See Treetec’s latest video on our ecological and habitat services.
The Treetec team, located in Victoria, Australia, consists of highly experienced ecologists and arborists. For many years we have specialised in habitat enhancement projects including the installation and study of chainsaw hollows, man-made cavities, nest boxes, and repurposed salvaged logs.
Experimentation is the key to developing new ideas and although introduced hollows are not new, working with live trees is an emerging space. Treetec have been experimenting with introduced hollows in live and dead trees for many years and to help others and contribute to a greater knowledge base, we’re keen to share knowledge in this field.
Natural hollows, particularly larger cavities take well over a hundred years to form naturally within most trees, unfortunately, there is a significant shortfall of large hollow bearing trees across the entire landscape.
The highest priority should be the retention and protection of existing habitat, particularly old trees, however, where a shortage of natural hollows exist, this is where we can provide a helping hand…
Our team has been involved with numerous research projects, and studies have found that introduced hollows in live trees best mimic the thermal properties of natural hollows when compared with other manmade alternatives such as nest boxes.
Ongoing monitoring in partnership with universities and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, has identified a number of challenges which need to be managed.
Key issues relate to the growth of wound wood, drainage of water within hollows, and preserving the structure of the tree.
A significant consideration is the size of the wound. We’ve developed a technique known as the Tec-Door Wildlife Hollow to minimise wounding to the living tissue while still allowing for an expanded internal hollow.
As with all introduced habitat options, there will be limitations; there’s no one size fits all.
The Treetec team of ecologists and arborists has built a depth of knowledge over the years in the design of habitat installations. We can deliver solutions that are species specific and suited to the site conditions. Our team employs a range of techniques including:
- Wildlife Nest or Log Boxes
- Hollow Hog Wildlife Hollows with Tec-Spout modifications
- Tec-Door Chainsaw Carved Wildlife Hollows
- Faceplate Introduced Wildlife Hollows
- Natural Hollow Modification to form Wildlife Hollow
We would reiterate that the highest priority is the preservation and rehabilitation of the natural environment, until this is successful, research and innovation in this area will be increasingly important.
Contact us for more information on how we can assist you with any ecological or habitat creation projects.