Otway Tree CareArborists · Apollo Bay & the Otways
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Colac district · Hazard reduction and habitat

Dead trees made safe, then turned into homes for wildlife

In a nature reserve near Colac, we took the dead canopy off several dead eucalypts, then carved nesting hollows into the timber left standing.

Location
Colac district
Work
Dead canopy removal
Access
Boom lift
Extra
Carved nesting hollows

From the job notes of Tom Kleindienst, founder and qualified arborist.

Arborist in the basket of a boom lift high among dead eucalypt limbs, cutting with a chainsaw

The situation

A number of dead eucalypts stood in a nature reserve near Colac. Their dead canopies were a hazard, but the trees themselves still had value to the bush around them.

The work

Working from a boom lift, the crew safely removed the dead canopy from each tree, taking off the limbs most likely to fail.

A bonus for the wildlife

Instead of felling everything, we kept the remaining timber standing and carved hollows into it, as we’ve done before for a regular client, giving birds and animals places to nest and shelter. Natural hollows take many decades to form, and plenty of Australian wildlife depends on them.

Why we like this job

You don’t have to remove everything to have a safe place. Taking off what’s dangerous and keeping what’s useful can be the better answer. We can’t promise who will move in, but we’re looking forward to finding out.

Got a dead tree you’d rather keep in some form? Book a free site assessment and we’ll tell you what’s safe to leave.

On the job

Photos from the job

Trailer-mounted boom lift reaching up into dead eucalypts beside a track through a nature reserve
Boom liftReaching the dead canopy
A round nesting hollow carved into the trunk of a dead eucalypt
Carved hollowIn a dead trunk
Looking into a freshly carved hollow in eucalypt timber
InsideThe carved chamber
A carved hollow chamber opened into the face of a dead trunk
Another hollowOpened into the timber
Good to know

Questions about this kind of job

Ask us something else

Does a dead tree always have to come down?

No. If a dead tree isn’t over a house, a road or somewhere people spend time, it can be enough to take off the dead canopy and any limbs likely to fail, and leave the trunk standing. Dead standing trees and their hollows are valuable habitat. We’ll tell you what’s safe to keep when we look at it.

What is a carved habitat hollow?

A nesting chamber cut into a trunk or limb with a carving tool, with a small entrance to the outside. Natural hollows take many decades to form, so a carved one gives birds and animals shelter much sooner. We can’t promise who will move in. See also the hollow we carved for a regular client.

More of our work

All projects
Bare branches of the dead eucalyptus framing the coastline Skenes Creek · Hazardous tree removal

A dead eucalyptus too dangerous to climb

A huge dead eucalypt stood on a hillside above homes, a driveway and the road. Climbing it wasn’t safe, so Tom worked from a hired spider lift instead.

A large old cypress on the foreshore with a torn limb, and a climber roped in below it Apollo Bay · Urgent hazard removal

A damaged limb over the Apollo Bay foreshore track

A damaged limb in an old cypress hung over the walking track on the Apollo Bay foreshore. We dropped the morning’s booking to make it safe and get the track open again.

Talk to us about your trees

Free site assessments and fixed-price quotes across Colac, Apollo Bay and the Otways. Storm damage? Call any time.

Get a free quote Call 0448 762 058
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