These logs are often referred to as being a lifeboat during catastrophic occurrances such as fire and clearcutting. Downed logs retain a great deal of moisture making them a place of escape and refuge after times of disaster. Downed logs also play an important part in the diversity of steam habitat and are often the birthplace of trees. Standing snags are also very important in the forest. They provide a habitat for plants, animals, and fungi as well as providing structural diversity to the forest.
Snags are also great storers of carbon.
In the image above, we see a standing dead tree with wood decaying fungus beginning its process of breaking down and softening the wood. Perhaps a woodpecker will make a nesting cavity in this tree, later leaving it for other birds and small mammals to move in. It is in this way that woodpeckers function as a keystone species in the forest. We all agree that riperian zones are the areas surrounding a stream or river but that is often where the agreement ends. The extent to which the waterway effects the surrounding areas lays at the heart of the dispute.