There are over 346 species of wildlife living in Delaware and of those, 273 are forest dependent. Just as these species are dependent on the forest, the forest is equally dependent on its occupiers.
A forest is a community of trees, shrubs, herbs, and associated plants and organisms that cover a considerable area that use oxygen, water and soil nutrients as the community attains maturity and reproduces itself.
Ecology is the scientific study of the relationship of living things to one another and to their environment.
A Forest Ecosystem Is “Interdependent
Perennial woody plants
Grow upright with single stems and have their roots anchored in soil
Must have the ability to reach at least 20ft or more in height
The single trunk should be unbranched for at least several feet above the ground
Specimen must have a sizeable crown.
Heartwood- the supporting column of inactive (dead) gap-wood which gives the trunk strength and stiffness.
Sapwood (xylem)- new layers of wood that transports water and nutrients from roots to the leaves.
Cambium- microscopic layer of cells where growth takes place.
Inner bark (phloem)- carries food made in leaves down to the branches, trunk and roots.
Outer bark- hold in moisture and protects the tree from insects and disease, excessive heat and cold, and mechanical injury.
All trees compete for the same basic requirement of life – light, water, essential elements, oxygen, and other necessities.
The species that are better able to gather those requirements will out-compete others.
The only thing constant about a forest ecosystems is that they never stop changing