Managing hedges for wildlife

The ‘no hedge cutting’ deadline has now passed and many farmers will have set about tidying up their hedges for another year. This makes good sense along laneways and roadsides but it’s important to remember that most hedges on your farm will benefit from being allowed to grow for more than one year between cuts. It’s not often we give agri-environmental advice that involves saving time and effort! As a result, hedges will be stronger, provide better shelter and will be much richer in wildlife.

It is also good practice to leave hedge cutting as late in the winter as possible. Haws, sloes, honeysuckle berries, blackberries and ivy berries provide vital food for birds through the autumn and winter. If you can hold off cutting hedges until late January or even February then the berries will be available when the birds need them most.

Trees are a very important part of any hedgerow. Your hedgerow trees, particularly native species such as ash, oak, alder or willow, may be the most important wildlife habitat on your farm. They provide nest sites for birds, roosting areas for bats and are home to a huge array of tiny plants and insects, which in turn provide food for other wildlife. You may be fortunate enough to have mature hedgerow trees on your farm, but it is still good practice to pick out and mark some young tree stems. Tie some coloured plastic around them and ensure they are kept safe from the hedge cutter – strips of used fertiliser bags will do. If your hedges are wholly hawthorn you might even consider planting some tree saplings in them. The new trees will need some protection at first, but in just a few years you will begin to appreciate the benefits.

For further information about hedgerow management contact Countryside Management Branch at your local DARD office.