways public and private landowners can contribute to the preservation of the Red-headed Woodpecker. From a bird’s-eye view, golf courses, cemeteries, park lands and even suburban landscapes can replicate the Red-Head’s requirement for savannah. Small farmsteads and open rural land can provide good Red Headed Woodpecker habitat. Once again, the key is the presence of snags, or what naturalists call "wildlife trees."

Private landowners can make a big difference as well. Oak savannah is one of the most critically imperiled upland habitat types in the world. If you have oak savannah on your land, consider managing it with brush cutting or controlled fire to improve habitat not only for red-headed woodpeckers, but the many additional rare and endangered plants and animals that depend on this dwindling habitat.

Another key part of Red Headed Woodpecker recovery involves public education by simply encouraging the preservation of dead snags. Generally, our culture equates dead trees with worthless, or dangerous, trees. However, dead snags, or wildlife trees, provide nesting and feeding opportunities for many birds and small mammals. Woodpeckers may excavate the original cavities, but when they abandon them, squirrels, mice, screech owls and other birds who are incapable of digging their own holes quickly move in.

Whenever possible landowners should retain a few dead trees as nesting areas for woodpeckers. To relieve the problem of dead snags blowing over and becoming a hazard, the majority of the small limbs at the top of the tree can be lopped off, leaving the main trunk and some of the larger limbs. Red Headed Woodpeckers actually seem to prefer nesting in limbs rather than the main trunk, so be sure to leave some major limb segments.

It is important that the general public have the proper education in order to preserve the wildlife and their habitats. The various states in the South have conservation education programs to start with. It may seem pointless but it is really important that the general public be aware as to  the kind of damage they are causing to, not only the Red Headed Woodpecker, but also the other wildlife. With the proper education, it is possible for people to preserve the habitats of the Woodpecker. If their habitat is preserved, there could be an increase in the Woodpecker population.