Hedgerows – Nature’s Superhighways

Hedgerows – A celebration

September heralds the changing season with an explosion of colour and fruit-laden hedges, with inviting blackberry-laden brambles often so tantalisingly out of reach. Happy dog walkers return with blackened fingers, having made good use of those empty dog poo bags. Foraging families fill the air with laughter as they compete to fill their Tupperware containers first. The delicious fruits of the rubus fructicosus bush will be taken home to make blackberry jam, blackberry and apple pie or other mouthwatering seasonal favourites.

Or perhaps like me, you are eyeing up the sloes on the blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), as they ripen in the autumn sun with thoughts of sipping a homemade sloe gin in front of a roaring fire at Christmas. There is a real pleasure-pain in harvesting the blackthorn’s treasure, with the clue being in the name. A real case of no pain, no gain.

For those wishing to indulge in a wider gastronomic buffet, our hedgerows may also contain the dog rose, (rosa canina) which is extremely rich in Vitamin C and makes a supercharged syrup, and young damson trees, which are members of the plum family and rowan trees whose berries can be made into a ketchup.

Hedgerow habitats

Our hedgerows certainly become more noticeable at this time of year, festooned as they are with nature’s bounty. In addition to the delicious treats our hedgerows yield, hedgerows play an essential role in supporting diverse flora and fauna. They are the most widespread semi-natural habitat in the UK and are such a defining part of our landscape, creating the rich patchwork quilt effect that is so distinctive in the UK having been part of our landscape since the Bronze Age.

Here at Belmont, we love our hedgerows, we really do.  This is why we have left our hedgerows to regenerate naturally, to expand, growing wider and taller every year without fear of the tractors flailing, and without limit or design to their expansion. Our hedgerows are so important to nature and biodiversity on so many levels, and with this understanding, you may never look at the humble hedgerow in the same way again.

On a planetary scale, hedgerows are an active carbon sink, sequestering carbon in wood growth above the ground, as well as in the leaf litter and underground roots. The larger the hedge, the more carbon captured. Another reason why we do not cut our hedgerows. The Climate Change Committee (CC) 2019 report recommends extending hedges by 40% to help the UK to reach its goal of net carbon zero by 2050. In the UK it is estimated that we have approximately 435,000 miles of hedgerows, which is longer than the road network, and laid end to end would circle the world over 15 times.

WILDLIFE CORRIDORS

Approximately 70% of the UK is in agricultural use, with hedgerows forming the green boundaries. Biodiversity has sadly plummeted over the previous decades and whilst this fall can be attributed to many factors, the efficiency of modern farming through the chemicalization of our countryside has certainly played a significant role. Life, thankfully, still thrives in the field margins, the hedgerows and in the remaining ‘unproductive’ land. These areas provide food, shelter and essential wildlife corridors for a large diversity of flora and fauna.

Full sized trees in hedges provide even more habitats. Hedgehogs, harvest mice, voles and many species of reptiles amongst others use hedgerows for food and shelter, and in addition they are a focal point for bird nesting for species such as the blue tit. Small mammals that are vulnerable to predation in open fields use the linear hedgerows as safe corridors to move about and extend genetic diversity. Indeed, our hedgerows allow the movement and population of different areas by a myriad of species. Other species rely on the fruits and flowers of hedgerow species, just as we enjoy their fruits at this time of year.

NATURE’S SUPERHIGHWAY

The humble hedgerow really is a superhighway for nature and provides us with enormous benefits in addition to those already discussed. These include pollution absorption, flood prevention, soil erosion reduction, shelter for livestock, wind protection and biosecurity. How do we love our hedgerows? We celebrate all that they provide on so many levels, and do what we can to protect and improve these vital habitats for the future by stepping back, putting away the tools and allowing them to break free from their conventional confines. We are excited about what they will become.

Martin Williams, Head of Nature Connection