Hedgerows

We will plant 45,000 miles. Not a follow up song by the Proclaimers, but an ambitious target set by Defra to plant and restore 45,000 miles of hedgerow by 2050. An opportunity to design It’s been a long time since we’ve planted hedges at any sort of scale. In fact, most of the hedges we …

Charity calls for help recording endangered wildlife in gardens and on local riverbanks This spring, leading wildlife conservation charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is calling for volunteers across the UK to take part in their annual spring surveys in a bid to help endangered wildlife and the habitats they call home. From March …

PTES’ Habitat Officer, Megan Gimber, recollects a recent trip to Northumberland, organised by the Coquetdale Branch of the Wildlife Trust, to meet farmer Kevin and learn how he has restored his hedgerows. Northumberland hedgerows at their finest A recent visit to Northumberland had me flabbergasted at the difference one person can make. In an area …

Wildlife enthusiasts needed to join the Great British Hedgerow Survey and survey local hedgerows, which is vital for their ongoing conservation Hedgerow survey season is here, and wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is looking for volunteers in all corners of the UK to take part in its Great British Hedgerow Survey. Between …

The inescapable hedgerow blossom and emerging fresh, vivid green leaves make for rewarding hedgerow walks. Watching a hedge slowly wake up is a great way to notice how many species it holds. Honeysuckle is often first to emerge, joining the ever-steady holly in leaf. Next come the thorns. One easy way of telling hawthorn and …

Survey hedgerows The lengthening days bring with them temperamental weather, swinging from showers to glorious sunshine that sparkles on waterways and bounces off fresh green growth. They also announce the start of People’s Trust for Endangered Species’ survey season. This time of year offers the chance for people across the UK to get involved in …

Hedgerow management at the individual level is underpinned by the hedgerow management lifecycle (developed based on work by Nigel Adams): recognising the fact that hedges are living and dynamic entities. The next step in the journey of hedge management is to consider the wider landscape context. Developing a hedgerow management plan raises many questions. Which …

It’s National Hedgerow Week and this year we are celebrating hedgerows as homes for wildlife. From bats in the tree canopy, to song thrushes in the scrub layer and hedgehogs at the hedge base, a multitude of species call the hedgerow network home. In fact, one study counted 2070 species in one 85m stretch of …

Gaining key insights into how to manage hedgerows for dormice Recently launched, the National Dormouse Footprint Tunnel Survey will use footprint tunnels to detect the presence or absence of the charismatic but rare hazel dormouse in hedgerows. The need for surveying hazel dormice is clear: it is thought that their population has halved in the …

Bountiful supplies of berries and slightly cooler days herald the start of autumn. It’s a busy time of year for dormice, hunting for ripe hazelnuts, blackberries, or the odd sloe kernel, in preparation for hibernation from October onwards. The earlier evenings mean we could be more likely to catch a glimpse of this elusive and …

Tree planting is currently at the forefront of many environmental policies. It’s the perfect opportunity to establish new trees in our hedgerow network. Well-managed hedges provide overlapping woodland, flowering scrub and pasture habitats, and mimic the rich environment of a woodland edge. Hedgerow trees are a valuable component in this habitat mosaic.  The wildlife value …

Healthy hedgerows do it better Hedgerows are the green veins running through our countryside, and with over 70% land in agricultural use, one of the most important habitats we have. They offer home, food, shelter and corridors to a remarkable number of species, with one study by Robert Wolton counting 2070 different species in just …