The significance of the humble hedgerow

by Janie Bickersteth

Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi words ‘You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’ are ringing through my head. How can we possibly care for our Earth if we don’t really know it?

The UK has lost almost half of its wildlife and plant species as a result of human and land development since the Industrial Revolution. The country is ranked in the bottom 10% in the world in terms of species depletion and the worst among G7 nations - how shameful is that?

I recently went on an interfaith weekend retreat with 20 other people, organised by the incredible St Ethelberga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, to plant a hedgerow in Wiltshire. 

I knew hedgerow depletion was significant but I hadn’t realised that we have lost around 50% of our hedgerows since WWII, having been ploughed up for commercial farming. A further 60% of the remaining hedgerows are in a very sorry state. 

What I didn’t fully comprehend was the importance of hedgerows - they create a diverse habitat for 125 of our most threatened species, providing food and shelter. Of course, it’s obvious, but only when I was on my hands and knees planting out skinny hawthorn, spindleberry, hazel and dog rose whips did I fully appreciate what this would mean to the future of the field I was working around.

Here are some fun facts about hedgerows:

The oldest known hedgerow in England is Judith's Hedge, Cambridgeshire, at over 900 years old

Hedgerows bordered ancient paths, often growing up to form an arch. These were known as ‘hollow ways’ (think Holloway Road in London!).

Figuring out the age of a hedgerow can be done as follows: 1. Choose a 30 metre length of hedge. 2. Count the number of species of trees and shrubs you find in it. 3. Multiply the number of species by 100. The answer is the approximate age of the hedge.

 A hedgerow takes around ten years to get established.