Trees meet many needs

Though trees provide humans with countless resources ranging from shelter to shade to sustenance to sensory stimulation, trees also provide many less obvious resources for other living creatures.

Mammals and birds nest or simply rest in their branches. In addition to the many nest builders, wood ducks, hooded mergansers, bluebirds, nuthatches, tree swallows and some owls take advantage of tree cavities for nesting sites.

Insects, too, find shelter and food as they burrow into tree bark or feast on leaves. The Upper Delaware region was beset with abundant populations of gypsy moths and tent caterpillars last year. These insects stripped trees of their leaves and will likely do the same in coming months.

Dead or dying trees provide sustenance to many varieties of fungi, while some bracket fungi are parasitic and feed on living trees. Even amphibians, like common grey tree frogs and spring peepers, make regular use of trees as they employ the aid of suction-cup-like toes to climb.

Other unseen benefits of trees include purifying air, securing soils and absorbing excessive rainwater.