When one takes a walk through the woods and views several trees with a small hole in its trunk or even a larger expanse that exposes the inside of the tree trunk, more than likely little thought is given to it other than it looks disfigured and not as worthy as the other trees are.
One would need to think more in depth, because these holes, aka hollows, trunk rot and internal decay, are semi-enclosed cavities which have formed in the trunk or branch of a tree.
These hollows may start forming after a natural disaster such as lightning, wind or fire. Some are started from the ill pruning of branches from the trunk.
Being a survivor, trees can live for hundreds to thousands of years even after the heartwood, the inner core, as in older mature trees have started to decay. The sapwood, the layer between the bark and inner core, continues to conduct water and minerals throughout the tree. Eventually, fungus finds its way to the center of the tree paving the way for termite attack, slowly rotting away the heartwood of the tree which actually acts as a fertilizer to the base of the tree.
Meanwhile helped along by animals and birds looking for a place to call home, cavities are formed in the trunk and limbs of the tree by use of their beaks, teeth and claws; while during this process their droppings fall to the ground thus feeding the tree. Since trees can’t move around to find nutrients to keep them alive, by providing homey hollows for native wildlife, this ensures that the nutrients they need comes to them.
Hollows are predominantly found in old trees, mainly gum trees, reasoning that it takes hundreds of years in the making, and younger trees are too healthy and resilient. Trees with hollows and the animals that depend on them are disappearing mainly due to the clearing of land for housing or commercial purposes.
A lot of wildlife such as raccoons, possums, bats, snakes and frogs are dependent on these hollows for their habitat. So when seeing these trees with cavities in them, no matter how small or large, don’t think disfigurement, think of them as wildlife apartments.