Snag trees can be a wonderful way to enjoy the native wildlife in your yard.
On a recent job removing several trees including a snag tree, we encountered multiple families of woodpeckers who excavated the trunk during their mating and nesting season and were bringing up their hatchlings.
Red-headed woodpeckers are a near-threatened species of bird, and protected. The snag tree was not a direct hazard to the home or yard and so we worked with the homeowner to keep it in place. Non-migratory birds must be monitored closely to insure their protection even after the nesting season.