While on a hike or walk, you may have admired the vastness and grandeur of the trees that line the trail- the large trunks, the expansive canopies. Trees perform essential functions in forests and for the planet during their lifetimes, such as converting carbon dioxide to oxygen and filtering pollutants in air and water. Trees are fundamental when they are alive- but what happens when they fall down?
The process of death for trees often begins when they are standing up, otherwise known as standing deadwood or snags. Snags allow for certain species of birds, like wood peckers, to forage for insects. The holes created by the wood peckers can then create habitats for some smaller critters like other birds and small mammals, or larger mammals if it’s a large snag, like black bears.
When old trees fall down, the deadwood becomes the perfect spot for decomposers (such as fungi or certain insects) to begin processes that are essential to all life on Earth. Decomposers, like certain snails and worms, break down organic matter and return the nutrients back to the soil through their waste. The nutrients in the soil are used to continue to support new life, like trees and other plants.
Deadwood can be found in every forest. As a land trust, it is our job to maintain and protect the land, such as by removing invasives and planting. Along with maintenance, we aim to impact the natural processes of the forest as little as possible, all while keeping trails safe and accessible to visitors. At NCL T, we manage deadwood in the trails by removing and cutting away anything that might block trails and placing it adjacent or in the woods nearby to allow for natural ecological processes to occur.
As you hike around any wooded NCL T properties, such as Rome Conservation Area in Gardner, Kirby Conservation Area in Ashburnham, or Crocker Conservation Area in Fitchburg, take a look around and observe if there are any trees that have been toppled, such as by lightning, pests, or old age, missing their tops or leaning on neighboring trees!
