As you walk along the trail, take notice of standing dead trees or those on the ground. Trees may die through disease, wind, storms or just old age. Standing dead trees are called snags and they, along with fallen logs, provide habitat and shelter for a wide variety of animals. They also provide food for many different types of organisms like fungi, insects and bacteria. These organisms help to break down and decompose the wood, returning important nutrients back to the soil. The insects also serve as food for other creatures in the food chain. Many other animals help to break down dead trees such as Pileated Woodpeckers when they peck at the wood to find bugs. Hollow areas in a log can serve as a den or hiding place for a mouse, rabbit, squirrel or chipmunk, and holes created by a woodpecker may eventually serve as a nesting site or a place to store food for other animals.