Hedgerows - A Special British Habitat
Hedgerows are one of many habitats that are a result of both natural and man-made activity. Hedges were created by people for utilitarian reasons - to prevent livestock escaping from fields and to mark out boundaries of land owned by various landowners or belonging to parishes. But hedges, especially the older ones, consist of native woodland species and have become a valuable wildlife resource and an amenity that we now cherish and seek to protect.
Hedgerow Conservation
|
A hedge in West London |
A useful introduction to hedgerow conservation can be found on the web site of 'Andrew' which discusses issues such as :
- Why do we still need hedgerows?
- The threats that hedgerows face.
- Maintenance of healthy hedgerows.
- Trimming.
- Hedge Laying.
- Coppicing.
- Headland.
- Hedgerow Legislation.
Legislation
There is now legislation which seeks to protect hedgerows. See DEFRA site for details. In simple terms, a landowner who wishes to remove a hedgerow of greater then 20 metres in length must first apply to the local planning authority (usually the district council) for planning permission. If the hedge is shown to be significant in terms of its age, environmental or historical importance, then the planning authority can refuse such permission and take further measures to protect the hedgerow.
Hedgerow surveys
The 1997 regulations specify how to survey a hedge so as to determine whether it merits legal protection. See DEFRA site for details. But the most interesting and important feature of hedge is the variety of (native) woodland species it contains. In an astonishing piece of research and scholarship, Pollard, Hooper and Moore showed that the age of a hedge correlates well with the number of woody species. The age of a hedge in hundreds of years is approximately equal to the number of woody species per 30 yard stretch. So if there are 7 species, the age of the hedge is about 700 years. The number of woody species, and hence the age of the hedge, is the primary criterion used to determine the conservation value and legal protection for a hedge.
Hedges in West London
As West London gradually covered the fields of Middlesex and Surrey, the majority of hedgerows were lost. Thankfully some remain, mainly in the tracts of land that were kept open by far-sighted citizens in the 20th century. You may be able to obtain information on hedgerows in individual boroughs via our contacts page. Information for the borough of Ealing or Hounslow can be found here:
Practical work
Laying hedges is an interesting and satisfying activity for volunteers. Richmond BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) offers the chance to learn hedgelaying skills. (Go to 'conservation' link on left hand side and then to the BTCV link.) There are opportunities to do hedge-laying in many local sites, such as Perivale Wood.
Characteristic plants and animals
There are a number of plants and animals which are characteristic of hedgerows. A number of these - usually the more obvious, 'popular', or rare species - have been selected as 'flagship species'. For the boroughs of Ealing and Hounslow, they are:
|
Sparrow |
- midland hawthorn
- wild service tree
- spindle
- stag beetle
- song thrush
- pipistrelle bat
- house sparrow
- whitethroat
Links
Other habitats
Habitat Action Plans
Back to West London biodiversity contacts
Back to Biodiversity introduction