However, they are an excellent supplemental source, and several mast-producing trees and shrubs provide important early season nectar and pollen sources for bees. Mast-producing trees and shrubs can also be planted near hives to provide windbreaks and protection from inclement weather.

The best native mast-producing trees and shrubs for bees include:

• blackberries and raspberries
• blueberries
• wild roses
• crabapples
• wild cherries and plums
• hawthornes
• hackberries
• elderberries
• hazelnuts
• mountain ashes
• maples
• serviceberries
• sumacs

Many naturalized Eurasian relatives of native mast-producing trees and shrubs are also excellent sources of nectar for honeybees, including Eurasian flowering cherries, apples, plums, pears, and more. For a month-by-month list of mast and non-mast producing trees that provide important nectar sources for honeybees, check out this article.

Curiously, honeybees generally do not frequent native dogwoods, although they can be an important food source for native bees.

Many mast-producing trees and shrubs also provide important sources of shelter for wood-dwelling native bee species such as carpenter bees.

Quail are edge-dwelling birds, requiring habitat that mixes grasslands and wooded areas. Unfortunately, all grassland is not created equal. The prevalence of brome and fescue in pastures and hedgerows now chokes out quail due to the dense growing habit of these grasses, and provides poor quality forage, especially compared to the diverse native prairie and meadow habitats of North America. Prescribed burning of grasslands and reintroduction of native grasses and forbs can improve grassland quail habitat.

In woodlots, the demand for evenly aged large trees with little undergrowth also hurts quail populations. Quails require woody shrubs for shelter and food.

One of the easiest ways to improve quail habitat on your property is to plant a native hedgerow mixing mast-producing shrubs, native grasses, and forbs, especially legumes. Hedgerows are particularly useful to connect different habitat types or food and water sources, since quail don’t like to stray too far from cover.

In order to attract quail, choose multi-purpose shrubs that produce both fruit and flowers. Flowers attract insects, the most important source of food for quail chicks, and fruits and berries are important food sources for older birds. Good choices include:

• elderberry
• blackberry and raspberry
• hazelnut
• wild plums and cherries
• dogwood
• hackberry
• wild grapes
• wild roses
• sumac
• serviceberry
• gooseberry
• blueberry and huckleberry

However, by improving black bear habitat and increasing natural food sources on their properties, farmers and other landowners can actually reduce the probability that bears will become nuisances by foraging in areas frequented by humans. One of the best ways to do this is by planting mast-producing trees.

Food Sources

Hard and soft mast are the most important food sources for black bears in summer and autumn and are a major supplement to their diet throughout the year.

In summer, black bears favor soft mast species such as blueberries, blackberries, pawpaws, serviceberries, grapes, and viburnums.

In autumn, hard mast such as acorns, beechnuts, hazelnuts, black walnuts, and hickory nuts are the favored foods of black bears. They supplement these with soft mast such as dogwood berries, persimmons, wild cherries, crabapples, and more. Bears also enjoy pine nuts, especially in the West.

Mast producing trees can also be an important food source in spring, when buds and catkins are among the foods eaten by bears emerging from hibernation.

Habitat Management

Black bears readily use riparian buffer strips, hedgerows, and other wildlife corridors to travel between areas of fragmented habitat, but their preferred habitat is extensive and relatively undisturbed mature hardwood or mixed conifer forests with a dense understory of fruiting shrubs and understory trees.Landowners can manage woodlots and other forest stands to improve bear habitat by thinning to remove undesirable trees, releasing mature mast-producing trees, and encouraging dense understory growth of mast-producing trees and shrubs.

Woodlots should be managed for long rotations (60 years or more) and harvested in small sections, or managed by selective cutting. Retain some snags, trees with large cavities, and rotting logs, as these provide den sites and good sources of insect food. If possible, avoid harvesting bottomland hardwood stands and swamps, another favorite habitat for black bears.

Orioles are easy to attract to your garden with mast producing trees and shrubs.

