Hedgerows are lines of different types of bushes and small trees growing very close together typically placed between fields or along the sides of roads in the countryside. The network of hedges throughout rural England dates back to the Bronze Age, or even possibly Neolithic times. As the first farmers began clearing areas of land for cultivation, they left strips of trees as boundaries. Hedgerows act as field boundaries but also protect livestock, support biodiversity, and help mitigate climate change.
There are currently about 250,000 miles of hedgerows in England. However, about half of these important habitats were lost in the post-WWII years due to agricultural intensification. Furthermore, a 2007 survey found that fewer than half of remaining hedgerows were judged to be in good structural condition.
The UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology has set a target to create or restore 45,000 miles of hedgerow by 2050. While the overall length of managed hedgerows in England has not changed much since 2007, the proportion in good structural condition has improved significantly and hedgerow height has increased.
England’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs aims to create or restore 30,000 miles of hedgerow by 2037. However, the Climate Change Committee recommends that the national hedgerow network be increased by 40% by 2050 and the organization Natural England’s long-term aspiration is a 60% increase in hedgerow extent to support thriving plants and wildlife.
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Urgent need to enable more farmers and contractors to revive England’s network of hedgerows
Photo, posted May 27, 2016, courtesy of Dave S. via Flickr.
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