MamasHealth.com Home Save the Earth Benefits of rotting logs Easy environment tips Green Dimes Newspaper uses Softwood vs Hardwood Stop junk mail Use smart detergent Energy Saving Tips Air conditioner tips Cold water loads Fireplace tips Get a furnace tune-up Insulate your home Maintain duct system Microwave it Plug up the holes Seal air leaks Use a compact bulb Use a ceiling fan Use a space heater Use your shades Water heater tips Windows: winter-proof Earth friendly products Green energy Eco-friendly car care Green living tips Email Mama	Rotting Wood and how it affects the Environment Rotting wood and your garden Rotting logs are a very common feature of wild ecosystems. Rotting logs recycles nutrients back into the soil and provides a healthy habitat for a wide range of insects, plants, and animals. Rotting log provides homes for small mammals, insects, worms, and spiders. The rich, organic soil provides a unique habitat for fungi, tree seedlings, wildflowers, mosses, and ferns. Help your garden by leaving a few logs to rot in an unobtrusive area. How long does it take for a tree to decay? The time it takes a tree to rot depends on the species, the various fungi that move in, the moisture content, the geographic location, and the size of the tree. A red cedar tree may take a century to completely decompose. Pacific silver fir will totally decay in about 50 years. Standing dead trees Standing dead trees and rotting logs are essential to a healthy forest. When trees die they usually remain standing for ten years or more. Standing dead trees provide homes for birds that eat insects. When standing dead trees fall they provide habitat for ants that eat the insects which kill trees. When these logs rot they store water and provide nutrients for the growth of the forest. Standing dead trees are called snags. Standing dead trees and woodpeckers Standing dead trees provide a place for woodpeckers to make holes for nests. Woodpeckers eat insects which kill trees. Larger woodpeckers eat the most insects and need the larger dead trees. When the woodpeckers abandon their holes in the dead trees, the holes become nest holes for other birds which eat the insects that kill trees.	Advertise on MamasHealth.com Your product featured on MamasHealth.com Sign up for our Email Newsletter For Email Marketing you can trust
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