When they eat, elephants sometimes break and fell trees in order to et the leaves from the treetop and even the roots. They also take off the bark to eat the inner layer, called cambium, containing water and minerals. If the trunk loses part of its bark around its entire circumference, water and nutrients absorbed by the roots won't be able to achieve the higher part of the tree that will die. Once dead or on the ground, the tree is used by many species use it for feeding, hiding or even breeding.