Dead Wood, New Life:
The Wayzata Wildlife Snag Project
February 13, 2026
The next time you see a dead or dying tree, don’t just see a hazard to be removed—see a vibrant, essential piece of habitat. In Wayzata, Minnesota, the city embraced this perspective through an innovative urban forestry initiative, creating its own wildlife snag at Klapprich Park.
This project is a perfect example of conservation ecology in an urban setting, transforming a safety concern into a boon for local biodiversity.
What Is a Wildlife Snag?
A “snag” is simply a standing dead or dying tree. They are vital natural structures that support a wide variety of wildlife, providing more benefits than you might initially think.
The Wayzata snag was created from a large, valuable bur oak that had unfortunately succumbed to two-lined chestnut borer. For safety reasons, the tree needed to be cut down. However, instead of removing the entire tree, the city, in partnership with Rainbow Treecare’s certified arborists, decided to turn it into a magnificent wildlife snag.
The technique involved carefully reducing the tree’s size and cutting off the crown, a process that took about two hours. Welsey Full, our expert arborist who made the cuts, described it as “Creating natural breakage that would mimic storm damage. Which ensures the tree remains stable and reduces risk while allowing certain bacteria or bugs to nest and grow.”
Benefits of Snags in Your Landscape
Why go to the effort of creating a snag? The benefits for the ecosystem are immense:
Creates hollow cavities for nests, nurseries, and dens for birds (like woodpeckers, owls, and chickadees), bats, squirrels, and raccoons.
Attracts insects, mosses, and fungi, forming a critical part of the food web for winter foraging wildlife.
Higher branches serve as excellent perches for raptors (hawks, eagles) to spot prey, and for songbirds to attract mates.
The decaying wood helps return vital nutrients to the soil. Carbon stored in the tree remains sequestered as it slowly decomposes.
This snag will now serve as a valuable natural habitat, supporting biodiversity and providing essential resources for birds, insects, and small mammals in Wayzata.
The Wayzata Model for Urban Forestry
The Wayzata snag project is a model for integrating sustainable forestry practices into urban environments.
The City’s total park/open space property is only 2.4% of Wayzata as a whole, making the management of public green spaces like Klapprich Park even more important. By turning this large oak into a snag, the city achieved several goals:
- Risk Reduction: The top portion was safely removed, mitigating the risk of the diseased tree falling.
- Education: A fence and sign have been installed around the snag to inform the public about the ecological value of dead wood.
- Sustainable Practice: It provides a unique platform to demonstrate to residents and other municipalities that dead trees, when managed safely, are not hazardous waste but vital habitat.
The reception has been overwhelmingly positive, with the project becoming one of the city’s most popular social media posts. Bennett Myhran, the Wayzata city forester, described the project as a “unique,” platform to educate people on the benefits of a snag. “It shows there are different ways to do things. Wayzata is an urban environment, which means the city often misses out on the benefits of features like dead trees. This project was an exciting opportunity to try something different with environmental stewardship in mind,” said Myhran.
Can You Create a Snag?
Yes! The Wayzata project serves as a test case and inspiration for homeowners and other cities. While large-scale snags like the one at Klapprich Park require expert consultation, there are ways to incorporate dead wood into your own habitat:
- Consult an Arborist: If a large, live tree greater than 12 inches in diameter needs to be removed, hire a certified arborist to create a snag stump (leaving a secure, tall trunk of 10 feet or more) instead of cutting the entire tree down.
- Safety First: Snags should be located away from your home, decks, and high-activity areas. Trees that lean away from structures or are downhill pose little risk.
- Log It: If a tree must be fully removed, place as much of the resulting debris (logs and branches) as possible in a safe, wooded corner of your yard. Logs on the ground also provide essential habitat.
Snags are a simple, cost-effective way to boost your backyard ecosystem. By choosing to preserve dead wood, we can all contribute to a healthier, more biodiverse environment.
Interested in creating a snag on your property?
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