How important is dead wood to the ecology of a forest and how much dead wood should remain?

Question

I have a local 'forest management group' in my area. One of the jobs they do is to thin out the forest by removing some of the trees. They then sell the wood for firewood. I want to tell them to leave the dead wood in the forest, as it is part of the food chain. Can anyone give me an estimate of how much energy dead wood provides for the food chain in a temperate forest, as a percentage of the overall energy generated by the forest? Also how biodiverse is a forest with the dead wood left alone compared to one with the dead wood removed?

Answer 1

In any ecosystem, "measuring" is often a difficult task. In your situation, I would need to know more about the specific trees being cut. I can give you reasons why keeping some dead trees is important:

1. Habitat Conservation
2. In some situations, dead trees that remain standing become what is known as "snags". Snags are ideal habitat for some endangered/threatened species such as the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis). Keeping snags is therefore critical in conservation efforts. Many amphibians depend on dead trees as well. There have been several studies that documented the close association between abundance of dead fallen logs and salamanders.
3. Nutrients
4. Dead trees that have fallen serve an important role in any ecosystem. Many species of fungi grow only on dead wood, breaking it down and returning important nutrients to the soil.

These are just a couple of very brief reasons why keeping some dead trees is necessary. I suggest you find out what types of trees they are and learn about the species that rely on such an ecosystem.

I hope this helps a little!