Just because a tree is rotten, doesn't mean it isn't any good! Find out all of the uses for snags in our forests.
One of the most important aspects of a living forest is actually the part that is dead or dying.
Hi, I'm Rosemary Conroy for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and this is Something Wild.
Dead trees are key to a healthy forest ecosystem. Sounds strange, doesn't it? After all, a dead tree doesn't produce fruits or nuts, or clean the air. And sometimes they can be just plain unattractive. But despite all that, standing dead trees, or snags, support many living things in our woods.
By now, all of the live trees in our forest have leafed out, so it's easy to find a snag. Go into the woods and examine one closely. You should see plenty of signs of insects, who are doing their best to recycle the tree. These insects, in turn, attract insect eaters, like birds.
Woodpeckers have evolved especially effective tools for getting at the bugs inside trees. By searching out insects in dead trees, these woodpeckers create holes, which then become nest sites for other wildlife. Most of the common birds and animals that live around us are tree-hole, or cavity, nesters. Most of our common birds, like chickadees, nuthatches, and tufted titmice, nest in trees. Many mammals, like squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, skunks, and - depending on the size of the tree cavity- even bears, use snags at some time or another.
Even after a snag falls over, its usefulness doesn't end. Rotting logs often act as a nursery for the next generation of trees. Mushrooms that sprout on its decaying wood provide important winter food for deer and other animals. Wildlife closer to the ground often find shelter under fallen trees. In fact, many snakes, salamanders and frogs couldn't survive without them.
Food, shelter and habitat- it just goes to show, because a tree is rotten doesn't mean it isn't any good.
Something Wild is a joint production of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, NHPR and the Audubon Society of New Hampshire. For Something Wild, I'm Rosemary Conroy.
