The natural falling of a single tree in the forest – especially in the Pacific Northwest – far from signifies the end to its story. Over the decades, even centuries, its trunk and branches will decompose through actions of a mindboggling interplay of fungi and bacteria, insects, birds and rodents.

A single tree, in its death, becomes a source of life in a slow-motion orchestration of interconnected forces. Ultimately, its decaying, moss-covered surface- a platform above the shadows lifted to shafts of sunlight – becomes the ideal medium for germinating seeds of huckleberries, salal and many of our native tree species. The decaying logs provide good drainage, ample organic matter and are less exposed to disease-causing soil fungi, making them a perfect place for trees to get their start. Though hundreds if not thousands of seedlings might appear, it will be only a minute fraction that will ultimately succeed in their bid to refill a gap left in the forest canopy.

Ultimately, it too will fall from wind or age and become the wellspring of renewal through its demise.