Dens offer protection from cold and wet weather and safety from predators. Tree dens are necessary to maintain high gray squirrel populations. The best gray squirrel habitat consists of mature, mixed oak and hickory forests. Large, extensive hardwood forests are most desirable for gray squirrel management, but smaller stands can be successfully managed as well. Woodlots as small as 5 to 10 acres can support one to five gray squirrels per acre.
Some characteristics are essential for good gray squirrel habitat.
To produce the maximum number of gray squirrels, the habitat should contain hard mast, seasonal foods, and nest sites. Hard mast is another name for a nut crop such as acorns, hickory nuts, or beech nuts. These trees must be of the proper age to produce mast. Generally, trees have to be 25 to 30 years old to produce nuts. Oaks, hickory, and beech do not produce a good crop of nuts each year.