Consider your options. Although trees lose most of their aesthetic appeal when they die, they provide a beneficial afterlife.
Dead trees are a source of food, shelter and homesites for wildlife.
They may also be used for firewood, garden projects or building material. When you discover a dead tree on your landscape, decide if it should be removed and what you want to do with the remaining materials. As wood softens, insects residing in trees become accessible to birds. Woodpeckers excavate food and inadvertently create nesting sites for other birds and small woodland creatures. If you want to decorate your standing observatory, plant vines that will climb and cover the trunk, such as Virginia creeper or Climbing hydrangea vine.