Birds and Trees
Closeness to trees is most often very soothing to our nerves. More so if also accompanied by the chirping of birds living on them.But, trees are fast disappearing in cities, massive cement buildings are replacing them. We prefer a house for ourselves even if it is at the cost of nests of many birds; we can not telerate the dropping and litter that is often the product of living close to birds and trees.
So old trees are often axed or cut off/sawed down. But, old trees must be protected to save the homes of more than 1,000 different bird and mammal species who nest. In forests, tree holes are created either quickly by woodpeckers or more slowly as trees age and begin to decay. Birds like owls, songbirds and parrots, and mammals like flying squirrels and opossums, make homes in the holes of trees because they offer safe environments for sleeping, reproduction and raising young. Insects, snakes and amphibians will also make use of tree cavities.
"Wildlife depends on decay-formed cavities, they are relying on large living trees," says Martin, a senior enviornment research scientist from Canada. "Most trees have to be more than 100 years old before decay cavities begin to form and often several centuries old before large cavities or many cavities develop in one tree."
Worldwide, tree holes are in short supply and many efforts to protect the animals living in these holes have been focused on protecting woodpeckers because it was presumed that they make most of the holes. "Most forest policies help protect younger trees but promote the harvest of older, larger, living trees -- the very trees needed by cavity-nesting animals," says Martin. and adds: "The value of these large living trees needs to be recognized and we need to ensure that a supply of these trees is retained especially in tropical forest systems where decay-formed tree holes last for many years and support a lot of wildlife."