FOREST FLOOR continued from 22
Lastly, as we stood on the ground inspecting the forest floor, we saw the place where all the accumulated debris from these layers had come to rest. And a lot of things were happening here.
“ You could think of the forest floor as a wastebasket,” said a colleague.“ It’ s here where all things end up.” Branches, twigs, leaf litter, snail shells, bark pieces, feathers, nut hulls, and bones appeared like a stockpiled array of natural clutter. The bare soil was cool and moist to the touch when we brushed away the debris, revealing ant runways, spiders, and an occasional pillbug.“ Leaf litter is an insulating cover and prevents the ground from drying out,” we would say as we returned the debris to its place.“ Imagine the forest floor is a recycling plant— nothing is wasted.”
We also used other examples.“ The forest floor is both a nursery and a cemetery.” Plants and trees in flower producing seed, ferns, mushrooms, and moss spores were understood well by gardeners in the group. Watering from rain, sunlight, and rich soil were vital requirements, naturally available, and didn’ t require any weeding. Dead and dying material added to the humus: snakeskins, worm castings, skulls( even large skeletons), hair, claws, teeth, would be deposited, broken down, left to rot, and decomposing over time. A chewed antler by a rodent was passed around. Egg shells, cicada bodies, and a squirrel tail were added to the mix.
Never static and always changing, the forest is a place to learn, listen, and see examples that can apply to our own lives. It can replenish and renew. That is true for the many hikers we talked with over the years, and it is still true for me.“ Listen and learn from the woods,’’ said Henry David Thoreau.“ It is a patient teacher.”
The frass continued to fall softly like a gentle rain. I listened each evening for the last wood thrush of the year. Calls from at least three birds filtered through the woods all summer. Now we think of their long journey to southern climes, through other woods along the route, and what change they will encounter.
A college professor once told us young wildlife students to take what we learned in class and pass it along.“ The groups you talk with— call them stakeholders— will come to understand, enjoy, and appreciate the wild places you describe. But more importantly, we need them as fellow advocates. You’ ll have a big job, but it will be rewarding.”
I know what he meant. •
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Sept./ Oct. 2019 • Our Brown County 25