Dead Logs Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Isle Cachers: Hard to believe that this cache has been around for 4 years now! Time to archive and make room for new ones on the park!

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Hidden : 10/12/2010
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:




Birds are the most obvious benefactors of dead trees. They use snags, limbs, and logs for perching, foraging, and nesting. In some forests, 30 to 45 percent of the bird species are cavity nesters. In North America alone, 55 avian species nest in cavities. Cavity-nesting birds are classified as primary excavators (who can excavate hard wood), weak excavators (who can excavate soft, dead wood), or secondary cavity-users (who can utilize existing cavities). In Ohio, eastern bluebirds, American kestrels, and wood ducks are examples of species that rely on cavities in dead wood for successful reproduction. Other birds, such as ruffed grouse, will use logs for drumming and courtship displays. However, birds are not the only creatures that benefit from dead wood.

Mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates seek refuge in natural cavities and dens. For example, salamanders rely on the security and dampness of soil found beneath a rotting log. Small mammals find cover and relief from the hot midday sun in dead limbs and downed wood, while spiders, beetles, worms, and microbes move and feed within the decaying matter.

Additionally, fungi and mushrooms flourish on and around logs, breaking down the organic matter to release important nutrients back into the forest ecosystem.

Logs provide other important ecological functions as well. Decaying logs retain moisture and nutrients that aid in new plant growth. Young trees may sprout from a single downed limb known as a nurse log. The soft wood tissue of a nurse log offers an ideal substrate for many young trees during their initial growth and development. Logs also store energy and fix nitrogen.

Furthermore, dead wood serves as a ground cover, lessening soil erosion and preventing animals such as deer from over-browsing plant seedlings.

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