Service

Habitat installation and animal rescue.

A lot of people live out here because of the trees and the birds. When a tree has to be cut back or taken down, a home for wildlife does not have to go with it. Our team fits possum boxes and bird boxes, leaves habitat trees standing where the whole tree cannot stay, and helps keep possums out of your roof and into a tree. If we find animals in a tree, they come first. Hollowhog hollows are coming in 2027.

A tall tree trunk cut back in sections against a cloudy blue sky

What we do.

  1. 1

    Possum boxes and bird boxes fitted in your trees, at the right height and facing the right way.

  2. 2

    Bird feeders.

  3. 3

    Possum guards: a big plastic guard around the trunk that stops possums climbing a tree to get onto your roof.

  4. 4

    Habitat trees: a dangerous tree is reduced to a stable trunk and a few safe leaders, and left standing as a home for wildlife.

  5. 5

    Replacing the habitat that a tree job takes away: whatever would normally live in the tree gets a home put back.

  6. 6

    Animal rescue: looking after the animals we find in a tree before and during the work.

Possums in your roof? Move them to a tree.

Most people like having possums around, as long as they are not in the roof. So the plan is to keep them out of the trees by your house and encourage them into trees further away.

  1. 1

    Prune the tree back from the house, so they cannot jump across to the roof.

  2. 2

    Fit a possum guard on the trunk, so they cannot climb it.

  3. 3

    Install a box in another tree, further from the house. If there is a home waiting, they are less likely to move into yours.

  4. 4

    They find a new box quickly. Wildlife usually moves in fast.

Animals come first.

  1. 1

    Before any cutting, our team checks the tree for nests, hollows and dens, and for signs that something is living in it.

  2. 2

    If an animal is found, the job stops or changes until the work can go ahead without harming it. Sometimes that means moving the day, or leaving one limb for later.

  3. 3

    Nothing is forced out of a tree. Young birds, possums and bats are handled gently and passed on to a wildlife carer.

  4. 4

    Spring is breeding season for many birds and animals. We plan around it where the tree allows.

  5. 5

    If you already know something lives in the tree, tell Drew when you call. It changes how the job is planned.

Habitat trees.

Sometimes a tree is dangerous and cannot be saved. Instead of taking it all out, the tree is cut back to a strong trunk and a couple of leaders that are not going to fail. It is then treated so it does not grow back, and it stands as a large dead tree that birds and wildlife can live in. Boxes can be added to it. It is safer for your house, and it keeps the wildlife on your block.

Coming in 2027: Hollowhog hollows.

A tree can take many decades to grow a hollow big enough for a possum or a parrot. From next year we plan to give wildlife that home straight away, using the Hollowhog method. It bores out the centre of a trunk or large limb through a small entry hole, to create a natural-style hollow. It does very little harm to the tree, and a hollow inside a tree stays cooler on hot days and warmer on cool ones than a thin-walled box. Ask us about it, and about boxes and habitat trees in the meantime.

Where it makes sense.

  1. 1

    The tree is dangerous, but you want to keep the birdlife.

  2. 2

    The tree is in an area with protected species, such as sugar gliders, where the whole tree cannot simply be cut down. A habitat tree that is maintained keeps the wildlife there.

  3. 3

    A tree job is going to take away a nesting place, and you want to put one back.

  4. 4

    You want more birds and wildlife on your property, or you want possums out of your roof and into a tree.

Found an animal that needs help?

If an animal has fallen from a tree or been hurt, keep pets and children back, do not handle it, and call a local wildlife rescue service. If it is in a tree that needs work, call Drew and tell him what you found.

Before you book.

Trees that house protected species can have extra rules. Check with your council if you are not sure, and tell Drew what lives in the tree.

Tall white gum trees along a driveway

Questions, answered.

What habitat work do you do?

Possum boxes, bird boxes and bird feeders, possum guards, and habitat trees. When a tree job takes away a home, whatever would normally live in the tree gets a home put back. Hollowhog hollows are coming in 2027.

Can you get possums out of my roof?

Often, yes. Keep them out of the trees by your house and encourage them into trees further away: prune the tree back from the house, fit a possum guard so they cannot climb it, and install a box in another tree away from the house. Wildlife usually finds a new box quickly.

What is a possum guard?

A big plastic guard that goes around the trunk of a tree and stops possums climbing it to reach your roof.

What is a habitat tree?

When a tree is dangerous and cannot be saved, it can be cut back to a stable trunk and a few safe leaders, and left standing. It is treated so it does not regrow, and it becomes a large dead tree that birds and wildlife can live in. Boxes can be added to it.

What is a Hollowhog hollow?

A natural-style hollow bored into a trunk or large limb through a small entry hole, with little harm to the tree. We plan to offer it from 2027, and it gives wildlife a home straight away instead of waiting decades for a tree to grow one.

What happens if you find an animal in a tree?

The work stops or changes until it can go ahead without harming the animal. Nothing is forced out of a tree. Young birds, possums and bats are handled gently and passed on to a wildlife carer.

What if protected wildlife lives in the tree?

Trees that house protected species can have extra rules, so the whole tree may not be able to come down. A habitat tree that is looked after can keep the wildlife there. Check with your council if you are not sure.

I found an injured animal. What should I do?

Keep pets and children back, do not handle it, and call a local wildlife rescue service. If it is in a tree that needs work, call Drew and tell him what you found.

Do I need approval to work on a tree?

It depends on the tree and on your council. Some native, large or significant trees are protected, and the rules differ between councils. Check with your council before work starts, and tell Drew about the tree when you call so the job can be planned properly.

See also.

Arbor Concept

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