Several evenings ago while I was working quietly at the
computer and Karen was wrapping presents; she suddenly said
"What was that noise? It sounded like a tree falling". I
didn't hear it, but we went outside and checked. Through
the drizzle we saw that a 15" diameter hemlock had fallen
near our deck; fortunately it fell away from the house.

The hemlock split off about 15' above the ground, right at
the point where a flicker nest cavity was located.
Apparently the combination of rotted wood and the flicker
excavation had weakened the tree enough that it split at
that point.

We're going to miss that dead tree. The flickers had
successfully raised their young there last year, and this
year, the cavity was used as a roost hole for both a western
screech owl and a flicker (at different times!). The tree
had been probed by pileated and hairy woodpeckers, as well
as by red-breasted sapsuckers. Now the fallen trunk will
shelter salamanders and will be inspected by winter
wrens--as the cycle of the forest continues.

Lee Rentz
lee at leerentz.com
www.leerentz.com