Dead Standing Tree

in a forest, a tree that is dead but still standing. Dead standing trees may occur singly or in groups. There are also instances of the desiccation of vast wooded areas. The causes of tree desiccation are aging, drought, a lowering of the groundwater level, swamping, frosts, sunscald, forest fires, widespread fungal diseases, severe infestation by injurious insects, and the compacting of soil as a result of improper pasturing. Preventive measures include routine systematic felling, the felling of diseased trees, the timely felling of overmature or substantially damaged stands, the drainage of swamped lands, and the elimination of the foci of reproduction of harmful insects and the causative agents of disease.