Dead Trees and the Dead Wood Cycle

goallike Trees and the Dead timberland CycleIntroductionA common misconception about forest would be that a healthy forest should have only have trees that ar alive or growing. This healthy forest should be rid of dead trees as they would get down harm to the forest and/or perhaps spread disease of sorts. This misunderstanding originated from our lack of understanding of forests and trees. Dead trees play a crucial role in sustaining biodiversity within forests. They provide the forest with nutrients, a habitat for forest animals, rivers, territory, along with many other benefits covered in this paper. To highlight every last(predicate) the vastnesss of dead or decaying trees this report will be broken down to sectionsAfter defining exactly what constitutes as a dead trees, we will go in depth into the dead woods cycle. Following that will go into analyzing the benefits of dead trees that include and but not particular to1Hold wet for the soil throughout arid seasons.Pr ovide a location for necessary bacteria to surviveProvide a home for small mammal dens and bird nests modify the soil by accumulation of complete matter.Offer a seed bed for redeveloping trees.scavenging spot for several insectivorous animals such as woodpeckersfood, protection, shelter, cover, and suitable climate for thousands of tiny organismsThen role of dead wood in the ecosystem and finally we will conclude the report by stating important facts about the significant biodiversity gear up because of deadwood.Definition of dead trees and decaying treesCommon sense would provide that dead or decaying trees argon those trees that ar no longer alive. However this is more of a comment of the different kinds of dead tress you could potentially encounter in a forest. We will analyze each kind and separate them from the others inconsiderate Woody dustCoarse woody dustis used to describe fallen deadtrees orthe leftovers of bulkybranches left either in the forest or in the rivers. at that place is a minimum size required for woody debris to be defined as unwashed, which is around 20cm in diameter. This also includes dead or decaying stumps2.Coarse woody debris are caused by ordinary tree death,illness, andbugs, as well as disastrous events such aswildfires,tornados, hurricaneand floods3. Old forests quiet down contain dead trees and woodland remnants are still where they had fallen. These are recycled to nourish fresh vegetation and establishes the perfect woodland in copulations of reprocessing and the renewal of fallen trees. As a matter of fact most 30% of all biomass contained in a forest are from dead trees4.Large Woody DebrisSticks, logs, and branches all are considered large woody debris. Wood that fall into streams and rivers are also believed to be large woody debris. This debris can affect how the water flows in and how strong or weak the direct is. This flow affects how much erosion goes on and thus affects how rivers and other water channel s are shaped5.Large woody debris are important for all its effects on forest management as well as channel streams. The debris is one of the most important factors in the formation of pools and ponds5. As these pools and ponds are formed animals, such as salmon, frogs, and other small fishes. Large woody debris is an important source of biodiversity because if these ponds and or pools were not created a muss of these animals would be washed away. The frogs and other animals that nourish off these fish would lose a feeding ground. The measure of scrubbing and erosion is determined by the relation of the span of the wood, to the deepness of the watercourse, and how deep the piece is dug in6.SnagsSnags could be defined as coarse woody debris, in time they operate in a some different way and can be identified in different ways. Snags costs of either standing, dead, or dying trees. Whereas coarse woody debris is usually fallen debris, snags are still standing. Both can, however, refe r to dead or decaying trees/debris. Snags are also often missing their tops or most, if not all, of their branches7.Dead wood cyclingDead wood cycling is the procedure of when the components of wood, enter the forest ecosystem through death, followed by decomposition and indeed reuse. Many components and functions of the forest are affected during the changes in trees. These changes are the most important physical features of forest.8 Most forest ecosystems in general contain a large amounts of organic matter within the dead wood. It is reported that 17% of all ecosystem organic matter was found within coarse woody debris and snags at costal ecosystems8.The cycle begins with the death of the stem. Usually the death is slow, however in special cases such as lightning strikes, floods, hurricanes or other storms the death is immediate. The larger the tree the longer their period to die. Snags usually take a long time to be utilized by other living trees. A lot of factors contribute to this including, rooting, moisture, nutrients, slop of the ground, how the tree died and the species of trees. whole of these factors also affect how long the snag, coarse woody debris, or large woody debris9.The utilization of dead snags differs dependent on provincial and geographical ecologic conditions. Forests that are troubled by procedures other than lumber jacking, the trees ultimately become dead wood. However the trees that die and continue to stand upright end up becoming part of the snag component of the forest. More lush sites usually have superior snags. Snag thickness reduces and useful life increases with the snag size9.Coarse woody debris work differently. After the tree dies it enters the ecosystem either directly through a fall. This could be the death from a fall of living trees or through tree death and the eventual fall of upright dead branches. The biomass and bionomicly sustainability of the coarse woody debris also depends on the species of trees. For exam ple evergreen (cone bearing trees) ecosystems hold more bio mass than coniferous ecosystems (used up parts that proceed to fall off.) Biomass is coarse woody debris is also effected by how moist it is. The more moisture there is the more it is able to sustain other organism increasing biodiversity. There