Martin Brown wrote in message
...
Spider wrote:

I know you could burn it for fuel, but that would only add to pollution
levels. Perhaps a creature tower is the very sort of creative
'something'
you had in mind?

Wood rotting naturally by fungal action also releases dioxins. There is
no free lunch. Pristine woodlands actually have detectable levels of
dioxin from natural sources (with or without recent forest fires).

It comes from the way fungal enzymes attack lignin in wood...

Regards,
Martin Brown

Thanks, Chris and Martin, for this insight. I doubt there are such things
as 'friendly' dioxins, but at least the fungal interaction you describe is
natural. I'm obliged to allow, also, that fire can be a useful cleanser.
Alas, it is indiscriminate.

I shall still contemplate my creature tower, however, because I know it will
be colonised by many small and, often beneficial, creatures. If these
reduce the number of chemicals I use, then I will be a very happy gardener.

Spider