How Responsible Logging Improves Wildlife Habitat and Hunting Opportunities
At Grabeldinger Firewood & Logging, we often get asked how our work impacts local wildlife. The short answer? When done right, logging doesn’t hurt habitat — it helps it thrive. Selective cutting and responsible forestry practices improve the health of the woods and create ideal conditions for deer, turkey, and other game animals. That means better hunting, better biodiversity, and better long-term use of your land.
Overgrown Forests Aren’t Ideal for Wildlife
Many woodlots in Central and Upstate New York haven’t been managed in decades. What looks like a “natural” forest is often overgrown with too many trees competing for light, nutrients, and water. That overcrowding limits ground-level growth — the very stuff wildlife depends on for food and cover.
Without logging, forests can become shaded deserts: open overhead but bare underneath, with little browse and few bedding areas. Game animals like whitetail deer prefer edge habitat, low cover, and fresh growth. That’s exactly what our logging creates.
Creating Better Habitat Through Selective Cuts
We don’t clear-cut. We selectively harvest mature, damaged, or overcrowded trees to open up the canopy and allow sunlight to reach the forest floor. The result:
New undergrowth like briars, grasses, and saplings that deer and rabbits feed on
Better cover for animals to bed down and avoid predators
Game trails form naturally along old skidder paths, which deer and other animals quickly adopt as travel corridors
Tree tops left behind become food and shelter — deer browse on tender shoots and twigs, while birds and small mammals use the brush for cover
Within one or two growing seasons, a selectively cut area becomes a magnet for wildlife.
Improved Access for Hunters and Future Harvests
Many of our clients are hunters themselves — or lease their land to people who are. Part of our job is improving access:
Skid trails from logging can be reused as hunting paths, ATV routes, or future firewood access roads
Cleared zones can double as shooting lanes or food plot areas
Over time, areas regenerate and provide rotational habitat zones, increasing your property's long-term value
We're careful to minimize rutting and damage during the job, and we’ll work with you to protect key stands or bedding areas.
Real Results from the Field
We’ve worked on properties throughout Oneida, Herkimer, and Madison Counties where landowners noticed more game movement, more daylight deer activity, and stronger regrowth within just a year or two of selective logging. In fact, several clients have told us they see better hunting now than before the cut.
This is forestry that works with nature — not against it.
Interested in Improving Habitat on Your Land?
Whether you hunt, lease, or just want to encourage wildlife, a well-planned selective harvest can help. We offer free woodlot assessments and can walk your land with you to identify areas that would benefit from thinning or trail work.
Give us a call at (315) 404-8978, or email to set up a time. Serving Utica, Rome, and all surrounding Upstate NY communities.
