A collection of interesting facts about farm hedgerows
There are approx. 700,000km of farm hedgerows in the UK, approximately the distance to the moon and back.
We’ve lost up to 50% of our hedgerows since the end of WW2. The main reasons for the removal of hedgerows were
- to increase field sizes so that food production could be increased using mechanisation which required large turning areas
- to eliminate rabbits who built their warrens in the base of hedgerows. Rabbits were considered a plague by farmers at the time but mixomatosis took over in the 1950's and has regulated rabbit populations ever since
- to regulate bird populations which fed on grain crops. It's hard to understand now but bird populations were huge in the early part of the 20th century and farmers built nets to catch them and then they were headed for the pot when meat protein was in short supply
- to build airfields and also satellite airfields in case the main runways were bombed whilst the squadrons were airborne.
- and finally, and this seems incredible now, but grants were available until the 1990's for hedge removal!
About 60% of those hedgerows that remain are not in good condition.
Cutting every 3 years will provide 3.4 times the mass of berries as those cut annually (source People’s Trust for Endangered Species).
It is better for wildlife to cut a hedge at the end of winter to provide a food larder for wildlife throughout winter – it may not look like much of a larder to us but it’s a life saver to wildlife.
Hedgerows support 80% of woodland birds, 50% of mammals and 30% of butterflies.
There were 36 million hedgehogs in the 1950's and there are now only about half a million.
A middle of a thick hedge can be 1C warmer than the middle of the adjacent arable field.
Well maintained hedgerows support up to 2000 species of wildlife, but some experts think the true number might easily be double that.
The UK 2050 net zero target requires us to plant 200,000km of hedgerows, which is approx. half the length of the total UK road network.
It is a criminal offence to remove a protected hedgerow.
You can date a hedge with the following formula known as Hooper’s Rule (devised by Mr D Hooper in 1965). Age = (number of species in a 30 yard stretch) x 110 + 30 years. It is usually simplified to counting the different species of tree or shrub in 30 metre stretches of hedgerow. Several 30m stretches should be counted in each hedgerow. The average number of species equates to the age in centuries. Roughly 10 woody species in each 30m stretch would mean the hedgerow is 1000 years’ old.
Do let us know of any other weird and wonderful things about country hedging!