A gorgeous longhorn beetle flies through the forest. A bracket fungus sits on a fallen branch. A great spotted woodpecker flies out of its tree cavity. The need for old and dead wood is common to all of these animals.

For the most part, dead trees remain standing or lying in the natural forests in the Tauglgries nature reserve. They thus provide nourishment and habitats for rare animal, mushroom, and plant species. But dead trees can do much more. They serve as erosion protection, store nutrients, and are ideal sites for young trees, in other words a source of fresh humus.