 |
| Source: https://ptes.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/4235.jpg |
"Veteran trees provide nutrition, shelter and anchorage to a whole
ecosystem of species and the richness of species a tree supports
generally increases with age. Deadwood is an ephemeral habitat, it will
decompose over time creating rot holes in the branches and hollow trunks
that are used as nesting sites by many species of birds bats. Veteran
trees support a huge quantity and diversity of invertebrates that can
also act as food for nesting animals.
Veteran trees in wood pasture are also particularly valuable for
epiphytes such as lichens, mosses and liverworts. These groups are
particularly rich on old open grown trees because these trees provide
nice light surfaces to colonise, but also because these groups have a
slow colonisation and succession rate so it can take decades to develop
the rich communities."
/.../
Loe edasi: https://ptes.org/campaigns/wood-pasture-parkland/wildlife/ancient-and-veteran-tree-wildlife/