Download Hedgerows and Wildlife leaflet

Wildlife habitats across the UK have undergone a
massive decline in the last fifty years and in the light
of such losses, hedgerows have become even more
important as havens for wildlife. Unfortunately,
between the mid-eighties and nineties, over a quarter
of Welsh hedgerows were lost, making the remainder
all the more vital for wildlife.
Hedgerow networks are also very important as
wildlife corridors, providing a vital link for many
animals to move between remaining pockets of
suitable habitat. Crossing open fields leaves animals
open to predation, whereas hedgerows provide safe
corridors to travel from place to place.
Any hedgerow management has to be workable
within practical and financial constraints. Some of
the suggested management options given
below may be more practical than others
depending on site and circumstance.
However, if any of them can be applied
to any part of a hedgerow, there will
be a benefit to wildlife.
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Suggestions
Retain standard trees within the hedgerow and allow some
others to ‘grow out’ and become the next generation of
hedgerow trees.
Hedgerow trees add another dimension to the
wildlife that a hedgerow supports. They have
a number of micro-habitats not usually found
in a standard hedgerow such as standing
dead wood, holes for nesting birds and
roosting bats, mature bark which may support
lichens, mosses, ferns and ivy, as well
as a huge canopy that is important
for a range of insects.
FACT: 21 out of 28 lowland mammal, 69 out
of 91 bird and 23 out of 54 butterfly species
breed in hedges
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Retain standing deadwood.
Standing (i.e. dry) dead wood is a
very valuable and rare habitat for a
wide range of insects. Please retain
dead wood in your hedgerows
wherever it is safe to do so.
Replant any gaps in your hedgerows.
Hedgerows are vitally important as
wildlife corridors – sheltered routes
through which mammals and reptiles
can travel when looking for food or
mates, and navigation tools for bats.
As a result of this, the continuity of
the hedge is very important and
gaps are undesirable. It is best to
gap-up using a mixture of species similar to those
already present in the hedge (preferably locally
sourced - see www.floralocale.com for nurseries
which stock locally sourced trees) as they are the
ones most likely to thrive in that environment. The
greater the diversity of tree species, the greater the
variety of insects, birds and mammals that will
be supported.
Maintain hedgerows at least 1.4m high and 1.2m wide
at the top wherever possible.
This ensures that there is sufficient cover and
distance from the ground for nesting birds.
Protect your hedge base vegetation.
FACT: Hedges with both shrub and taller tree
layers have twice the number of nesting birds
compared to those where either layer is missing
Photo:Cathy Connolley
Hedge base vegetation is often more diverse than
the hedge itself and so can provide food and shelter
for a wide range of wildlife. However, hedge base
vegetation is at risk from spray drift if the fields
adjacent to the hedge are treated with pesticides or
fertiliser. Fertiliser will cause grasses and weed
species to out-compete the much rarer woodland
plants that are often found along the base of
hedgerows, reducing the plant diversity. Pesticides
and herbicides can kill non-target plants and
invertebrates in the hedge.
Photo:Joe Dunckley
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These may include pollinators such as bees,
predatory and parasitic insects that feed on crop
pests like aphids, or perennial plants that help
prevent colonisation of the hedgerow by nuisance
weeds such as barren brome.
Please consider:
· Creating a 2m wide, spray free buffer zone
adjacent to your hedgerows.
· Cutting hedge base vegetation infrequently, and not
cutting it all at one time. This will allow the cut
areas to be recolonised by plants and insects from
the uncut areas.
· On arable land, where the hedge base vegetation
has been degraded, replanting with an appropriate,
locally sourced seed mix is effective. On grassland
however, it is best to let the hedge base vegetation
regenerate naturally by preventing spray drift. In
both cases a small amount of selective herbicide
application may be necessary to control any initial
dominance by undesirable plants such as cleavers
or barren brome.
When fencing a hedgerow, consider leaving a 1m strip
between the base of the hedge and the fenceline.
