Beneficial to both humans and animals, sycamores serve a variety of purposes. Various birds, such as the goldfinch and the dark-eyed junco, as well as muskrats, squirrels, and beavers, eat their seeds. Moreover, as sycamores age, their trunks tend to hollow, providing shelter for many forms of wildlife, sometimes becoming large enough to house black bears. Humans, however, use the hardwood for boxes, furniture, trim, fuel and particleboard.