ROD Sheppard is one of the region’s first landowners to have the Hollowhog system implemented on his property.

The Hollowhog uses world-first technology to safely carve out small hollows in trees for wildlife to use for breeding, shelter and protection while leaving the tree healthy and unharmed.

Australian-made, its designer is Transport for NSW Environment Officer and conservation biologist Matt Stevenson, who has spent ten years solving the problem of how to create durable homes for wildlife.

Rod describes his property as being a link between State Forest currently being harvested and the sanctuary of Sherwood Nature Reserve National Park.

Rod told News Of The Area, having qualified for getting Hollowhog, installation was carried out by “charismatic Greg” from Transport NSW with two professional arborist climbers who were demonstrably thrilled to be doing something so important and – as they made clear – more rewarding than their usual work amputating trees.

“Calling out for rigging in arcane terms pirates might use, they enthusiastically set up the climb.

“Ropes and untold clippy things went everywhere.

“One man now safely suspended high off the tree; one of the many things hanging off his waist was a segment of a limb from this same tree, found on the ground and hollowed out on the day.

“Hollowing into the trunk using this clever and remarkably effective HollowHog system he then inserted this hollowed limb into the new hole creating a tubular cantilevering veranda, oriented to the light…so nice.

“With each tree climb requiring some time to rig up, creating several hollows per tree made perfect sense.

“This demonstrated true low-density high-rise living, charitably providing habitat for the homeless in a lucidly organic sculpture.

“We finished the day all of us feeling like we’d been a part of something meaningful.

“In some very small way something new now remains that will surely make a difference in so many ways, over time, that we will probably never know.

“Thank you Transport NSW, although frankly I’d like to see Forestry NSW take this up with funding; a lot of funding; after all it’s their portfolio.”

Commenting on the roll-out of Hollowhogs, Gurmesh Singh, Member for Coffs Harbour said the new fauna home-creators have minimal impact on the health and integrity of the tree, are less invasive, require no maintenance and last up to 70 years.”

 

By Andrea FERRARI