The way we manage hedgerows has a huge impact on the amount of wildlife they can sustain, how well they act as wildlife corridors, and all the other environmental and on farm benefits they provide. You may value your hedgerows for crop protection and pollination, as a stock barrier, a livestock shelter, a wildlife haven, a source of income or as a landscape feature. Keeping hedges healthy maximises all these benefits and ensures they thrive.
Of course, the way you manage your hedgerows will reflect what you use them for. All hedgerows need to be managed on a cycle if they’re to be viable in the long-term, but there’s plenty of flexibility in this cycle for your hedgerows to suit your farm and your needs.
It’s vital that we manage our hedgerows in a way that ensures their survival long term. There’s a lot at stake.
