During the 20th century an estimated half of all hedgerows were lost from our countryside.
So why are we still ripping out these precious and often ancient wildlife corridors?
The UK’s Climate Change Committee says "extending hedges by 40% is one of the key changes needed to reach net-zero carbon by 2050."
The last hedgerow survey, in 2007, recorded 500,000km of hedgerow in the UK. Extending this by 40% would require the creation of 200,000km of new hedges across rural and urban landscapes – which equates to about half the length of Britain’s road network.
Why is this needed?
Hedges sequester carbon both in woody growth above ground and in roots, leaf litter and other soil organic matter at and below ground level. In addition, hedges across slopes capture eroding soil and can increase soil organic carbon for up to 60m uphill. In contrast to some of the other forms of carbon capture proposed in the report, hedges are a low-risk way of capturing carbon and provide multiple benefits.
The CCC report also explains that an increase in hedges “results in benefits to biodiversity through habitat creation […]and can help towards flood alleviation”. Hedges regulate air and water quality through intercepting pollutants, maintain essential diversity, and are already an important cultural landscape feature.
This video also reminds us of the benefits that hedgerows bring:
The UK has 500,000km of hedgerows - a highway network for wildlife pic.twitter.com/3RWq43TQn6
— Phoebe Weston (@phoeb0) January 10, 2021
And yet, we continue to lose hedgerow at an alarming rate.
Aggregate Industries' plans to quarry Straitgate Farm propose to grub up nearly 1500m of 'important' hedgerow – hedgerows up to 4m wide – hedgerows dating back hundreds of years – hedgerows that provide up to 6000m2 of habitat for protected bats and dormice.
#DidYouKnow that some British hedgerows are over 800 years old? In fact @HistoricEngland believes that as many as a quarter of all hedges in Devon are this ancient.
— The Tree Council (@TheTreeCouncil) January 11, 2021
This makes our hedgerows true #HeritageTreasures
Read more: https://t.co/Ic4af2zSly pic.twitter.com/PWQlKPP4N1
