Disturbance is Natural

(Script by Francie Von Mertens)

When December's record-breaking ice storm reached its peak, trees and branches were snapping off every 10 seconds or so. And when the damaged was cleared, people realized that some of their favorite trees were lost.

To soothe that loss, it might help to know that for the forest and for wildlife, ice storms are part of a natural cycle. A forest reaches maturity, and relies on disturbance to start the growth process over again. Ice, wind and fire – as well as chainsaws – can create that disturbance.

When a tree falls, sun can reach the forest floor once again and spur new growth. If a tree merely breaks, it might lose its graceful, natural shape, but when it comes to survival, looks have little value. A tree can lose more than 50 percent of its leaf-bearing branches and still survive.

As for wildlife benefits, felled trees and branches deliver edible buds, bark, seeds and fruits to a wide range of wildlife that live closer to the forest floor. In a particularly long, harsh winter, plant matter falling from above becomes survival food, literally a windfall for wildlife. Some severely damaged trees take many years to die and fall. In the meantime, they become apartment houses for a succession of wildlife species: woodpeckers… owls… flying squirrels… raccoons… Without storm damage there would be a housing shortage.

Nature has been evolving for quite some time now, and has defenses well equipped to handle what we humans call a “natural disaster.” Major disturbances like fire or ice or wind take down the old generation, making room for the next. The old decays and breaks down, returning nutrients to the soil that sustain the new. It's a pretty cool system when you think about it.