What is the Ecological VALUE of a DEAD Tree?

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We often think of the value of our native trees in terms of when the tree is alive and providing forage and fruits or nuts to our pollinators and wildlife. The reality is those trees won’t live forever, but even after they die, they still have a lot to offer the critters of the woods. Dead wood is used and eaten by a variety of insects, broken down by fungi, and the dead tree, often called a snag, will give shelter to a variety of birds, reptiles and amphibians. Some of the animals that use dead wood are well known, like woodpeckers, but there is a whole sub-ecosystem surrounding dead wood. Discover this somewhat hidden world and find out what organisms utilize dead wood as it is broken down and returned to the soil.

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Chapters:
0:00 What is the Ecological Value of a Dead Tree
0:35 Insects that Feed on Dead Wood and Snags – Termites, Beetles
1:39 Insects and Animals that Utilize Dead Wood and Snags But Don’t Feed On It – Native Bees, Wasps, Ants, Predatory Insects, Ichneumon Wasps, Centipedes, Spiders, Scorpions, Lizards, Snakes, Frogs, Shrews, Mice
2:55 Birds and Larger Animals Associated with Dead Wood and Snags – Woodpeckers, Songbirds, Flying Squirrels, Bats, Reptiles, Raccoons, Opossums, Squirrels, Bird Nesting In Snag Cavities
3:59 Fungi that Can be Found On Dead Wood and Snags – Saprophytic Fungi, Fungi Break Down the Cellulose and Lignin in the Wood, Animals that Feed on Fungi
5:17 Backyard Ecology Community
5:52 What happens When the Snag Blows Down and Becomes a Log – Animals and Insects that Use or Feed on Fallen Logs
7:00 What Eventually Happens to a Log Laying in the Forest – Broken Down and Becomes Humus
7:30 Both Living and Dead Trees are Ecologically Valuable