If you’ve ever paddled on Lake Lafayette, you may have noticed the large amount of deadwood – dead trees left standing to complete their natural life cycle – scattered throughout and around the lake.
Every single one of these stumps is used, whether by a majestic Great Blue Heron nesting on top or a tiny beetle crawling through the cracks. While we may not all have the pleasure of spotting a Great Blue Heron in our front yard, tree stumps are extremely important to an ecosystem and can be just as important in our own habitat at home.
Many of us have experienced devastation from recent tornadoes, and now many people are skeptical about having towering pines near their homes. We Tallahassee locals easily take for granted our beloved tree canopy that we’ve had for 100 years, and it’s hard to cope when our old trees take a dramatic blow.
You may be stuck in limbo: thinking about replacing the loss of tree canopy and giving back to our urban ecosystem, but at the same time living in fear of Mother Nature destroying what already surrounds you.
There are wonderful ways to use native tree species to fill what has become a strange-looking hole in the sky. Some of the most wind-resistant trees that I and my colleagues like to use include the winged elm, swamp chestnut oak, Shumard oak, red maple, bald cypress, basswood, and tupelo trees.
Always remember that when you plant a tree, you are planting for future generations. It will provide cooling shade and benefit wildlife before it reaches a size that threatens your home. If you are convinced to replant a pine tree, I highly recommend reading Donna Legare’s 2022 article, “The Importance of Pines in Our Urban Forest.”
Fear or distrust may make you reluctant to replace the tree canopy, so there are also fantastic native understory species that usually never grow taller than 30 feet that can fill the gap somewhat, such as fringetree, flatwoods plum, silver bell and white maple.
If you are hesitant to transplant anything and decide to remove trees to prevent potential damage, I would recommend “topping” the trees that are causing you discomfort rather than removing them completely. This practice, sometimes called tree trimming, involves removing the entire crown of a mature tree, leaving the trunk as tall as you want.
A good tree stump can of course be any size, but in the landscape, a range of 8 to 20 feet is safest. Always be aware of the unnecessary risks to valuable objects such as people, parked cars and homes that the stump could damage if it structurally fails. It is advisable to first consult a certified arborist experienced with wildlife stumps.
Native pines are ideal for stumps because they do not produce runners when cut. Hardwoods such as sweet gum, for example, make just as good stumps in the long term, but require a little more care initially because they produce runners through the top and roots and need to be cut back.
Birds such as woodpeckers, owls, thrushes, tits, wrens, nuthatches and marsh tits are all cavity nesters that rely on cavities in dead wood and living trees to house their young.
But they are not the only ones who use tree stumps as homes; squirrels, opossums and raccoons also use tree stumps as habitat. When the stumps eventually fall over and become a tree trunk, there are even more creatures that use the “dead” tree. Snails, worms, larvae, fungi, beetles and spiders use the tree trunk, and even more snakes, lizards, frogs, toads, mammals and birds that feed on these forest floor dwellers.
Dead wood and tree stumps also make excellent growing platforms for some of our most popular native climbing species.
At Native Nurseries, we have a tree stump covered in native cross vine by our back pond. In the spring, it is a lovely surprise to notice a flower has fallen to the ground and then look up to see an abundance of salmon-coloured flowers forming a beautiful crown at the top of the stump – a lovely stopping point for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.
If you have a tree stump of decent stature and plenty of sun, almost any native vine will do well, such as passionflower, honeysuckle, jasmine, cross vine, and pipevine. Turning the tree you once feared into a stump and planting a native vine at its base can give you peace of mind and add a peaceful element to your landscape.
When dealing with a dead or dying tree, or one whose shelter makes you nervous, don’t immediately think of removal and eradication to ease your worries, but think of the life that is still in the tree and the life it could have. You may find that the dead tree’s second life is even more joyful than the first.
Haley Bennett is a Native Nurseries staff writer and volunteer writer for UF/IFAS Extension Leon County, an equal opportunity agency. For gardening questions, email the Extension office at [email protected].
