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When it comes to conservation and the preservation of native Aussie habitat, chainsaws are more often than not seen as the enemy.

But thanks to extensive research, chainsaws can easily be put to use to help provide new homes for misplaced marsupials.

Carving out new homes for tree-climbing marsupials, when natural tree hollows are no longer readily available, has been proven successful thanks to the findings of a Southern Cross University study.

Chainsaw hollows is a novel approach aptly described as a cross between a nest box and a tree hollow.

The trend is an emerging technique to create artificial tree cavities in an attempt to curb the shortage of natural hollows throughout the world.

In Australia, more than 300 species make their homes in tree hollows, their chosen housing option for refuge and breeding.

PhD researcher William Terry led the research. He analysed the technique's effectiveness, and discovered that arboreal mammals will readily use the chainsaw hollows.

"Tree hollows carved by chainsaws have potential to restore degraded forest habitats," Mr Terry explained.

"It's certainly not a substitute for natural tree hollows but are more effective than next boxes for the two species we studied, the regionally threatened brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa) and the non-threatened sugar glider (Petaurus notatus)."

The chainsaw hollow is achieved by cutting a cavity on the side of the tree, before covering it with a pre-fabricated timber faceplate with an access hole.

The experiments were conducted by a team over a two-and-a-half year period.

They paired 45 chainsaw hollows with the nest boxes of the same parameters in eight locations including in Central Victoria.

Camera surveillance showed phascogales visited some cavities within mere hours of installation.

Over a month, the data revealed these hollows were quickly snapped up by both target species.

In nature, tree hollows can take up to 250 years to develop.

"Phascogales and sugar gliders were detected more often in carved hollows than in nest boxes," said Mr Terry.

Some tree species had relatively rapid growth of bark over faceplates, and Mr Terry noted the importance of regular upkeep and maintenance of the tree hollows was needed.

In the past, nest boxes have been criticised by experts because they offer little protection from the extreme heat and cold experienced in Australian climates.

In contrast, chainsaw hollows do a much better job at protecting animals dramatic temperatures.

Spring gardens are made in winter, and the time spent sprucing up your beds during the colder months can act as an investment for big bloom pay-outs when the weather warms up.

Despite the widely held belief that winter gives gardeners a well-deserved break, Colin Thomas said in fact it is one of the biggest misconceptions out there.

As a gardening equipment expert and STIHL dealer, Mr Thomas said people's winter gardening hiatus extends to neglecting their gardening tools.

"You can tell which gardens people have worked in winter come spring time," Mr Thomas said.

Winter is a great time to work in the garden being far less physically taxing, he said, with the soil nice and moist, and many plants beginning their growth cycle.

Mr Thomas said it's a great time to get tools cleaned, sharpened and serviced so they're in mint condition for the spring and summer onslaught.

Clean up leaves: Be sure to clean up autumn leaves with a blower or blower vac as leaves can become slippery after rain. If they are not cleared, they can shade lawn and smother small plants.

Watch for frost: A sensible solution to frosts is to plant frost tender plants in protected areas and more tolerant plants out in the open. The frost can actually suck the moisture out of your plants resulting in yellow or dead leaves. Make sure to remove such leaves to preserve plants.

Select plants tolerant of wetter soils: Winter is a time that can see issues with heavy soil drainage. Try selecting plants that are more tolerant of wetter soils in those boggy areas. For the veggie garden, go for things like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots or legumes like peas.

Pruning: Winter is rose pruning time and a great opportunity to reshape trees with a chainsaw or pole pruner, in particular deciduous trees. Cutting off existing buds from rose bushes will help it get ready for new growth in spring.

Maintain lawns: Although lawn growth does slow down it will still require some attention. Rye grasses and Fescues will be more active over the cooler months, but it will likely be too late for these grasses to be successfully established from seed.

Trim lawn edges: This is a year-round job. Be aware of grassy weeds which are actively growing during winter, and can be easily managed with grass trimmers. Choke the weed by putting mulch on top to cut access to sunlight, preventing seeds from germinating.

Plant to conditions: Try to position plants where they are best suited to microclimates and the plant's specific needs. Sun-loving species can take full advantage of sunny breaks in the winter months.