You couldn't just leave, say, a 6-8' trunk? If not, I guess you could go with suet. You can buy them in squares and hang them in a wire cage, or in a cheesecloth bag, or you could get something like a foot long piece of wood (like a section of a big branch), and make holes in it, about 1 and 1/2" round, and fill them with suet and peanut butter/nuts. The woodpeckers like those. You could also leave the trunks just laying on the ground for them.

It's not the loss of food sources that will affect the woodpeckers the most, but the loss of cavities in which to nest. There really isn't a replacement, as most woodpeckers don't use boxes. The best option is always to leave a dead tree standing when you can, even if it's just part. Is there any chance that your neighbor would agree to leaving the trunks, perhaps if you planted vines on them? It can't hurt to ask.

If the trees really do have to come down completely, you could try mounting sections of hollow trunk somewhere in your yard (basically, planting a dead tree). Or the woodpeckers might nest in hollow branch sections that were capped at either end and wired to existing trees. Just some thoughts.

Thanks for thinking of the woodpeckers during this process.

Seaserpent, I've done jillcm suggested: I had the tops of several dying Austrian pines removed and left just the trunk standing - there are 6 of them in my yard - kinda looks like a telephone pole farm. But the woodpeckers have really enjoyed those trunks, they are full of holes. The pileated stripped all the bark off one of the trunks.

I agree with jillcm that you should ask you neighbors - they just might agree to leaving the trunks standing.

We have a huge double trunk box elder, one trunk dead, one side half dead. When we bought the house our first reflex was to remove it, but luckily we couldnt afford to. This year a northern flicker raised a brood and still hangs around. The flicker is just too shy to use the feeders. The same tree had a robins nest on the top of the dead trunk this season

We have another full size dead tree standing, and it is a woodie condo. You can see the nest holes all over it and the barkless trunks is covered with tiny woodpecker-holes. We have red bellied, northern flicker, downey.

I am so glad we were prevented from removing it. I am planting around the box elder, trying to get vines to cover it. Every visitor is surprised the first time they see it. The first reaction is - 'you need to take that tree down'. After I show them what is going on, people change their minds and see the beauty.

As the bark falls off the wood becomes weathered and smooth. It makes a pretty contrast to a woodsy planting underneath. The sound of the woodie pecking out his nest hole goes on all spring

Trim off the limbs and leave as much of the trunk as possible. This will give the woodpeckers an opportunity to make a home. We had part of a tree that died and left it, soon a Downy woodpecker made a home. It was amazing, the birds carved a perfectly round hole and created a deep cavity for a nest. They stay around and raised young. Later during the year that part of the tree was damaged in a storm and did have to be removed, but I'm glad we gave the Downy Woodpeckers a chance. VAL

Thanks for your input. After much thought we have decided to remove two trees and leave the third intact. It is the smallest and least likely to damage the garage it is growing up against, and yet I've seen more woodpeckers in that tree than in the other two. Not only will the third tree remain a woodpecker hangout, but will help shade that side of the garden. The garden currently has a lot of shade-loving plants. Now I need to choose two new trees to plant close to the original spot, but a bit further from the fence and the garage. Any suggestions for fast-growing, medium-sized shade trees? I will see if the tree guys can give me a good-sized section of trunk to try and place in my garden for use as a birdfeeder.

That sounds like a great plan, seaserpent. Can you give us some more specifics about where you want to put the trees? Is it dry, moist, full sun, part shade? Do you want to to plant something that will attract birds and wildlife? What size do you want the tree to ultimately be? Give us some parameters and I'm sure we can help out (the native plant forum is also a great source of information; I'm sure you'd rather have a hardy, attractive native tree if possible in order to maximize your bird viewing pleasure!)

Absolutely! I would love to plant some native trees!
I will be planting two trees. I would like to have one medium-sized one that will be planted about 15' away from the house, that will grow 20-30' high. The other tree will be planted about 10' behind the first, and should be a short tree growing 10-15' high. The goal is to maintain the shade garden, yet not plant anything so tall as to cast shade on the sunny side of the yard.

I have no large trees anywhere on my property, but my neighbor's yards are predominantly full of aging silver maple and mulberry trees with an occasional evergreen thrown in. I have several Rose of Sharon "bushes" that are about 12 feet tall or more, as well as a small 12' tall red-leaved tree I have not been able to identify. In the front yard I have a dwarf apple tree, a dwarf peach tree, and some elderberry bushes.

The soil they would be planted in is a rich, well drained soil in a raised bed with lots of compost. They will be planted in the east side of the yard, and will have a bit of shade but is mostly sunny. The bed gets watered regularly with soaker hoses.

What am I looking for in these trees? I would love to see some spring flowers, and it would be great if the trees had fruit or nuts. Of course colorful fall foliage is a wonderful thing. Trees with leaves that are good for compost (I've heard oak leaves make incredible mulch) are an added bonus. Trees that would attract birds and other wildlife are a priority. I have a short ranch house and am hoping that the taller of the two trees can provide some good shade for the house.

Thanks for your input, what a great resource this is!

I'm not sure of the maximum size in your area but I think both will grow in zone 5. Sweet bay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) and black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) are great medium-sized trees for birds. I have a wider variety of birds on my black gums in fall when fruits ripen than on any other tree on my property. Pileated woodpeckers and mockingbirds fight noisily over the fruits of sweet bay magnolia. As CatherineT suggests, leave your dead tree logs on the ground if you can't leave them up. I take my neighbors logs whenever I can get them. I place them outside a window so I can watch the pileated woodpeckers and flickers that spend a lot of time on and around them.

What about a serviceberry for your smaller tree (Amelanchier spp.)? They have beautiful spring flowers and set fruit. I don't know about the fall color, mine haven't been too exciting. American hazelnut (Corylus americana) is also short (8-10'), blooms in March, sets edible nuts (you may need 2), and great fall color. It's more like a large shrub than a small tree, though.

I think any leaves would be good for compost - oak leaves make an acidic mulch, I believe.

Still thinking about your tall tree.

here in pacific northwest our flickers (woodpecker family) love the pacific dogwood, it makes fruits later for squirrels and flickers. I agree with keeping the trunks of the trees if at all possible. Perhaps if you mention to your neighbor that after woodpeckers are finished with their nests, another bird, like chickadees will move in and use it as a nest. And all these birds keep down the insects and slugs.