December’s focus is on large old trees and standing dead trees — often overlooked, yet vital providers of tree hollow habitat for birds, bats, marsupials and insects.
“Large old trees and dead standing trees, and the tree hollow habitat they provide, are essential for a suite of native fauna such as birds, possums, phascogales, antechinus and microbats,” Goulburn Broken CMA project officer Janice Mentiplay-Smith said.
“We need to treasure and treat every tree — dead or alive — as a vital part of the catchment’s natural estate. Our native birds and other fauna are an integral part of the Australian landscape. A land without our native wildlife would be unimaginable, but to retain them, we need to retain their homes.”
Large old trees deliver multiple benefits beyond habitat. They store carbon, improve soil health, mitigate erosion and salinity and provide shelter for livestock. Their canopies reduce wind and water loss to crops, while their roots recycle nutrients and maintain soil structure.
Tree hollows take 150 to 200 years to form, making them irreplaceable in the short term.
Different to the Northern Hemisphere where species such as woodpeckers help to create tree hollows, Australian hollow habitat relies on natural processes such as fungi, lightning strikes and branch shedding.
“It is illegal to remove, lop or destroy native vegetation, including paddock trees and standing dead trees,” Ms Mentiplay-Smith said.
“Protecting these trees during activities such as stubble burning is crucial.”
The Goulburn Broken CMA urges landholders and the community to value every paddock tree.
“Once lost, these hundreds-of-years-old sentinels cannot be quickly replaced,” Ms Mentiplay-Smith said.
“Dead or alive, they provide nesting and roosting sites for birds and bats that control pests and pollinate crops; services that are vital for farm and landscape health.”
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