Dorset hedgerows in decline says wildlife charity

According to the Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT), hedgerows provide habitat and food for up to 3,000 species of wildlife, including dormice, bats and hedgehogs and it needs to raise £30,000 to ensure work such as 1,000m of hedgelaying, 3,200m of hedgerow trimming and 1,300m of protective hedge fencing can be carried out this winter. Hedgerows have dramatically declined in the UK since WW2.

Rob Brunt, DWT’s Head of Land Management said, “Hedges are an iconic part of the Dorset landscape and they need to be managed properly if they are to continue to benefit wildlife. They are used as corridors for wildlife to travel through safely, provide shelter and homes, and are also an important source of food. Due to changes in our funding, we need to raise £30,000 to plant new hedgerows and maintain existing ones. Our concern is that already declining wildlife will suffer if we are unable to carry out this work.”

The State of Nature report, published in September 2016, revealed that many of our once common wildlife species are in decline, such as the hedgehog, which will benefit from good numbers of well-maintained hedgerows for protection, shelter and food.

Other vulnerably endangered species of wildlife, which depend on hedgerows include dormice, who need safe nesting and hibernating sites to survive the winter. 1,500 insects, 65 birds and 20 mammals, most species of bat and even the great crested newt all require a well-connected network of hedges to thrive in.

DWT also needs to plant new hedgerow trees to replace the trees which have been removed or severely damaged by disease. It is predicted that in the next 5-15 years the recent ash dieback disease (Chalara dieback) is expected to kill most ashes in Dorset. Ash trees are Dorset’s second most common hedgerow tree, which are vital to maintain the biodiversity of the hedgerow.

To find out more and support DWT’s winter hedgerow work, please visit www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/hedgerow