Ramblers such as bramble and rose are frequent, together with climbing honeysuckle and wild clematis. At the foot of the hedge, thick herbaceous vegetation commonly includes species such as cow parsley and hedge mustard with coarse grasses, although sometimes woodland flora is found with bluebells and greater stitchwort. Hedges provide song posts, shelter and nesting opportunities for both woodland and farmland birds such as yellowhammer, whitethroat, blue tit and great tit, while nectar, berries, nuts and leaves provide food for an assortment of invertebrates, mammals and birds.
In addition to providing excellent wildlife habitat, hedges can help reduce soil erosion and water run-off on arable land. Hedgerows were generally planted to show ownership boundaries, provide shelter for livestock, while also being stock-proof barriers between fields. Some have older origins and may be the remnants of ancient woodland carved out for farmland. Many hedges are medieval in origin, and are often curved at the end to leave room for a team of oxen to turn a plough, but miles of hedgerow were planted on common land during the enclosures of the 18 th and 19 th centuries to exclude the people previously using the land for communal open field farming for example, , miles were planted in the English Midlands.
It is these more recent hedges that tend to be straight and dominated by hawthorn. The presence of poor colonisers such as field maple, hazel, dogwood and spindle often indicate older hedges or ones more recently planted by someone with an interest in nature! Download the Fuel from hedgerows case study. Below are key points from a document about the importance of hedgerows and the services they provide to society.
This text has been produced by Hedgelink to assist those making the case for improving hedgerow policy, resources or protection, through the provision of key points and facts. It is not designed to be used directly, without interpretation or being tailored to the specific context. Contact Hedgelink for information on the key issues currently surrounding hedgerows.
You can also download the full document in Word format 63 KB. Cultural and historical importance The UK is rightly known throughout the world for its rich and varied patterns of hedgerows, a part of our cultural and landscape heritage which ranks alongside great cathedrals, quaint villages and spectacular coastlines. Further reading — Oliver Rackham. New Naturalist, Collins, London Landscape importance The networks of hedgerows, and in some places dry stone walls, that cover so much of our countryside pick out changes in topography, soils and underlying geology, and define current, and often past, patterns of agriculture and other land use.
Just imagine a countryside without hedgerows. How featureless and bland it would be! Wildlife importance Hedgerows are very important for wildlife in their own right, and now that consist predominantly of native trees and shrubs are recognised as a priority habitat for conservation action within Englands Biodiversity targets. For further information on the wildlife of hedgerows, see our wildlife and hedgerows page. Importance for soil, pollutant and water management The considerable value of hedgerows in helping to conserve essential natural resources such as soil and water, and in helping to prevent pollution, has been long recognised over much of the rest of Europe.
Fuel from hedgerows case study A case study on the economics of harvesting wood for heating fuel from hedgerows. Key facts Below are key points from a document about the importance of hedgerows and the services they provide to society.
The importance of hedgerows and the services they provide to society. Environmental services of hedgerows Hedgerows and their associated trees, banks, ditches and margins provide a wide range of valuable services which benefit people. They include not only biodiversity services, but also regulating services such as pest control and flood control, cultural services such as landscape aesthetics and historical heritage, and provisioning services such as the firewood and food.
A review of the services provided by Environmental Stewardship in England has revealed that hedgerow options provide a greater number of services, 21 in all, that any other group of options. Biodiversity services of hedgerows Hedgerows are the most widespread semi-natural habitat in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Over large parts of the lowlands they are the main surviving semi-natural habitat, and are critical to the existence of numerous plants and animals.
They are particularly important within areas of intensive farming, and for the survival of widespread yet declining species which are dependent on woodland edge, scrub or rough grassland habitats.
Hedgerows facilitate movement through the landscape for a wide range of organisms. They are particularly important for flying insects like butterflies which need warm sheltered conditions to be able to gain, and retain, the heat necessary to fly. Green lanes, typically two hedgerows in parallel separated by a vegetated track, provide particularly favourable conditions.
Overall, the length of hedgerow in GB has remained stable over the last decade. This is having a significant impact on the landscape and reflects lack of appropriate management. The other main reasons for poor condition are excessive gaps and hedgerows being too low or too thin.
Although very few are wholly dependent on hedgerows, the loss of hedgerows or a decline in their quality will have a significant adverse impact on their populations.
A high proportion of these BAP species are widespread within the UK but have been recognised as priorities for conservation action because their populations have declined rapidly in recent decades. For example, 51 out of the 71 widespread and common moths listed as priority BAP species because they have declined hugely in recent decades feed as caterpillars in hedgerows and their associated herbaceous margins. This confirms the importance of hedgerows for wildlife as a whole, not just for rare species.
Hedgerows are of particular importance for the conservation of farmland and woodland birds, and for mammals. As many as 16 out of the 19 birds included in the Farmland Bird Index, as used by Government to assess the state of farmland wildlife, are associated with hedgerows, with 10 using them as a primary habitat.
Stock enclosure — hedgerows provide long term cost effective stockproof barriers, if well managed. More height is required here for bird nesting. Scenic appearance - Characteristic Irish hedgerow, enhancing the countryside. As a wildlife habitat, hedgerows provide food, shelter, corridors of movement, nest and hibernation sites for many of our native flora and fauna:. Hedgerow trees — Mature trees provide roosts for bats, while saplings just above the height of the hedgerow are important perching posts for birds.
Birds — Of the species regularly recorded in the Countryside Bird Survey in Ireland during the breeding season, 55 use hedgerows. Of these, 35 nest in hedgerows over 1.
In short, the effect is that the whole hedge is useless to wildlife. Unfortunately, this sometimes happens when farmers are spraying crops in their fields. Why are Hedges Important? Read More: Conservation of Hedges - How can you help?
Britain's Disappearing Habitats Factsheet.
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