Basswood is very similar to mullberry, with slightly different berries and nectar filled flowers attract insects (bird food) and pollinators. In the fall thousands of small nutlets ripen which birds and deer will quickly devour. Basswood is a softer wood, which is highly desired by woodpeckers and other species which like boring or building nests in cavities
Basswood can be allowed to grow into a large beautiful tree, or it can be bushogged every couple years and produce massive amounts of tender shoots and new leaf growth.
The green tender growth from a basswood tree makes a fine salad (for human consumption). You can only imagine how much deer love them!
The deer go NUTTS over their leaves, but basswood is a tree and quickly grows out of their reach. Chainsaw a basswood tree to 1’ high and it will resprout a massive growth of (now reachable by deer) leaves, literally instant foodplot.
Or in an old field plot just bushog it every couple years for a never ending source of lush, high quality browse