This will create an area of longer grass that is ideal
habitat for insects and small mammals. This in turn,
will provide an ideal hunting ground for barn owls.
Consider hedge laying as an alternative to flailing.
Long-term flailing of a hedgerow will reduce the
number of tree species and density of the hedge
therefore reducing its value for wildlife. By contrast,
laying a hedge every 10-20 years will rejuvenate it,
helping to maintain its density and diversity of
species. The increased density will benefit nesting
birds as well as making the hedge more stock-proof.
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Whilst laying hedges is the best way to manage them
for wildlife, labour costs mean that this is not always
possible. Flailing provides a realistic alternative
method of managing hedgerows, but the following
should be considered:
•
Timing
The Welsh Assembly Government requirements for
Cross-Compliance state that hedgerows must not be
trimmed between March 1st and August 31st unless
specific exemptions apply. This is in order to prevent
breaking the law as nesting birds are protected under
the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981). This period is
when the majority of birds will nest, however there are
still species such as yellowhammer, bullfinch and
linnet which can nest as late as the end of September.
While there are obvious practical and time constraints
to cutting hedgerows, the more hedgerows that can be
cut outside this extended period, the better for wildlife.
•
Frequency
Flailing hedgerows that have been growing long
enough to develop thick, woody stems can have a
mangling effect that, as well as
being unsightly, also opens the
trees up to fungal infections.
Conversely if the flail is used too
frequently, hedgerows never have
a chance to flower or produce
berries and this deprives a whole
host of birds, mammals and insects
of a valuable winter food source.
As well as being vital for wildlife,
berries can provide a beautiful splash of colour during
autumn, but many trees will not produce berries on
first year growth and so will never produce berries if
cut every year. Ideally for wildlife, hedgerows should
be cut every 3-4 years on a rotational basis. This
would result in a mixture of new and older growth
being present and would cater for the differing food
and habitat requirements of different species.
Clearly, where there are other
constraints e.g. crop shading
or roadside visibility, the above
may not be possible. In this
case, some of the following
suggestions may be feasible:
Where hedges need to be cut
more frequently due to crop shading,
consider cutting the top and leaving the
sides on alternate years. Likewise for
roadside hedges: whilst the side may need
to be cut each year, the top could be cut
only every two or three years.
Consider cutting incrementally - this allows
some increase in the hedge height and
width each year, thus preserving some
second year woody growth. (Many hedge
trees will only produce berries on second
year growth). Hedges would retain a ‘tidy’
appearance and would only need to be
severely cut infrequently.
FACT: DEFRA research has shown that:
“Averaged over the whole cutting cycle,
measures of cutting time showed that total
time taken was 40-50% lower in hedges left
uncut for two or three years compared to
annual cutting. Thus there are cost
advantages in relaxing hedge cutting from
annual trimming. Not cutting the hedge-base
vegetation each year will also have an
associated management cost saving.”
•
• Where the above is not possible, there may be
•
areas of hedgerow, however small, that can be
left untrimmed e.g. in field corners.
Perhaps portions of the hedgerow that are
particularly berry-rich could remain uncut until
February so that animals and birds can feed on
them over the winter months.
Hedgerows provide an important food
resource and habitat for wildlife.
Flowers and berries provide food for all
sorts of animals and birds. The dense
structure of hedgerows also provides
shelter, nesting and hibernation sites
for birds, small mammals, reptiles
and other creatures.
This leaflet sets out different
ways in which hedgerows can
This document is available in large print
and other formats upon request
be managed for wildlife.
Mae’r cylchlythyr hwn ar gael yn Gymraeg
The Vale of Glamorgan Local Biodiversity
Action Plan Partnership
c/oThe Ecology Team,
The Vale of Glamorgan Council,
Dock Office, Barry Docks,
Barry, CF63 4RT
Tel: 01446 704627
email: [email protected]
www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk
A Leaflet
for
Land
Managers
Photo: Karen Nichols
Cutting
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Hedgerows and
Wildlife
Photo: Bill Wakefield
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