More ‌than ‌a ‌boundary: getting more from our hedgerows

Hedgerows are one of the most established environmental features on our farms.

But the question isn't how much hedgerow do we have, but what's the condition of it, and how well is it performing?

Height, width, density, cutting cycle, gaps, hedgerow trees and connections to other habitats all make a difference in what a hedge can provide.

A thick, structurally diverse hedge with a healthy base and connectivity, is very different to a thin hedge that's been cut repeatedly, although they will both appear as the same line on a map.

With hedgerows particularly in the spotlight locally over the next couple of weeks, we're taking a closer look at what good hedgerow management might look like in practice.

It's the network that matters

The benefits of a hedge doesn’t stop at its edge.

As one of the most widespread semi-natural habitats in the UK, hedgerows have more than 125 priority species closely associated with them. But on farmland, their value is also about connections.

Hedges can connect woodland, ponds, grassland, field margins, watercourses and other habitats. They create corridors through the farmed landscape. An individual good hedge is valuable, but a network of well-managed hedges does considerably more.

The structure of that network is also important. Different heights, widths and ages provide different habitats, with flowering and fruiting hedges providing food at different times of year. And mature hedgerow trees provide another level of habitat.

Water and soil

There's also increasing interest in the role hedges can have beyond biodiversity.

Hedges and margins can intercept surface runoff and sediment, reduce soil erosion and encourage infiltration. This will depend very much on position in the landscape, soil type, slope and surrounding management.

They're not a flood panacea in isolation, but positioned alongside other measures, healthy soils, grassland, woodland, ponds, wetlands and appropriate field margin management, they can play a role in slowing and holding water within a farm and within a catchment.

So it's not just what's there, but where it is that's important.

Management matters

A hedge is a living thing, and it will change over time.

If left unmanaged indefinitely, it will tend towards a line of trees. If cut hard to the same height and width year after year, it will tend to become thinner and lose structure at the base.

So good management isn't necessarily about having all hedges looking the same.

Having a mixture of heights, widths and cutting cycles on a farm creates structural diversity. Reducing the frequency of cutting allows for more flowering and fruiting, filling gaps, retaining appropriate hedgerow trees and maintaining connections to other habitats can all contribute to strengthening the network.

The approach taken will depend on the hedge - age, condition, position and purpose.

And sometimes an older, or declining hedge needs more than just a change in cutting regime.

Rejuvenating hedges through laying

Some hedges may require more significant action to maintain good structure.

Hedgelaying is one method of bringing an ageing, overgrown or thinning hedge back into a denser structure by partially cutting and laying the stems, whilst keeping them alive, to encourage new growth from the base, to help thicken and reinforce the living hedge.

How hedges were laid has historically been very different around the country, depending on farming systems, livestock and landscape. Many of these regional styles are still in use today.

This weekend we have a great opportunity to see this skill on our doorstep as the National Hedgelaying Championships come to East Downs Farm, near Chipping Norton. More than 100 competitors are expected to demonstrate regional styles from across the country and put into practice a form of hedge management that has evolved over generations.

It also provides a useful reminder that hedgerow management is a long-term process. Whether that hedge needs laying, coppicing, gapping up, different cutting regime or just needs leaving alone for a while, it starts with understanding what's happening on the ground.

When was the last time you really looked at your hedges?

That's where assessment comes in.

How dense is the hedge at the base? Where are the gaps? What's the age and species mix? Do we have established or emerging hedgerow trees? What's going on in the margins? Where does that hedge fit within the network across the farm?

Considering these features helps to identify which hedges are performing well, which may be responding to a change in management and where we might have opportunities for rejuvenation, gapping up and creating new connections.

That's precisely what we'll be doing at our Hedgerow Assessment Workshop next Thursday, 15 October, taking a more practical look at assessing hedge conditions and using this to consider future management. We will be joined by hedgerow expert Nigel Adams, and will have a morning presentation followed by a practical walk on Rachel Murphy’s, Evenlode Landscape Recovery farm liaison lead, farm in South Leigh. There are still some places available, and you can book here -  

With the National Championships on our doorstep this weekend, and our own workshop next week, it's a great opportunity to step back and consider one of our most established features on our farms, not just whether we have a hedge or not, but what's it doing, how's it connected and what might we need from our hedges in the future?