Mature mast-producing trees such as such as oak, maple, and elm are the preferred nesting spots of orioles, who build their nests 20-40 feet above the ground.

Mast-producing trees are also the best source of three of orioles’ favorite food sources: fruit, insects, and nectar.

The most important source of food for orioles during nesting season is insects. Plant a mix of mast-producing trees that bloom in spring and early summer to attract insects to feed your orioles and their nestlings. These flowering trees and shrubs also provide a source of nectar for orioles.

Some mast-producing trees with insignificant flowers are also good choices due to their popularity with insect herbivores. For example, the oak family (Quercus) attracts more than 500 species of caterpillar alone.

For much of the rest of the summer, fruit is the most popular food for orioles. Favorite species include mulberries, serviceberries, blackberries and raspberries, wild cherries, and mountain ash.

To supplement your natural food sources, you can also purchase special oriole feeders, which often come with 3 separate feeding stations for mealworms, sugar water, and domestic fruits such as oranges, apples, figs, and pears.

Autumn-fruiting trees and shrubs that attract birds include:

• American holly (Ilex opaca)
• Winterberry (Ilex verticilatta)
• Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)
• Viburnums and cranberries (Viburnum species)
• Dogwoods (Cornus sp.)
• Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)
• Chokeberries (Aronia sp.)
• Crabapples (Malus sp.)
• Hawthorns (Crataegus sp.)
• Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
• American mountain ash (Sorbus americana)

Hard mast-producing trees and shrubs also provide important sources of food in autumn and winter, especially for game birds such as wild turkey. These include:

• Oaks (Quercus sp.)
• Hickories and pecans (Carya sp.)
• Chestnuts (Castanea sp.)
• Hazels (Corylus sp.)
• Beeches (Fagus sp.)
• Walnuts (Juglans sp.)

By planting a mix of summer and autumn-fruiting trees and shrubs, you can ensure a steady supply of food for birds all year. In addition to their fruits, the flowers of most fruiting shrubs attract insects, the most important source of food for nestlings and fledglings of almost all bird species.

By planting a mix of summer-fruiting and autumn-fruiting shrubs near your house, you can continue to enjoy backyard bird watching all year long, even if you set out feeders only in winter.

Some great summer fruiting shrubs and trees that birds love include:

• serviceberries
• blackberries and raspberries
• wild cherries and plums
• elderberries
• mulberries
• wild grapes
• blueberries and huckleberries

Most fruiting trees and shrubs do triple duty for birds. In addition to the fruits and berries they produce, they offer shelter from predators and bad weather, and the spring blossoms attract insects, the most important source of food for nearly all species of nestlings and fledgelings, even those that prefer seeds or fruits as adults.

Most summer fruiting trees and shrubs that are popular with birds are also considered delicious by humans and other wildlife species.

For this reason, if you are interested in attracting squirrels to your property, the most important thing is to plant plenty of diversity. The more diverse your collection of mast-producing trees and shrubs, the less likely it is that all your trees and shurbs will have a poor mast year at the same time.

The most important type of mast for squirrels is hard mast, especially acorns. A stand of trees managed for squirrels should ideally contain at least 50% oaks, preferably a mix of several different species from the red oak and white oak groups. Other hard mast favored by squirrels include hickories and pecans, walnuts and butternuts, and beechnuts. A good variety of hard mast producing trees and shrubs is especially important in autumn and winter.

Pine seeds are another favored food of squirrels, especially red squirrels and grey squirrels, whose preferred habitat is stands of mixed hardwood and conifer trees.

Soft mast is also an important food source, especially in spring, when squirrels gorge on the buds of trees such as maple, birch, oak, and basswood, and summer, when they enjoy fruits such as wild cherry, osage orange, wild grapes, persimmons, and mulberries. Though hard mast is the most important autumn and winter food source, fruits and berries that often linger into winter, such as crabapples and hackberries, are also beneficial for squirrels.

