Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation
Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation |
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| As you walk around Walnut Creek
Open Space areas, please notice the downed trees — mostly old oaks. Up
until about ten years ago the City removed these trees. Since then these
dead trees have remained in the “downed” state. There are several good reasons
for this. Dead trees provide habitat for many large and small animals. The
collapsed branches can provide shelter for coveys of quail, especially when
the babies arrive in the spring. Acorn woodpeckers find the dead, and now
softer, wood as ideal storage areas for their winter supply of acorns. In
addition, there are myriads of other organisms that exist on the dying and
dead tissue in the tree. Look at the recently-downed tree just above Bramhall
Pond and notice the many types of shelf fungus and lichens attached to the
bark. These materials provide food for several smaller animals. The shelf
fungus is “feeding” on the remains of the cambium layer just beneath the
bark. It will take several tens of years for the final decay of such a tree. As it decays, there is a small temperature rise within the tree. This “heat” generated by the decay process is precisely the same amount of heat generated if you were to burn the entire tree in a fireplace. The difference is the life support systems that are active during this long decay process and that the resulting organic material will form the basis for new soils in the area — not just ashes. Jerry Fritzke 3/31/03
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Fallen limb on Shell Ridge |