Tree Down

The winter just past brought Blue Jay Barrens more than average rainfall and an abnormally high number of windy days.  These conditions brought down several dead trees that were no longer strong enough to support the added weight of waterlogged wood.  This tree on the high ground overlooking the creek has been dead for several years.  When I first spotted its fallen mass from the vantage point of the creek, I felt grateful that it had not fallen into the creek itself.   So many trees fall across my trails each year that I am almost convinced of some botanical consciousness willfully directing the tree’s descent.  This specimen obligingly came to rest in an out of the way location where it could quietly decompose.

When I climbed the bank to view the point of landing, I found that the tree had exhibited another type of odd behavior.  Most falling trees tend to flatten as many small trees as possible.  This tree appeared to have magically lowered itself to the ground and settled around the young trees in its path without causing any damage.  One sapling was cradled in the fork of the downed tree, while others were just fractions of an inch from the dead trunk.  After settling down, the tree broke into pieces that laid themselves flat to the ground, in a perfect position to decompose rapidly and give shelter to salamanders and other rotten log dwelling creatures.

The branches were riddled with woodpecker holes.  Many generations of young birds must have fledged from this tree.

I think the profusion of woodpecker holes aided in the tree’s deconstruction upon impact. 

Fortunately, there’s a newly dead tree just a couple of hundred feet further up the creek.  Woodpeckers looking for their old nesting site only have to move a short way to a suitable replacement.  Many of the prior owner’s land use activities caused damage to the trees from which they could not recover.  Most of the damage was inflicted to the tree’s roots by grazing cattle.  Compaction of the ground and damage to shallow feeder roots does not result in a quick death.  Trees may survive the assault for decades, but in a weakened condition that makes them susceptible to insect damage, disease and other environmental factors.  Eventually, their life force gives out and the trees die.  New trees arise to take the place of these fallen old timers.  Given another hundred years or so, the visible damage to the trees of the Blue Jay Barrens woodland should be much less pronounced and the large trees should show signs of having had an easier early life.

Tree Holes

Tree cavities are important as nesting and denning sites for many species of animals.  When I’m out walking, I try to keep an eye on the holes to see if I can spot any signs of life inside.  I’ve enjoyed viewing a wide selection of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians using tree holes as a temporary shelter.

Blue Jay Barrens has no shortage of trees with holes that are suitable for habitation by a variety of organisms.  The woods don’t have much to offer in the way of commercial timber trees, but it’s of blue ribbon quality when it comes to offering diverse habitat for animal species.

The majority of tree holes began at the site of dead branches.  The decomposing branch allowed decay to invade the heartwood of the tree trunk.  When the branch finally fell away, it was easy for animals to excavate a nice cavity within the tree.  As the tree tries to grow over the cavity, a ring of growth forms that gives the whole thing the look of a ship’s port hole.

Sometimes a hole is dug though the bark to the interior of a healthy living tree.  These often have a more oval appearance and if they are not maintained, the tree will try to seal the hole.  This hole was about 40 feet above my head, so I couldn’t examine it closely enough to tell for certain whether this was the case here or if it was actually a branch site.

The holes come in all sizes.  There are cavities large enough to accommodate a sprawling raccoon as well as holes that seem perfect for the smallest cavity nesting birds.

Some trees have decay running the length of the trunk.  As more wood decomposes, cavity size increases.  Eventually, the cavity runs the length of the tree.

Sunlight filling the winter woods makes each hole stand out as a dark target, but there’s usually minimal tree hole activity at this time of year.  During the spring and summer, most of these holes become impossible to locate.  After the leaves emerge, dark shadows and dappled sunlight provide an effective camouflage.  My summer walks will occasionally afford me glimpses of tree holes, but unless I make a conscious effort to seek them out, they will most likely remain unnoticed.