[fairplay]

Many of you out there who own and occasionally use chainsaws, may not be aware of a campaign to encourage users to fell dead standing trees higher than normal, say, at a height between waist and below shoulder height.

This is not only easier on the back to do, but also leaves more wood available for wildlife, such as fungi and invertebrates.
One of our most remarkable beetles, the Stag Beetle lives in such habitats for up to 6 years chomping away at the wood before emerging as that wonderful beast we all should know and love.

Many fungi, such as Smokey Bracket and Turkey Tail will often begin to grow on such habitats and it is these fungi which are most important, as we all need nitrogen to survive and there is very little, if any, nitrogen in dead wood.
It is known that the beetle can 'fix' nitrogen from the atmosphere, but so little that it would take 130 years for enough to be 'fixed' for it's survival needs, so how do they obtain their nitrogen ?

Research has already taken place with Lesser Stag Beetles and it is now known that they obtain their nitrogen from chewing the minute fungal threads called mycelium.
The mycelium is the main 'body' of the fungus, the toadstool itself being only there to produce spores.
It is suspected that the Stag Beetle too, obtains it's nitrogen 'fix' in the same way, and work is currently underway looking into this.

So in the meantime, can I appeal to anybody who has a dying or dead tree in their garden and is planning to have it taken down, please do your bit to help wildlife and tell the man with the chainsaw to cut it between waist and just below his shoulder height - the creepy crawlies and the birds and fungi will love you for it.

Many thanks, Neil.