Sydney Arbor Trees - Urban Habitat Creation

Sydney Arbor Trees - a highly reputable tree management company that recognises the vital importance of native wildlife to a healthy urban tree population.

In the modern age, trees are usually viewed in terms of amenity and safety, with unsafe trees being removed entirely. What is generally overlooked is which aspects of the tree could be retained for the benefit of local wildlife and biodiversity. Urban communities have a preoccupation with sanitation, which is often to the detriment of the critters we share our environment with. Dead and decaying wood is a food source for insects and other invertebrates, which are in turn food for reptiles and mammals and birds. Trees – alive or dead – which contain hollows are habitat for all manner of organisms. Unfortunately, many trees with hollows are deemed too hazardous for urban situations, and end up being cut down. In many circumstances this is necessary, but it is time to re-think to what extent they are removed, and what could remain as habitat.

Cavities in trees can take decades or even centuries to develop into a large enough space for birds and animals to live in. In urban scenarios, it is often the older trees that are removed for reasons of safety – because they contain decay and cavities, and because older trees are more likely to succumb to the pressures of development. This results in a massive shortfall in cavities required by the local wildlife. It is estimated that 15% of Australian vertebrate species use natural tree hollows for nesting, raising young and housing. In NSW alone, over 150 species of wildlife use cavities, and are referred to as obligate hollow users. Around 40 of these species are listed as vulnerable or endangered.

Aside from being cute and fascinating, animals that live in trees also assist in their pollination, as well as controlling pest populations. To be effective pollinators however, requires the ability to get from one tree to the next. This is not a problem for birds, but mammals and reptiles must come down onto the ground, but will not do so if they feel exposed. This is where the importance of wildlife corridors comes into play. If wildlife cannot move around comfortably, they cannot search for food or expand their territories effectively. Obviously, difficulties finding food is going to cause problems. Less obvious though is the fact that genetic diversity diminishes, as the lack of opportunities to search widely for mates leads to inbreeding.

A good example of the interconnectedness of ecosystems can be seen in the Grey Box (Eucalyptus moluccana) population of the Cumberland Plains in Western Sydney. A massive proportion of these trees have been killed by an insect pest over recent years, and many, many more are in serious decline. This is thought to have been brought about by the removal of so much undergrowth for agricultural purposes. This undergrowth was habitat for birds and animals which previously fed on of this insect (a psyllid), and prevented such outbreaks as we are now seeing. If the removal of undergrowth can be so detrimental to the trees above, we can only imagine how devastating the loss of entire forests is going to be.

On top of this, recent knee-jerk policy decisions, such as the schools safety review and the Rural Fire Service’s 10 /50 determination, are leading to the unregulated removal of trees and wanton destruction of habitat.

Habitat Creation (artificial hollow installation) is just one way our species can give back some of what has been lost.