Discover the importance of tree hollows in 2025

Goulburn Broken CMA chief executive officer Carl Walters said the Year of the Tree Hollow would showcase some of the amazing birds, bats and marsupials of the Goulburn Broken catchment and the vital tree hollow habitat they need.

“Many native species need tree hollows including bats, possums, gliders, owls, parrots, antechinus, ducks, rosellas and kingfishers, as well as numerous species of snakes, frogs and skinks,” Mr Walters said.

“A range of hollows are vital for biodiversity. Hollows in logs and fallen trees are equally important for species such as the echidna, quoll and bandicoot and many lizards and reptiles.”

Mr Walters said in Australia, 42 per cent of mammals, 28 per cent of reptiles and 17 per cent of bird species relied on tree hollows.

“So, dead or alive, large old indigenous trees, whether in bushland, on roadsides or in paddocks, are legally protected and vitally important for our local fauna, as once they are gone, these hundreds-of-years-old sentinels of the landscape cannot be quickly replaced,” he said.

“Large old trees are peppered with large and small hollows of varying depths and sizes and often they have more hollows than are visible from the ground. It can take 200 or more years for a tree to form a hollow, so protecting these trees is vital.’’

The Goulburn Broken CMA’s 2025 Year of the Tree Hollow follows the 2024 Year of the Wing, 2022 Year of the Frog and 2019 Year of the Paddock Tree.

“Each of these topics increased community awareness for our catchment’s flora and fauna and we hope the Year of the Tree Hollow will generate the same level of interest and lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of local tree hollow habitat,” Mr Walters aid.

The Year of the Tree Hollow is supported by the Victorian Government through the Catchment Stewardship Program.