What's the Story Behind Hollow Trees

 Hollow trees make such ideal habitats for so various types of birds, squirrels and other animals that it almost seems as if nature created them primarily to fulfill such purpose. Hollow trees across the planet are home to various types of wildlife, and have played important roles in folklore through the entire years. Based on National Geographic News, male tree-hole frogs in the rain forests of Borneo have been found to work with the unique acoustics of hollow trees to tune the pitch of their mating calls to be louder and more desirable to females. Rotting, hollow tree branches serve as the mating and breeding habitat for these tree-hole frogs as they make the most of the sheltered, moist environment to lay eggs. Hollow trees fall naturally into the life cycle, but maybe you have wondered why some trees are hollow in the initial place?

Understanding the reason some trees are hollow involves first taking a glance at how trees sustain life. Hollow Knight Tree trunks and branches are comprised of some layers, with each serving an important purpose. The visible outer bark of the tree protects the inside of the tree from the weather as well as disease, fungi, animals, insects and dehydration. The following three layers just inside the outer bark transport food and sugars from the leaves to the remaining portion of the tree, create new growth and transport water and nutrients from roots to the rest of the tree. The innermost layer of the tree, called heartwood, serves as a supportive core and is comprised of strong woody tissue that is no longer alive. Tree growth occurs when new layers of tissue form and push outward, while dead cells become area of the supportive heartwood.

For a tree to defend itself, exterior layers must compartmentalize decay before it spreads to the supportive heartwood of the tree. If outer layers fail to do so, a gap called a rot cavity will form, that will be likely the consequence of fungi causing decay in the heartwood of the tree. This often happens following the tree has acquired a wound, such as for example from pruning or damage from the storm. With time, this rot cavity can become larger, eventually resulting in a complete hollowing of the tree's heartwood. Provided that the outer, living layers of the tree remain intact and are of sufficient thickness as set alongside the hollowed area, a tree can often survive after having a hollow.

While historically hollow trees have been filled with cement and several other substances, most experts now agree that filling a cavity or hollow trunk is more detrimental than with the capacity of supporting the tree. It is very important to see that though some hollow trees are structurally sound, others represent a hazard and should really be supported or removed. Hollow trees which can be weak can become hazardous and pose threats to people, buildings and other property in the vicinity. If you have an empty tree in your property, it is preferred to have it inspected by a certified arborist, who can determine whether it is living and assess its strength. If the tree is structurally weak, an arborist can determine whether it could be salvaged through effective cabling and bracing techniques, or if removal is necessary.