In celebration of Gopher Tortoise Day, April 10th we reached out to specialist Tyler Sibley, Fish and Wildlife Biologist with the Alabama Forestry Association, for ten tips to make Gopher Tortoises feel at home in your forest.

1. Gopher tortoises are great occupants of a working forest, so planting trees, thinning, and prescribed fire are suitable habitat practices to make your Gopher Tortoise feel at home.

2. This fire-adapted species lives in areas of frequent fire and prefers a landscape that is not enclosed by trees.

3. Gopher tortoises are ecosystem engineers, digging burrows in sandy soils to create their homes. Some burrows have been recorded to be 47 feet long, but typically are 15-20 feet long.

4. The entrance of burrows, also called the apron, can be identified by mounds of loose sand. Be aware of these entrances and try to avoid them, if possible.

5. Being an herbivore, their preferred diet consists of grass, leaves, and fruit.

6. Have the perfect basking spot? These cold-blooded reptiles love to sunbathe. Basking is required for warmth and incubation of eggs.

7. These land-dwellers cannot swim, nor are they found in water. If you see a Gopher Tortoise who looks a little heated, he likely won’t be interested in a dip to cool off.

8. Tortoises lay their eggs in sandy soils that have lots of sunlight to keep them warm, usually in the apron of their burrow. Eggs are the size of a ping pong ball and contain 3-15 per clutch. If you see these, leave them untouched. If all goes well, hatchlings will emerge from the nest in late summer.

9.  A tortoise burrow is important to your forest habitat, as it provides shelter to 400 other species. Because of the number of species that benefit from burrows made by gopher tortoises, they are considered to be a keystone species. This means that it is a species that is needed in a habitat for many other species to stay healthy and survive.

10. It is alright to move a tortoise off the road if you encounter one, but do not relocate or take it home with you.

"Gopher Tortoises are great occupants of a working forest, so planting trees, thinning, and prescribed fire are suitable habitat practices to make your Gopher Tortoise feel at home." - Tyler Sibley, Alabama Forestry Association

Interested in making your woodlands Gopher Tortoise friendly? Learn more about the work that AFF is doing to protect Gopher Tortoises in the Southern U.S.

This article was originally featured on WoodsCamp’s blog. Visit their site to learn about opportunities available to you and your forest.