Pristine Tree People are excited to be able to bringing this brand new Australian invention to our area.
What is a Hollowhog?
The Hollowhog is a unique wood carving tool that has been specifically designed to create habitat for hollow dependent wildlife.
Through extensive trialling in New South Wales, this Australian designed and manufactured tool has proven its ability to safely and quickly carve hollows in the toughest hardwoods.
The Hollowhog efficiently and safely creates large internal cavities through small entry holes in both living and dead wood. No other damage to the tree’s cambium (living tissue) occurs through the carving process meaning that there is little disruption to a tree’s growth.
The Hollowhog creates a 50 mm entry hole and then progressively carves a larger and larger hollow of any dimensions up to about 600mm wide and long by 600mm deep. The hollow shape can be easily adapted to the size and shape of the tree limb or trunk that it is being carved in.
What problems does the Hollowhog solve?
The loss of tree hollows throughout the landscape is well documented both here in Australia and in many other parts of the world. Hollows provide homes for at least 300 types of Australian animals including a reported 17% of bird species, 42% of mammals and 28% of reptiles. Worldwide more than 1000 species are known to depend on hollows for nesting and roosting.
It takes at least 70 to 120 years for hollows to form in trees in Australian forests. The Hollowhog forms these hollows in less than an hour, providing at least an additional 70 years of potential use by fauna and, most importantly, filling the gap until hollows are able to develop naturally.
