Hedge Trimming

[pavman]

On the way into work today some beautiful Hawthorne hedges have been cut with what I assume is flaying chains, Mess all over the road for 1 ½ miles bits missed out all over the place, just at the time birds are looking to nest, and the hedge was coming into bud.

 

Why on earth would you do that? It looks absolutely terrible its not like the hedge was very over grown either. On Sunday I watched a very good prog about organic farming and how the new stewardship scheme promotes a more nature friendly husbandry of the countryside, guess my local farmer never watched it, what a pity!

 

pavman

[johnskevena]

They are cutting all the hedges round my way now as well. :<

Some people just dont have a clue :o

[Dunkield]

I often think that when I see those hedges, but remarkably they do recover, they just look a complete mess for a few weeks. I guess it is the difference in cost of whipping along with a tractor versus getting a bloke with a trimmer to do it :o

[SNAKEBITE]

I often think that when I see those hedges, but remarkably they do recover, they just look a complete mess for a few weeks. I guess it is the difference in cost of whipping along with a tractor versus getting a bloke with a trimmer to do it :o

You got it.

A 4 mile stretch of road connecting our town with the next is lined with hedges that get butchered every year. The cost is the overiding factor every time.

[johnskevena]

The cost as always is the main factor as always by local councils but surely one of them must know that the birds have started building nests in these hedges and they come along and chop them down which i am sure is illegal as this interferes with a wild birds nest

[hawkeye]

Is it local councils that are doing it.

One of my farmers told me last year that they are not allowed to cut hedges before the end of may because of birds nesting.

wether this is true or not i cannot say but he is a bit of a bird fanatic...... :o :( :( :( :( :blink:

[Andy75]

oops..working for one of the biggest UK hedge cutting machinery manufacturers, this doesn't sound nice at all! ( www.bomford-turner.com )

And by law, they should not be cutting hedgerows after the end of February.

 

Getting a "bloke with a trimmer to do it" is not a viable option at all, cost or time-wise.

 

 

Edit to add : Under the Stewardship scheme, hedges STILL have to be kept trimmed and presentable, but iirc they are cut less often.

Edited April 4, 2006 by Andy75

[pavman]

And by law, they should not be cutting hedgerows after the end of February.

Andy

 

do you know how to access wording on the law of this I would be very interested

 

pavman

[Andy75]

Not really I'm afraid Pav - it is something that has definite wording from DEFRA tho to the farmers, so it should be in the public domain somewhere.

[Cranfield]

This is quite a useful reference, http://www.rspb.org.uk/countryside/legalis...ction/index.asp especially the links on the left hand side.

[scolopax]

I've always said the worst thing for the countryside was a bored farmer with a chain saw! Hundreds of years to grow and minutes to cut down. Big oaks cut down because of all the hassle involved with having to combine around them etc. Things are much better than back in the Seventies and early Eighties but it still happens occasionally.

 

Flail mowed hedgerows look a complete mess but they do grow back again.

[the pelt man]

I think the cutting is to coenside with people getting there Pushbikes out. :<

 

My Dad gets loads of Punctures this time of year. :o

 

 

The Pelt Man

[Andy75]

I think its more like skimping farmers use tatty old kit with blunt flails that make a mess of hedges. The professional contractors that cut hedges for a living (and whom tend to have more disposable £££) use top kit that is kept up to scratch, and produce very neat cuts.

Plus a debris blower always helps! (blows stuff from the road and verge back into the bottom of the hedgerow)

[Highlander]

COST every time. Two things though...in fox hunting country they tend to keep tyhe hedges properly laid but of course no one thinks of things like that when banning a sport :o and secondly watch your tyres, plenty of punctures from all those shards of hedge cuttings :( End of February is traditional (don't know about legal) time to stop hedge cutting. Like a lot of things to do with the countryside farmers have a (legal) obligation to keep hedges tidy especially along the highway.

[pavman]

This is quite a useful reference, http://www.rspb.org.uk/countryside/legalis...ction/index.asp especially the links on the left hand side.

This from the web link cranners helpfully provided, looks to me like unless you could prove a nest or nesting was being disturbed, and know of, their is little that could be done!

 

Other rules for hedge trimming

According to the best practice guidelines set out by the RSPB, hedges should never be cut during the nesting season of March to August (following a mild winter from February onwards).

 

Hedge trimming is best left until the end of the winter to leave the larder of fruits and nuts for wildlife. If it is not possible to carry out the trimming at this time, it can be brought forward as necessary. The most important consideration is to avoid trimming during the breeding season.

 

Unfortunately, there is no legislation to enforce these best practice guidelines. However, the guidelines are agreed by conservation groups and agriculture departments. Constraints on hedgerow management have been set out in the legally defined Codes of Good Farming Practice, which applies to all farmers participating in an agri-environment scheme or who are in receipt of Less Favoured Area payments.

 

Under these guidelines hedgerow trimming is not permitted between 1 March - 31 July in England and Scotland, 15 March - 31 August in Wales and 1 March - 31 August in Northern Ireland.

 

Source: Hedgerow protection wildlife information leaflet

2 February 2004