1.   Downed logs decay, supplying carbon and other food for a whole chain of life from fungi and flowers to salamanders, pileated woodpeckers and fishers, they say.

2.   During drought, bears in search of grubs in downed logs, yellow-jacket nests, ants, termites or leafy greens will keep moving until they die.

3.   Environmentalists say downed logs are important to a forest ecosystem, providing homes for animals and nutrients for living plants.

4.   In the thick of the forests, the same effect occurred with tree trunks, downed logs and lichen-covered rocks.