LOG PILE HABITATS

April 2025

Happy Earth Day. There is no better way to celebrate our beautiful home than to create habitats that nurture the creatures we share our environment with. With that in mind, we are exploring the world of beneficial log piles and their role in beautiful & ecologically enriching gardens.

Meadow with log pile habitats, designed by Nigel Dunnett

What is a log pile?

Log piles, also called log walls, eco piles, or habitat piles, are stacks of short cut wood, typically logs & branches, that are designed to provide food & shelter for insects, amphibians, reptiles, & small mammals. They promote biodiversity and attract wildlife.

Benefits of Log Piles:

Shelter: Log piles provide safe hiding places for smaller animals to create homes. This is especially crucial in autumn & winter when lots of creatures go into hibernation or a state of torpor.

Food Source: Wildlife, especially insects, are attracted to log piles and more interest means more options for feeding for a variety of animals throughout all seasons.

Soil Enrichment: Organic matter like leaf litter and decomposing wood in log pilesenriches the soil, which in turn creates a more robust ecosystem.

Aesthetic Interest: Log piles bring attractive visual interest to a garden. The tension between the rawness of the material and the consideration of their construction makes for a compelling feature.

Happy Earth Day from Fen Studio :)

Two Oak Stack at Storm King by Andy Goldsworthy, 2000.

Sculptor and landscape artist Andy Goldsworthy collected windfallen oak branches to create his own sculptural version of a log pile.

How to Build: Collect wood & cut to roughly the same size. Quartering the logs makes them easiest to stack. Place your log pile in a cool, slightly shady spot. Always try to use local wood, the closer the source grew to where you are placing your pile, the better. Avoid using existing fallen deadwood as it most likely is already providing habitat for local animals.

Creating a log pile habitat is a great way to repurpose tree or shrub trimmings that might otherwise go to the landfill.

Photography Credits: Log Pile, Nigel Dunnett. Two Oak Stack by Star Black via Storm King Art Center