Like all ecosystems, forests and wetlands of the West Hylebos depend on a continuous recycling of nutrients and minerals to sustain health. A largely unseen army of bacteria, fungi, insects and other creatures are constantly
working to break down dead and dying vegetation, releasing stored nutrients to the surrounding water and soil.

Fungal decomposers, or saprophytes, are sometimes visible to the naked
eye. The shelf fungus, also known as a punk or conk, is the fruiting body of a fungus that extends into the tissues of the tree. The fungus causes a rotting disease of the tree tissues. Spores or seed-like particles fall from the underside of the shelf fungus onto the bark and forest floor, where they may be carried to other trees.