Adequate resting and escape cover is critical to proper management of ground-nesting birds, rabbits, and other small game. Although living brush is preferable, in most cases you can build artificial brush piles to supply immediate shelter for many species when natural cover is limited. Artificial brush piles conceal and protect wildlife from predators and the weather, and they establish a medium for seed germination and plant growth. This fact sheet outlines how and where to construct effective artificial brush piles.