By Wendy Leonard, Natural Preserve Officer

The saying, “Home is where the heart is” has never been more true than in nature. For many animals, home can be the heartwood of dead or decaying trees. These dead trees are often left standing in the forest and are called snags.

Snags provide home and refuge for many animals including birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. There are over 85 species of North American birds that use snags and decaying trees as their home.

Primary cavity nesters like woodpeckers have to excavate their own cavities, and snags provide the perfect medium for such an activity. These primary cavity nesters will rarely nest in cavities they did not excavate themselves and if snags are not available for excavation, they may not be able to nest or roost.

Secondary cavity nesters like the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) and the Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) cannot excavate their own cavities and thus rely on the primary cavity nesters to carve out a home in a dead or dying tree. These cavities are not only home for many bird species but they are home for many mammals, like squirrels and ringtail cats, both of which live in Phil Hardberger Park.

Lizards, like the Texas Spiny lizard or tree lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus), take refuge in these cavities as well.

These cavity nesters are an important part of the forest ecosystem because many of them are insectivorous and keep forest pests in check. Once a snag has rotted enough to fall to the ground, its role of providing a home does not end. Once on the ground an entirely new ecosystem can begin and this rotten wood now becomes home for fungi, earthworms, fireflies, toads, and even salamanders, all while recycling nutrients back into the forest floor.

In the past, snags were removed from forest ecosystems but as we learn more and more about their importance, retaining snags has become an important part of maintaining a healthy ecosystem. So, as you look around Phil Hardberger Park’s forest floor know that the dead wood you see can sustain as much life as a living tree.