New paid initiative to assess and protect hedgerows

Boost to hedgerow health and biodiversity with new Land App.

by Annette J Beveridge

THERE’s no doubting the value of healthy connected hedgerows especially at a time when the UK is facing biodiversity and climate pressures.

Hedgerows provide many benefits - shade, shelter and soil erosion protection. Carbon is also sequestered in the soil and pollutants are filtered preventing them from reaching nearby water courses.

Land App

A NEW Land App designed for the assessment and recording of hedgerow conditions has been set up to satisfy hedgerow assessment action (CHRW1) in the new Sustainable Farm Initiative (SFI) and is available due to collaboration between wildlife conservation charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and cloud-based mapping platform Land App.

It enables both farmers and land managers to assess and record hedgerows.

Key Habitats Officer at PTES, Megan Gimber said: “For the first time the Government has recognised the value of healthy hedgerows and is now paying farmers to assess their hedgerows, which until now has always been unremunerated. This is a great step forward. Healthy Hedgerows is the perfect platform to leverage the financial support needed for hedge management and restoration, and can provide the advice required to improve these iconic habitats which is a win-win for everyone.”

“Hedgerows have been at the heart of farming for centuries, but without a lifecycle approach to management, their structural condition has been declining. Last century, over half of our hedgerows were lost through incentivised removal, whilst recognition of their value has turned this around, it means those that remain are even more valuable, and the need for management advice is greater now than ever before. We’re delighted to partner with Land App to bring hedgerow awareness to the fore.”

Payment to farmers

The Government’s new approach enables farmers to be paid for the first time currently £5 per 100 metres per side per year. Farmers based in England can now use the Healthy Hedgerows survey on Land App and Land App Mobile, which is based on PTES’ original survey recommended by Defra as the go-to tool for recording SFI hedgerow actions.

Megan added: “Lifecycle management of hedgerows – which incorporates periodic rejuvenation such as hedge laying and/or coppicing – is the only way any hedge survives in the long term. This type of management hasn’t been widely practised for over a generation, so it’s no longer familiar to many. Our Healthy Hedgerows survey and the management advice we deliver, is designed to make hedgerow assessment easy. It will enable farmers and land managers to understand the condition of their hedgerows, what management would best suit each one, and give them the confidence to return to lifecycle management, which will not only be a huge benefit to them but also local wildlife.”

Vital habitats

Hedgerows are vital habitats for much of our native wildlife. This includes rare hazel dormice, hedgehogs, and several bat and bird species. Hedgerows are safe navigational corridors, but also provide nesting sites, shelter and food. In fact, one study found over 2,000 species within an 85m stretch of hedge in Devon.

Megan said: “Lifecycle management of hedgerows – which incorporates periodic rejuvenation such as hedge laying and/or coppicing – is the only way any hedge survives in the long term. This type of management hasn’t been widely practised for over a generation, so it’s no longer familiar to many. Our Healthy Hedgerows survey and the management advice we deliver, is designed to make hedgerow assessment easy.

“It will enable farmers and land managers to understand the condition of their hedgerows, what management would best suit each one, and give them the confidence to return to lifecycle management, which will not only be a huge benefit to them but also local wildlife.”

PTES’ Healthy Hedgerows survey Land App can be obtained via www.thelandapp.com