On the one hand, here is a broken tree called a snag, which can function as a perch for wildlife and a home for insects that will break down the wood over time. It will also be a growth site for lichens and mosses. Wood fragments that fall to the ground will rot out, recycling nutrients into the forest floor and fertilizing the next generation of shrubs and trees that will replace this one.

On the other hand, it is possible to look at the same scene and see a waste of valuable timber, wood that should have been harvested. The snag also represents a lost opportunity for someone to have had a job that would feed a human family and for society to meet its demands for wood and paper products.

These are two very different perspectives on the same tree! The task for your group is to submit recommendations that satisfy the concerns of all parties.

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