Sitka Spruce

In Pacific Northwest old-growth forests, approximately 40% of Sitka spruce seedlings establish on nurse logs - fallen trees decomposing on the forest floor. The fallen log is temporary infrastructure: it elevates seedlings above competing vegetation, provides nutrients as it decomposes, and retains moisture. The seedling establishes on the log, sends roots down to mineral soil, and eventually stands on stilted roots long after the nurse log has decomposed entirely. Permanent establishment enabled by temporary subsidy.

But nurse logs aren't just infrastructure - they're a demonstration of nutrient cycling's fundamental principle. A 500-year-old, 200-foot Sitka spruce that falls becomes a 'nurse log' for the next generation, literally feeding successor trees with nutrients from its decomposing body over the course of a century. What was once alive becomes the foundation for new life. The forest doesn't import nutrients from elsewhere - it recycles them from death to growth in a closed loop that has operated for thousands of years.

The organizational principle is profound: Temporary infrastructure that enables permanent value creation is worth building even if it doesn't last. Sitka spruces teach that success often requires scaffolding you'll later abandon, and that the highest use of accumulated resources might be feeding the next generation. YC's batch model works identically: temporary cohort infrastructure (office space, weekly dinners) enables permanent company establishment, then dissolves.