The humble hedgerow – a highway haven for wildlife

We have 110 miles of hedgerows on our ROOT ZERO farms! This is a wonderful interconnecting highway for our wildlife.

Not only do their deep roots help capture carbon, they also create vital habitats for many species of animals and provide a natural physical barrier that slows the flow of rainwater.

They also protect the land from strong winds and rain, which can cause soil erosion.

Because of this we decided to protect our hedgerows, implementing common practice on our hedgerows across our ROOT ZERO Farms.

A lot of the shrubs that grow in hedgerows only produce flowers, fruit and seeds in their second year of growth which means that they can only provide food for insects and birds
in the second year. Therefore, we let our hedgerows grow freely, only giving them a trim in the winter every 3 years. Some of them are restored using the skilful and traditional methods of coppicing or laying, work which ensures these age-old techniques remain part of our stewardship of our land.

These techniques are key to the survival of our hedgerows.

Due to the importance of our hedgerows, it’s been recommended by the UK’s Committee on Climate Change 2019 report that the UK’s hedgerow network be extended by 40% as part of the UK’s 2050 Net Zero target.