eSource: What Good Is a Dead Tree?

Creeaaakkkk . . . CRASH!

A mighty oak has fallen in the forest. But fifty years later, the only evidence that it was there is a dark mark on the forest floor. Where did it go?

Author and photographer Doug Wechsler invites readers to dig into this biological mystery and discover the answer to the disappearance. Trees are the basis of a lot of life in a forest—and that doesn’t stop when they die. Millions of creatures depend on dead trees for food and shelter. Following the fall of an oak tree, Wechsler explains how the tree is broken down by animals, insects, and fungi over the course of fifty years. Along the way, explore parts of a tree, insect lifecycles, and the magic of mycelia. And discover how rotten wood benefits the forest by providing essential nutrients for new trees to grow.