© Christine Johnstone (Licensed under CC BY 2.0). Kindly recommended by UKCEH. Note there is a clear abundance of species meeting the species-rich criteria set out below
The following is a short summary of the habitat type and how to create/enhance it to a "good" condition. For an informed position, please refer to official up-to-date UKHAB documentation or the UK Government's Condition Assessment Sheet.
A hedgerow is defined as any boundary line of trees or shrubs over 20m long and less than 5m wide at the base, provided that at one time the trees or shrubs were more or less continuous. It includes an earth bank or wall only where such a feature occurs in association with a line of trees or shrubs. This includes ‘classic’ shrubby hedgerows, lines of trees, shrubby hedgerows with trees and very gappy hedgerows (where each shrubby section may be less than 20m long, but the gaps are less than 20m) (Source: HM Government)
It is species rich if the structural species making up the 30m section of hedgerow include at least five (or at least four in northern and eastern England, upland Wales and Scotland) woody species that are either native somewhere in the UK, or which are archaeophytes), the hedgerow is defined as species-rich. Climbers and bramble do not count towards the total except for roses. Hedgerows that contain fewer woody species but have a rich basal herbaceous flora may also be defined as species-rich, but the criteria to define these have to be set on a local basis as there is no national definition (Source: HM Government)
How to Create / Enhance to a "Good" condition
If you are interested in enhancing or creating this habitat, you should consider the following (all recommended by CIEEM or HM Government):
How to get a "moderate" rating
In a management plan aiming to achieve ‘moderate’ condition the plan will show the following:
The hedgerow will be at least 80% native woody species.
The hedgerow will be 1.5m wide by 1.5m tall wherever possible and, if width and height options are restricted due to the hedgerow’s location, there will be undisturbed ground along the hedgerow’s length on one or both sides to allow grasses and wildflowers to grow.
The strip will be at least 1 metre in width (measured from the edge of the hedgerow growth, not the middle).
Steps will be taken to prevent damage being caused by human activities, such as inappropriate management or vandalism. If more than 10% of the hedgerow shows damage, there will be steps put in place to stop the damage from continuing and to undertake additional planting to replace any damaged hedgerow plants.
There shall be a continuous, dense natural boundary feature with no gaps in the canopy or lower parts of the hedgerow.
There will be no invasive non-native species (INNS) listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (as amended).
How to get a "good" rating
In addition to the characteristics for moderate condition, to get a ‘good’ condition the plan will show the following:
As soon as possible, steps will be taken to ensure that there is space to allow the hedgerow to grow at least 1.5m wide and 1.5m tall.
As soon as possible, there shall be a minimum of 1-metre-wide strip of undisturbed ground along the hedgerow length on one or both sides, for grasses and wildflowers to grow (measured from the edge of the hedgerow growth, not the middle).
Management regime shall ensure that species that indicate high nutrient levels in the soil, such as nettles Urtica spp., cleavers Galium aparine and docks Rumex spp take up less than 20% of the ground layer under the hedgerow.
If multiple trees are present
At least 95% of trees will be maintained in a healthy condition, with assessments of tree health from animals, pests, diseases, or human activity.
Useful Resources
If you are interested in enhancing or creating this habitat, you should consider the following (all recommended by CIEEM or HM Government):