26. My point is as follows: See that plane flying above?
Is it dead or alive? The answer is “yes”. See that fallen
or standing symplastless tree? Is it alive or dead? Again, “yes”.
In contrast, a symplastless tree or log includes a considerable number of
living cells, as much 35% of the biomass may be live fungal cells (Franklin, Shugart and Harmon, 1987, pg 551). I.e., internally. KEY WORD
“BIOMASS”
The fungus in the picture is known as the "sulfur
fungus".
27. We have no word for a substance that is both living and dead -
wood, soil (Shigo, 1999, #214 pg 34).
28. Trees connect living and dead cells in ways so that the dead parts
still benefit the entire tree (SHIGO, 1999).
29. Here are some points regarding this topic. Surely there is
much more.
30. We document that a large symplastless tree is not a wasted resource;
indeed, it continues to function as an important part of a terrestrial or
water system, either while remaining on the site at which it once grew, or
by becoming a structural part of an aquatic or marine habitat. We aim to
help anyone interested in perpetual forest productivity to understand the
importance of large, symplastless woody debris. The book develops certain
principles and ideas in sequence from the forest to the sea (Maser, Tarrant,
Trappe and Franklin, 1988, pg 1par5).
31. Fallen trees harbor a myriad of organisms, from bacteria and actinomycetes
to higher fungi. Of these, only some of the fungi might be noticed
by the causal observer as mushrooms or bracket fungi. These structures,
however, are merely the fruiting bodies produced by mold colonies within
the log. Many fungi fruit within the fallen tree, so they are seen
only when the tree is torn apart. Even when a fallen tree is torn apart,
only a fraction of the fungi present are noticed because the fruiting bodies
of most appear only for a small portion of the year. The smaller organisms,
not visible to the unaided eye, are still important components of the system
(Maser and Trappe, 1984, pg16-par 5).
32. The flow of plant and animal populations, air, water, and essential
elements between a fallen tree and its surroundings increases as decomposition
continues (Maser and Trappe, 1984, pg 12-par1).
33. Fallen trees offer multitudes of both external and internal habitats
that change and yet persist through the decades. One needs an understanding
of the synergistic affects of constant small changes within a persistent
large structure to appreciate the dynamics of a fallen tree and its function
in an ecosystem (Maser and Trappe, 1984, pg 17-par 1).
34. The so called symplastless, still standing tree, still continues
to serve several natural functions important to many groups of organisms
of the once fertile forest or tree system.
35. Eventually the tree falls: the wood is in contact with the
soil, again providing another unique ecological situation. Some species such
as American chestnut would have served ecological system survival duties
for 50 years or more (SHIGO, 1969).
36. As fallen trees progress from decay class I to class II, the scavengers
are replaced by competitors with the enzyme systems needed to decompose the
more complex compounds in wood. The fungi involved in this activity are often
mutually antagonistic, so that a given part of the tree may be occupied by
only one fungus that excludes others by physical or chemical means (Maser
and Trappe, 1984, pg27-par4). (We call this altered area a niche -
See pg70 Modern Arboriculture)(See niche in our
Dictionary)
37. Bacteria are very small. They do big things (Shigo, 1999, #216
pg34)
38. Free-living bacteria in woody residues and soil wood fix 30-60%
of the nitrogen in the forest soil. In addition, 20% of soil nitrogen is
stored in these components (Harvey et al. 1987). Harmon et al. (1986) reported
that CWD accounted for as much as 45% of aboveground stores of organic matter.
Symplastless wood in terrestrial ecosystems is a primary location for fungal
colonization and often acts as refugia for mycorrhizal fungi during ecosystem
disturbance (Triska and Cromack 1979; Harmon et al. 1986; Caza 1993) (Voller
and Harrison, 1998).
39. Franklin, et. al. (1987) pg 551 states - With the large array of
organisms present in the decaying log, it may be more “alive” than a living
bole. In addition to being the habitat of decomposer organisms, symplastless
trees provide critical habitat for sheltering and feeding a variety of animal
species.
40. Conclusion: What purpose and need is there that biomass be
classified as dead? Although the symplast may have died completely,
the structure still continues, most of the time as a biomass. To claim
to be removing just “dead” “non-functional” mass during logging operations,
is based on false premise, i.e., that the biomass is dead. Symplastless
and symplast containing trees are linked together in the living machinery
of a forest (Maser, Tarrant, Trappe and Franklin, 1988, pg25par1).