is more biomass existent on senior(a) trees that younger ones. This is usually due to the nutrients and the size of older trees10.BenefitsThere are a lot of benefits created but all forms of dead trees. Most of the benefits overlap however this report will separate some of the distinct benefits created by each individual type of dead tree. To make this part as thorough as possible, some benefits will also be separated to each respective function and cause.Coarse woody debrisThe benefits of coarse woody debris are huge. They are one the most important factors in sustaining biodiversity in the forest. Usually there is an accumulation of long-term organic matter, which is contributed by how well decayed the wood is. The size also adds to the accumulation of organic matter and that results in decayed wood that has high in carbon constituents. The soil and ability to carry moisture greatly improved by the carbon11. To ensure biodivesity, the protection of productive potential in forest soil should be maintaned. This would ensure a contiuous supply of organic materials that live off the moisture in the debris11.Fungus Root tip associationThere is a special relationship is between ectomycorrhizal activity ( a symbiotic relationship) and coarse woody debris. This kingdom Fungi is key for the healthy growth of conifer trees and needs moisture to survive during ironical periods. The moisture is provided during the state of decay of wood11. During the spend months, the moisture contents found in coarse woody debris was around 250% of the dry weight. All this moisture store was then used for dry spells throughout the year to ensure refugia and ectomycorrhizal fungi. The larger the piece, the more moisture would be stored. This does not completely replace the moisture and nutrition needs, but if there is liberal wood, it would be a significant source of moisture12.Fixation of nitrogen in forests due to coarse woody materialForests growth, specifically in boreal forests, is limited to the amount of nitrogen available in the air and usually is limited in forests. The general theory behind the limit is the slow mineralization of organic soil nitrogen. However since nitrogen is such an important part of forest growth it is crucial to ensure that there is enough nitrogen in the air for the flora13. There are 4 sources of nitrogen in the forest12Nitrogen fixing bacteria that reside in roots (also called associative nitrogen fixation)Nitrogen fixing bacteria that occur in soil and plants ( called non symbiotic nitrogen fixation)Nitrogen collected from lightning, dust, pollen, and other air pollutants.Nitrogen fixation from roots from certain species ( red alder)The most businesslike source is nitrogen fixation from species such as the red alder. Unfortunately, after many years of fire suppression, only some forests contain such species14. These forests then rely mostly on non-symbiotic sources of nitrogen, which occur from bacteria found on coarse woody debris. The debris allows bacteria to live due to the heavy moisture contained within the wood, and is an important contributor to nitrogen. There is also a relationship between fungus and nitrogen fixing algae. The algae are self-sustaining however the fungi provide a very firm home for the algae. This fungus survives during the dry sells due to the moisture found on the coarse woody debris11 Stevens, Victoria. 1997. The ecologic role of coarse woody debris an overview of thebionomic importance of CWD in B.C. forests. Res. Br., B.C. Min. For., Victoria, B.C. Work.Pap. 30/1997.2 Stevens, Victoria. 1997. The ecological role of coarse woody debris an overview of theEcological impo rtance of CWD in B.C. forests. Res. Br., B.C. Min. For., Victoria, B.C. Work.Pap. 30/1997.3 Keddy, P.A. and C.G. Drummond. 1996. Ecological properties for the evaluation, management, and restoration of temperate deciduous forest ecosystems. Ecological Applications 64 Stevens, Victoria. 1997. The ecological role of coarse woody debris an overview of theEcological importance of CWD in B.C. forests. Res. Br., B.C. Min. For., Victoria, B.C. Work.Pap. 30/1997.5 Curran, Janet H. hunt down Resistance of Large Woody Debris in Headwater Streams of the Washington Cascades Abstracts with Programs Geological Society of America56 Curran, Janet H. Flow Resistance of Large Woody Debris in Headwater Streams of the Washington Cascades Abstracts with Programs Geological Society of America7 Ferguson, H.L., Robinette, K., and K. Stenberg. 2001.Wildlife of Urban Habitats Urban Parks, Golf Courses, Cemeteries, and Open Space.Pp. 334-335 in Johnson, D.H. and T.A. ONeil, managing directors, Wildlife-Ha bitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington. Oregon State University Press.8 8 Lofroth, Eric (1998),The dead wood cycle, in Voller, J. Harrison, S.,Conservation biology principles for forested landscapes, Vancouver, B.C. UBC Press, pp.18521489 Stevens, Victoria. 1997. The ecological role of coarse woody debris an overview of theEcological importance of CWD in B.C. forests. Res. Br., B.C. Min. For., Victoria, B.C. Work.Pap. 30/1997.9 Stevens, Victoria. 1997. The ecological role of coarse woody debris an overview of theEcological importance of CWD in B.C. forests. Res. Br., B.C. Min. For., Victoria, B.C. Work.Pap. 30/1997.10 Lofroth, Eric (1998),The dead wood cycle, in Voller, J. Harrison, S.,Conservation biology principles for forested landscapes, Vancouver, B.C. UBC Press, pp.1852141111 Stevens, Victoria. 1997. The ecological role of coarse woody debris an overview of theEcological importance of CWD in B.C. forests. Res. Br., B.C. Min. For., Victoria, B.C. Work.Pap. 30/19971112 Ste vens, Victoria. 1997. The ecological role of coarse woody debris an overview of theEcological importance of CWD in B.C. forests. Res. Br., B.C. Min. For., Victoria, B.C. Work.Pap. 30/199713 Roger T. Koide,Christopher Fernandez,Glenna Malcolm,Determining place and process functional traits of ectomycorrhizal fungi that affect both community structure and ecosystem function,New Phytologist,2014,201,21214 Stevens, Victoria. 1997. The ecological role of coarse woody debris an overview of theEcological importance of CWD in B.C. forests. Res. Br., B.C. Min. For., Victoria, B.C. Work.Pap. 30/1997