IF A TREE FALLS….

How does the saying go?  If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make a sound?  We are in the rainy season in Costa Rica which also means we are in the tree falling season.  That is, if there is such a thing.  The rain forest is an ever evolving entity and one of the most notable changes is when a large tree falls.  This happens more often in the rainy season. 

The rainy season means clear blue sunny skies in the morning with clouds building up in the early afternoon followed by a burst of rain in the late afternoon.   These bursts of heavy rain are quickly absorbed by the forest and an hour after a rain shower it is difficult to tell that it rained at all.  However, these heavy rains saturate the ground quickly and undermine the stability of many large trees because even though the rainforest trees are tall, they tend to have very shallow root systems.

One day last week the rains were accompanied by strong winds which is uncommon.  Usually the rain comes straight down.  The result was many fallen trees.  On the Forest Edge Trail near the Art Studio there was a very large tree that succumbed.  This tree‘s entire root ball pulled out of the ground and the tree leaned to the point of no return. It took everything around it down too. 

The trunk never hit the ground but crossed the trail approximately 5 feet above the trail.  Had it gone all the way to the ground, it would have taken out the bridge and hand rails  too.  We have cut out the section over the trail to make it passable.  The area is very open and sunny now.  This will give new plants and trees the sunlight needed to begin life anew.  In a few months all scars of this event will be unrecognizable with the exception of the tree truck which will take decades to decay. The rain forest never stops changing.  It is an amazing thing to watch.