Trees and shrubs growing in the open, with less competition, are more thrifty and yield more food than those in forests. Grape, sumac, hazel, brambles, and other shrubs furnish ground cover and food. These also provide protection for squirrels using fencerows as travel lanes. Keep fire and livestock out of squirrel habitat - Burning destroys ground cover, shrubby food producers, and slows regeneration of timber stands. Fire scars on trees develop into butt cavities, which are not suitable for squirrel dens.
Grazing removes ground cover and herbaceous and shrubby food producers.
A good forest is a porr pasture - a good pasture is a poor forest. Even fox squirrels do not prosper in heavily-grazed woods. The future of such an area as squirrel habitat is as short as the life of the mature trees present. Maintain a dependable water supply - This greatly improves an area for squirrels. A farm pond or waterhole near or in a woodlot benefits squirrels when other dependable sources of water are lacking.