Piles, snags, and logs

tl;dr - Don't burn all your piles. Leave a few for the critters. It is fun to put out a trail cam to see who uses them.

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In my studies of forest management, I was surprised to find that some dead vegetation does not need to be chipped or burned. In certain quantities (and deliberately spaced away from defensible space, roads, and power lines) dead wood of piles, snags, and down logs should be left in place as "habitat piles" to promote the health of the forest ecosystem while mitigating fire risk.

This publication - " Keeping Dead Wood and Creating Wildlife Habitat Piles: Some Guidance for Forest Owners " - is specific to the forests of the Washington and Oregon, but many of the recommendations are transferable to other forests.

This publication - " Habitat Piles: Tools for Family Forestland Owners " - provides some interesting observations gained by monitoring the habitat piles with trail cameras.

Your local US Forest Service ecologists or agriculture extension offices can probably provide guidance tailored to your local lands.

Regards - Daniel