Who says hedgelaying is a dying craft? Not us!

BBOWT volunteer Nigel Williamson explains why the ancient art of hedgelaying is still as vital for wildlife and conservation as ever

Hedgelaying is a traditional country skill and art form, used for hundreds of years to maintain healthy, stock-proof hedgerows in the UK. It involves partially cutting down young trees so they can lie at an angle while still growing from the base. This allows the hedges to become thicker and healthier than a standard trimmed hedge.

Hedgelaying diversifies the rural habitat and a well-laid hedge can offer both a prime habitat and a safe corridor for many birds and small mammals.

Hedgelaying was first recorded by Julius Caesar nearly 2,000 years ago, when he described encountering thick, woven hedges in Belgium. Hedgelaying declined after the 1939-1945 war due to many factors such as the availability of labour, the introduction of machines to cut hedges, wire fences and changes in agriculture that placed emphasis on production.

By the 1960s hedges were declining at an alarming rate. Lack of maintenance meant that hedges became tall and gappy with sparse growth at the base; in effect a line of trees. Many hedges were grubbed out to make larger fields that could be more efficiently managed by bigger machinery. This led to a loss in biodiversity and connectivity for wildlife across the rural landscape.

BBOWT volunteers creating a hedgerow using traditional hedgelaying techniques at the Nature Discovery Centre (NDC) in Thatcham. Picture: Pete Hughes

Like so much in life we learn by our mistakes. It is all about creating a balance. It took many years before legislation was introduced to protect hedgerows and attention was once again drawn to hedgerow management techniques.

The local BBOWT hedgelaying team in Berkshire started in 2018 after two of their number went on a practical hedgelaying course and then needed a hedge to try their newfound skills on. The group have since laid hedges at Greenham Common, Moor Copse, the Nature Discovery Centre, and Inkpen Common.

There are different styles of hedgelaying across parts of the UK. Each style has been developed over many years to cope with the climate of the area, different farming practices and the type of trees and shrubs that grow in the hedge.

Hedges consist of different species of trees and bushes including hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, oak, sycamore, ash and field maple and others. So they need to be treated by different techniques which gives rise to the many varied styles across the country. There are more than thirty styles recorded in the UK plus others in Europe.

The photographs below are of one of the hedges the team tackled at the Nature Discovery Centre. The first shows the many gaps appearing at the bottom of the hedge.