The low down on Habitat Hollows

Sustainability from the ground up is at the heart of Greenish Tree Care and a big part of this is our Habitat Hollow program. If there has been a large tree clearing or there is an opportunity to keep part of the tree (rather than remove it totally), we encourage clients to consider a Habitat Hollow. If you’re wondering what this is exactly, in this article we dive into what they are and why they are so important for our wildlife and environment.

Did you know that it takes at least 70 to 120 years for hollows to form in trees in Australian forests? Natural habitat hollows are cavities that form in a tree trunk or branch.They normally start forming inside a tree from damage by insects or fungi. The opening is then created from damage to the outside of the tree, usually lightning or fire. The process takes a long time as the Fungi feed on the wood and continue to hollow out the tree. Hollow-dependant animals need them to survive and use them for shelter and protection from other species. 

Here at Greenish, we partner with Hollowhog to create our habitat hollows on site. The Hollowhog is a unique wood carving tool that has been specifically designed to create habitats for wildlife. The Hollowhog safely and quickly creates large internal cavities through small entry holes in both living and dead wood. No other damage to the tree’s cambium (living tissue) happens during the carving process, which means there is little disruption to a tree’s growth.

We definitely take a shortcut! The Hollowhog forms these hollows in less than an hour, providing a temporary home until hollows are able to develop naturally. The entry hole size and shape can be made specifically to any fauna species through either carving a larger entry hole or adding entry modifiers to reduce the size back down to as small as needed. 

This amazing initiative offsets the environmental impact of chopping down trees, helping to create more places for hollow dependent wildlife to live and thrive in our beautiful country.

We encourage you to consider a habitat hollow and make a difference one tree at a time.