| The traditional hedgerow is an institution of the British | | | | of the 1997 Hedgerow Regulations that demand the |
| countryside and as well as its practical application, is | | | | application for a removal notice for any hedgerow |
| one of the most important parts of our horticultural | | | | exceeding thirty years of age. There are hedgerows |
| heritage and is becoming an important consideration in | | | | in the UK that date back from before the Enclosure |
| environmentally aware garden design. | | | | Acts period - 1720 - 1840 and it is a dreadful thought |
| Host to an eclectic variety of British wildlife, such as | | | | that this precious rural heritage is potentially being |
| the Brown Hare, the Song Thrush, the Doormouse and | | | | destroyed. |
| the Stag Beetle and wild flowers such as the Bluebell | | | | The other major contributor to the hedgerow's decline |
| and Ragged Robin, our hedgerows are also a cost | | | | is the dreaded Elm Bark Beetle. This is a carrier |
| effective and eco-friendly land and garden divider. | | | | species of Dutch Elm disease (named after its initial |
| However, this ubiquitous staple of the British | | | | discovery in the Netherlands and origins in East Asia) |
| countryside, is actually a species under threat and | | | | which is a fungal disease that destabilises or 'flags' the |
| between 1940 and 1990, the common hedgerow | | | | branch structure of the Elm species. Not being a native |
| underwent a dramatic decline; predominantly due to | | | | disease, our UK hedgerows had no resistance to this |
| human influence. More worryingly, the cornucopia of | | | | disease during the initial epidemics of the 1970's and |
| British wildlife that used to thrive in these hedgerows is | | | | 80's and huge numbers of Elm trees and Elm related |
| suffering from the decrease in natural habitat. A | | | | hedgerows were lost to the disease. |
| combination of increased urbanisation, a rise in the | | | | In response to this rapid decline, two organisations in |
| intensity of farming and therefore field size, | | | | South London, Great Britain, the BCS (Bromley |
| overgrazing by livestock and improper maintenance | | | | Countryside Service) and BBAP (Bromley Biodiversity |
| have all had a detrimental effect on our hedgerows. | | | | Action Plant), are putting a plan in place to recruit and |
| Another key human factor is the collective ignorance | | | | educate the general public in hedgerow conservation. |