Stanley Park Environmental Art - Semi-permanent Works

Ecological Response

provided by Robyn Worcester of SPES for Listen

This semi-permanent work is beneficial to the forest because it has added course woody debris (in the form of the cedar orb) back onto the forest floor. A large piece of fallen cedar tree was removed and so that biomass was lost as a part of the ecosystem. Because of natural chemicals in the wood, western red cedar trees can remain on the forest floor for up to 600 years before completely decomposing. The orb of cedar used to replace the missing chunk of tree has created new habitat. This artwork will gradually decompose with the help of the elements and organisms such as insects, bacteria and fungus. The wood will initially act as a platform on which new plants may take hold and can create a protective home for organisms living in the moist soil.

Over time as the sphere breaks down it will form a porous, moist microhabitat which will provide shelter for larger animals and a growth substrate for colonizing plants. It may serve as a territorial calling platform for songbirds, as escape cover for small mammals or as a breeding site for a terrestrial salamander. Since the artists created this work off-site and then brought it to its current location, there was minimal soil compaction or vegetation trampling during its installation.