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My inlaws have about 40 wooded acres in the Mid Atlantic region. They are nice woods but the amount of dead wood on the ground is astounding. For the most part it makes walking through similar to a...
#2: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2020-04-17T19:08:47Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/19155 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#1: Initial revision
by
amphibient
·
2020-04-17T19:08:47Z (over 4 years ago)
<p>My inlaws have about 40 wooded acres in the Mid Atlantic region. They are nice woods but the amount of dead wood on the ground is astounding. For the most part it makes walking through similar to a jungle. You're just trampling on dead branches and trunks EVERYWHERE. They bought it several years ago and it's evident no one has been clearing it quite possibly for decades.</p> <p>I would like to make the woods a little more walkable because I use them for hunting and would also like to blaze a trail for ATVs, bikes or just walking.</p> <p>At the same time, I am a whitewater kayaker also and a tree in the water can be deadly for kayakers -- which doesn't mean it doesn't serve a purpose in the ecosystem. Fish love dead trees in the water as they feed on it. When you remove a log from a river, you make it safer for humans but you do harm other species in the ecosystem.</p> <p>That makes me wonder whether there are any downsides to removing dead trees from the woods. Yes, it makes it cleaner and prettier -- but does it upset or imbalance the ecosystem?</p>