Dead wood, whether lying on the ground or still standing, provides precious habitat. This includes all logs, trees and branches. Native birds and mammals rely on tree hollows and dead wood for shelter from predators and for breeding purposes. Insects such as the Stag Beetle rely on dead wood as a food source. In turn, many birds, reptiles and mammals need insects for survival. Dead wood decomposes over time, contributing to nutrient cycles and growth of understorey species i.e. fungi, grasses, shrubs and so on. Trees bearing hollows provide an array of housing and shelter for our local native wildlife. Hollows often form when the centre of a tree limb rots away due to fungal or termite activity - this is more common in old or dead trees and the process can take many hundreds of years, making hollow bearing trees especially valuable. Council will retain dead standing trees for habitat in parks, reserves or nature strips where possible, to ensure there is habitat for our local wildlife in the long term.
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