Dead wood of fallen trees and branches provide some of the most densely populated natural habitats. There are standing dead trees in Treflach containing hundreds of animal species as well as supporting mosses, fungi and other plants.
A well grown dead oak not near any public highways can stand for many years before falling, creating nest sites for owls and bats and habitat for other bird life. The complexity of woodland life hinges on a network of interconnecting food chains and this is pivotal even if the dead tree is in the middle of a field.
Note the picture of modern day carbon reduction in the form of a wind turbine and a standing tree in a form of preserved carbon.