Why are hedgerows important?

Over the past half a century, industrial farming practices have spread across much of the British countryside. As a result, the UK has lost many of its hedgerows. By making space for larger vehicles and enabling the mass mechanisation of post-war farming, the government has overseen a dramatic reduction in the number of hedges on farmland. In some cases, 50% of hedgerows had been destroyed (Organic Research Centre).

It's taken a lot of work to bring them back. With an estimated half a million miles of hedgerow back in the UK, it’s still vital that we protect and replant our hedgerows both at home and on our farmland.

On this page, learn more about the amazing benefits that hedges provide and how you can help to protect them.

Benefits of hedgerows for wildlife

The UK’s hedgerows bustle with life. In fact, 130 of the wildlife species listed as priorities under the government’s Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) live and thrive in hedgerows, including:

• the harvest mouse
• foraging bats
• roosting birds

Hedgehogs also call hedgerows home. As the name suggests, hedgerows are a really important habitat for the European hedgehog. As omnivores, hedgehogs thrive on the dietary offerings that hedgerows provide - mice, frogs, worms, caterpillars, slugs, and toads, as well as plants and fruits. What's more, hedgerows provide a safe shelter for hedgehogs to move around, and hibernate during the winter. Hedgehogs are an important indicator species. This means that their health is reflective of our ecosystem's health in general. A decline in hedgehogs is, in turn, likely to reflect a reduction in vital habitats, and the insect population too.

Hedgerows are filled with other plants, which help support wildlife too. For example, brambles, which produce a sweet nectar that helps sustain bees and butterflies, and berries in autumn, which feed birds like song thrushes and yellowhammers.

Benefits of hedgerows for soil

Hedgerows play an important role on farmland. They ensure soils stay healthy and reduce the impacts of drought and flooding.

Water run-off from fields can be a big problem on farms. During periods of heavy rainfall, a deluge can wash fertile farming soil away, into rivers and seas. 1 inch of soil takes over 500 years to form, so protecting it is really important.

Around 3 million tonnes of topsoil are lost in the UK every year (Sustainable Food Trust). It is estimated, that soil degradation and erosion in England and Wales cost £1.2 billion every year (The state of the environment: soil, 2019).

Hedgerows act as a barrier at the margins of farmers’ fields to prevent this soil from being lost.

Similarly, keeping the land covered with the canopies of hedgerows, trees, and cover crops helps farmers reduce the impact that direct rainfall has on the land.

What's more, the deep root structures of hedges and trees on farmland also help to keep soil firmly in place. This reduces the risk of it being blown away and eroded during dry months and high winds.

Benefits of hedgerows for the climate

There is a growing consensus that hedgerows can make a real contribution to the UK's target of producing net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The diverse range of plant life in hedges can also help combat climate change by storing carbon in their vegetation.

Implementing more agroforestry (trees on farms) across the UK will be an important part of the UK’s reforestation efforts.

Another reason hedgerows are a vital tool in the fight to slow down climate change is that healthier soils store more carbon. The impact of erosion on unhealthy soils means that they can quickly become a source of carbon dioxide emissions. By maintaining good root structures and covering the land through hedges and trees, farmers can help develop stronger, more fertile soils.

How can I help?

There are lots of ways individuals can help, from planting more hedges at home to being mindful when you forage.

Plant more hedges at home

Hedges aren’t just important for wildlife on farms. In urban and residential areas, they provide a safe habitat for wildlife to nest, breed, hibernate and travel, and offer a crucial food source in months of scarcity. If you’re planning changes to your garden at home, or are making plans for a new home, consider a hedgerow rather than a fence.

Which type of hedges should I plant for wildlife?

Different hedge sizes, types and features are beneficial to different species. To optimise your hedges for wildlife, include a varied range to attract a wider range of wildlife. A good shrub layer and growth at the base can benefit many species, including hedgehogs, amphibians and reptiles. Choose native plant species as these help to attract UK wildlife.

Soil Association's top choices for hedgerow plants and trees are:

• hawthorn – a very popular choice for hedgerows, hawthorn grows very densely, and provides a good home for mammals like hedgehogs, toads and birds. They also produce juicy red berries, which are popular with blackbirds and thrushes.

• sea buckthorn – this spiny, native UK plant is mostly found in coastal regions. Displaying bright orange berries in autumn, buckthorn provides an important food source for birds over the winter.

• crab apple – this fruit tree is great for nesting birds, as well as pollinators and a variety of insects. The tree's bitter fruits are also eaten by small birds and mammals.

• wild cherry – these beautiful, blossoming trees look great as part of a hedgerow, and are great for pollinators too. The cherries they produce are popular with birds.

• elder – dormice and voles enjoy elderberries, whilst the flowers provide a source of nectar for pollinators.

Other top tips for maximising your garden hedges for wildlife:

• don’t tidy too much - leave leaf litter and seed heads along the ground as these provide a home for insects

• trim in winter, not in nesting season (between March and August). Trimming your hedgerows in the wrong season can disrupt this vital habitat and possibly cause damage to nesting sites.

Be mindful when foraging

Summer and autumn are the perfect times for foraging. But remember, however tasty these herbs and berries are, they’re also a shared food source for other creatures. Make sure not to take more than you need and leave plenty for wildlife.

Support agroecological farming, like organic

Whilst many hedgerows are protected by law, the activity that occurs around them is having a big impact. 41% of Britain's wildlife species have declined since 1970 and 15% are currently facing extinction (State of Nature, 2019). Intensive farming practices, and pesticide use in particular, are named as some of the leading drivers of these declines.

By championing and supporting those who are reducing their use of pesticides, like organic farmers, we can turn our hedgerows back into a haven for our wildlife.

Support our work as a charity

The Soil Association is busy campaigning for greater government support to help farmers adopt agroecological farming methods. Alongside our policy lobbying work, our Innovative Farmers program supports farmers of all kinds to run on-farm field labs, trialling techniques such as agroforestry, which can enable farmers to plant more trees and hedgerows on their farms.