Damage and decay = new life

A quick walk at lunch time revealed just how many trees have been damaged by the snow. 

Although this might be thought to be unsightly and has blocked paths, it is of course an entirely natural process.  From a biodiversity point of view, it creates much needed new habitat.  This comes in the shape of dead wood, both on the ground and caught up in the trees.  This will provide new opportunities for many specialists, such as wood-boring beetles and fungi. 

The physical damage caused to the trees may provide shelter for bats and many invertebrates.

The wounds may provide further opportunity for fungi by providing a breach in the bark, which may in turn hasten the demise of some of the trees, thus providing more dead wood!  Although the conifers have been the worst affected, many birch have been damaged as well

All part of the natural cycle - just be careful walking about in the woods at the moment and make sure to look up!