Hickory trees provide food and shelter for a variety of wildlife. In our area gray, fox, and flying squirrels use the nuts and leaf buds as a staple food source and build nests within the limbs. Deer and other mammals may occasionally browse the foliage. Many birds forage on the insects that are attracted to the spring flowers and use the foliage for shelter and nesting.
The bark, twigs, and hulls of the nuts can be used to produce a brown dye.
Hickory is a larval food for a number of giant silk moths including the luna moth, polyphemus moth, and the royal walnut moth.