Burning Piles Of Cut Branches Or Tree Stumps

Birds nest in the majority of our hedges and therefore under cross-compliance rules, hedge maintenance, cutting, trimming, coppicing or laying is not permitted during the bird nesting season between 1 March and 31 August except for roadside hedge trimming required in the interest of road safety.

Now that the bird nesting season is here, all hedge work to be carried out this past winter season should be complete. As a result of this there might be piles of cut bushes or hedge trimmings sitting in fields ready to be burned when the weather turns drier.

Birds, such as the wren, will be attracted to these ‘habitat piles’ which appear like a big heap of tightly packed branches that could provide shelter for a nest this spring. For this reason it is advisable to leave all burning of cut branches until September. This is to avoid damaging the birds, nests or chicks and complies with the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985.

Farmers are also required to register activities that are exempt from the need to have a waste management licence. One of these activities is the burning of waste plant tissue in the open or burning cut hedgerow branches. Agricultural Waste Guidance & Exemptions Packs containing registration forms for this exemption can be obtained from the Environment and Heritage Service, telephone 028 9056 9361.