Best time to move a woodpile?

I recently moved to Chesterland; and have a woodpile on my concrete driveway I"d like to relocate. It hs been there for some time; and there is a habitat for snakes, toads, etc.. that I want to impact minimally as I move the wood. My question is - when (summer, fall)/ and how should I move it to cause the inhabitants the least amount of trouble? Thanks.

Congratulations on creating some cozy habitat space for backyard wildlife!

If you’d like to move your wood pile off of the driveway while minimizing the effects on any critters sheltering within, your best bet is to wait for a warm day in May or June. By then, most animals should be done with their winter dormancy, and they’ll be ready to be up and active. If “moving day” is warm enough, any animals sheltering in your wood pile will have plenty of energy to crawl off in search of new shelter.

(Since your wood pile is on concrete, you don’t need to worry about disturbing any burrows underneath.)

For folks who haven’t yet created some backyard shelter for wildlife, here’s a handy guide to setting aside a corner of your yard for animal shelter (from the National Wildlife Federation).

Thanks for sharing, and have a happy moving day!

-Naturalist Chris Mentrek