Hedgerows

Designed for farmers and landowners, Healthy Hedgerows is a rapid hedgerow health checking survey. With just a handful of questions, this hedgerow health-checker will place each hedge you survey in the lifecycle and give you instant management options

This interactive survey provides an instant health check for any hedge surveyed, as well as tailor made management advice to help your hedgerow thrive. The data will help give us a national view of hedgerow health.

The National Dormouse Footprint Tunnel Survey will be based on a search for dormice in hedgerows rather than any other habitat. Footprint tunnels are relatively easy to use and can be used by people who do not have a dormouse licence.

Increasing a hedgerow’s plant diversity provides more resources for wildlife. Use our trees and shrubs guide to ID the species present in your hedge.

The importance of our hedgerow network cannot be overstated, especially at this time where we are seeing worrying declines in our native wildlife across the board.

Hedgerows are a dynamic habitat that require management. Managing hedgerows on a cycle ensures their health and long term survival. Here are some top tips for managing hedgerows.

Find out more about how individual elements of hedgerow structure affect how wildlife can use them.

Hedgerows aren't only great for wildlife, they also provide a wide range of benefits to farmers and land managers. Find out some of the ways hedgerows can work for us.

We are still seeing the loss of our hedgerows across the UK. With many farmland species now marginalised to hedgerows, it’s time to look at the issues that are threatening them.

The history of hedgerows reflects huge political change, agricultural development, invasions and riots. The hedges that criss-cross our landscape sometimes have a checkered past, their history is entwined with ours.

Healthy hedgerows benefit farmers, provide life support for wildlife and many public and environmental benefits. You can manage your hedgerows to increase farm profitability, save money, reduce risks, help the environment, and generate income.