Young Brunette Girl Reveals On The Rocky Beach With Remains Of A Dead Tree

Plants use coarse woody debris as habitat, often covering them with mosses and lichens. In some forests with dense ground cover or waterlogged soils, germination on top of CWD is a competitive advantage. Large fragments of CWD that provide such habitat for herbs, shrubs, and trees are called nurse logs. CWD can also protect young plants from herbivory damage by acting as barriers to browsing animals.
The persistence of coarse woody debris can shelter organisms during a large disturbance to the ecosystem such as wildfire or logging.
Fallen debris and trees in streams provide shelter for fish and mammals by modifying the flow of water and sediment through the channel. This stream debris may be referred to as large woody debris.