Bat-Friendly Forestry

The win-win solution

Timber harvest is an integral part of the economy in western Canada, and yet the future health of forests may rely heavily on natural sources of pest control. Rather than relying primarily on intensive management approaches like aerial pesticide application, on our increasingly young forests, we can implement a proactive harvesting approach.

The win-win solution is straightforward: leave an interconnected array of mature/old forest patches to ensure a diverse community of bats thrives adjacent to the regenerating forest.

As BC looks to regional Forest Landscape Planning, this is a critical juncture for bat-friendly forestry planning, setting the stage for future generations of bats to benefit future generations of humans, and vice versa!

Creating tree roosts for bats

In areas where old-forest patches are limited and don’t provide sufficient habitat to support successful reproduction, there are stop-gap measures that can support bat populations which in turn support forest regeneration, with older trees eventually being recruited, providing the cavities needed for roosting.

BrandenBark^TM is a synthetic bark made in the US that can be wrapped around young trees or poles to simulate the cavity roosts that bats would use in old forest patches. WCS Canada, together with Okanagan Nation Alliance and Selkirk Innovates, has developed a similar Canadian-made polymer bark that comes in two forms:

1. BatBark: Sheets that are wrapped around trees that have been ringed to create new snags, or around poles, and
2. MiniBark: Self-contained roosting units that can be tacked onto a live tree trunk or pole.

We've also used chain-saw modified trees, in which crevices are cut into young trees to mimic the spaces used by bats for roosting in old trees or snags. We have installed more than 200 ‘tree roosts’ in the Columbia Basin of BC as of 2026, consisting of a mix of these methods.

Although early in our testing, guano collected below these structures has been found from 9 species of bats. This is greater bat diversity than typically found in bat boxes, suggesting these roost tree creations may support a more diverse community of bats. This makes them ideal for enhancement in areas where reproductive habitats have been impacted by timber harvest.

Changing policy and practice

Western Canada currently lacks comprehensive guidance for incorporating bat conservation into forestry practices. There are many misconceptions that single trees or snags represent sufficient habitat protection for bats. However, we know that leaving a single tree (e.g. Wildlife Habitat Feature) can't sustain bat populations that need many different tree roosts throughout the summer, pointing to the importance of intact and interconnected forest patches near appropriate water sources.

Best Management Practices are needed to inform and guide landscape plans and timber harvest prescriptions – for the benefit of the industry, the economy, the sustainability and health of our forests, and ultimately for the health of humans who benefit from the natural pest control services of bats.

We are working with multiple partners and stakeholders, including government, forest industry, and First Nations to develop this urgently needed guidance.

Acknowledgements

Our work would not be possible without the generous contributions of our many partners, donors and volunteers. We are hugely thankful for your support, time, and generosity. Find out more about how you can support the work of Wildlife Conservation Society Canada or click the link below to donate.