Another important consideration for people who want to attract squirrels is nest trees. Squirrels prefer to raise their young in small cavities found in mature trees. The best cavity tree species include ash, oak, beech, basswood, and maple. Cavity trees in woodlots and other tree stands should be preserved at a rate of about 4-5 per acre.

Finally, though squirrels typically receive most of their water needs from their food, it is a good idea to ensure a secondary water source for them, especially in drought years. Natural streams, creeks, and lakes are the best sources, but squirrels will also make use of water gardens, bird baths, and similar man-made water sources.

The most important single type of mast for deer is acorns, which can make up as much as 70% of their diet in autumn.

In autumn, deer feast on the acorns of white oaks (Quercus alba) and similar species, which help them put on weight for the winter.

In the winter, red oaks (Quercus rubra) and their relatives become more important. Red oak acorns are more bitter than the acorns of white oaks and less preferred by deer and other wildlife, but their high fat content helps deer survive the cold winter in good condition for the spring breeding season.

Because acorns produce in cycles, the best way to ensure a steady supply of acorn mast for your deer every fall  and winter is to plant several different species each of white and red oak. You can also improve the consistency of autumn and winter food supplies by planting other hard mast producing trees. Other hard mast species favored by deer include beech (Fagus sp.), chestnut (Castanea sp.), and hickory (Carya sp.) nuts. Hickories tend to be particularly consistent producers in many regions of North America.

Soft mast is also an important food source for deer, especially in summer. Some of their favorite soft mast sources include:

• American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)
• Wild grapes (Vitus riparia)
• Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
• Crabapples (Malus sp.)
• Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
• Sumac (Rhus sp.)
• Osage orange (Maclura pomifera)
• Blackberry (Rubus sp.)
• American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
• Elderberry (Sambucus sp.)

Some Eurasian species, such as domestic apples and pears, are also excellent sources of soft mast in many regions of North America.

Some mast-producing trees and shrubs also provide good sources of browse for deer. A few favored browse species include hackberry, plum, grape, hawthorn, and some species of viburnum, buckthorn, and oak.

By planting a diverse mix of oaks and other mast-producing trees and shrubs, you can ensure a consistent and year round source of food for deer. Permanent food plots of this sort also require less maintenance once established and attract a wider variety of other game than more traditional food plots, including wild turkey, squirrels, and black bears.

The most important mast-producing trees to plant for wild turkeys are oak trees. Acorn mast makes up 70% of the diet of wild turkeys in autumn. Ideally, about 50% of the trees you plant should be native oaks of several different species. The most important species for turkeys across most of their native range include White Oak (Quercus alba) and Red Oak (Quercus rubra).

Unfortunately, oaks do not produce mast as consistently as some other species of trees and shrubs, so it is important to plant a diversity of other species, including both hard and soft mast producing species to attract turkeys during poor acorn years. The best species vary from region to region; however, a few common recommendations include:

• Crabapple (Malus sp.)
• Wild cherries and plums (Prunus sp.)
• Dogwoods (Cornus sp.)
• Pine (Pinus sp.)
• American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)
• Chokeberries (Aronia)
• Viburnums (Viburnum sp.)
• Hickories (Carya sp.)
• Hawthornes (Crataegus sp.)
• Wild grape (Vitus riparia)
• Beech (Fagus sp.)

Choose a mix of trees and shrubs that provide autumn forage and those that typically keep their fruit into late winter and early spring for best results.

A stand of mast-producing trees and shrubs combines well with food plots consisting of annual grain crops such as field corn or sorghum. These food plots should be planted near roosting sites (often found in conifer or mixed conifer-hardwood stands), as turkeys do not like to travel in deep snow unless it has a hard crust. Chufa is also an excellent food source for wild turkeys, and clover provides a good source of green summer forage, as well as attracting insects, which are an especially important food source for young birds.

To learn more about managing your land for wild turkey habitat, contact the National Wild Turkey Federation, your local cooperative extension service, your local game and parks commission, or similar.