HEDGEROWS FOR DORMICE improving wildlife corridors Spring 2011 newsletter Hello all, The past two and a half years have flown by, and in March 2011 the Hedgerows for Dormice initiative came to the end of its Countdown 2010 grant from Natural England. Please read on to find out what we’ve been up to and some highlights of our successes - we have been working with a lot of organisations and landowners mapping and surveying hedgerow highways in our target areas and have certainly gone a good way down Hedgerows for Dormice (HfD) was set To assess the condition of the selected the road to providing a model that up in order to restore hedgerows hedgerows we trained 260 survey can be built on and developed around dormouse sites and thus volunteers at 12 regional workshops. locally to continue to improve help to fulfil Biodiversity Action Plan 174 of these volunteers (67%) were hedgerows for dormice as well as (BAP) targets for both the hazel then allocated a host of other species. dormouse and hedgerows. HfD counties hedgerows to survey and an We couldn’t have acheived In order to do this we first had Surrey amazing 70 people anything without the help of all to select which counties to Dorset (27% of those our volunteers and participating work in (sadly we didn’t have Essex trained) undertook landowners though, so to the time to cover everywhere!), Shropshire surveys and everyone who has taken part we find out where dormice had Kent returned the data would like to say a huge thank you already been found and then Cumbria back to us. for all your hard work! pick out key dormouse ‘record Berkshire hotspots’ within which to Oxfordshire Whilst the drop We hope you have enjoyed the focus on improving hedgerow Bedfordshire in numbers of experience too! connections. We then used aerial Buckinghamshire volunteers who photographs to identify the Hertfordshire completed surveys Best wishes, best routes between the was disappointing, dormouse woodlands, connecting it was not totally unexpected - we up as many woodland parcels as understand how hard it can be to find possible using existing hedgerows the time to volunteer and that life can as corridors. get in the way! We recognise also that some volunteers were put off by the The HfD Mapping Officer Lauren survey methodology and the amount Alexander has been hard at of information we needed to collect work, ably assisted by a small in order to assess the hedgerows fully team of mapping volunteers, and and in line with the Defra standards. has digitally mapped 2105km of priority hedgerows in 32 such ‘record A massive thank you to everyone Jim and Lauren hotspots’ throughout 11 counties. who did return survey forms, but It wasn’t an easy task by any means, even if you didn’t we are grateful The Hedgerows for Dormice team since what appears to be a hedgerow that you took time to come along to from an aerial photograph may in our workshop. We hope everyone [email protected] fact just be a ditch or a fenceline with that attended now finds themselves some tall vegetation! looking at hedges in a new light. Results for the whole survey indicate that only 14.3% of hedgerows were in favourable condition, rising to 28.4% if nutrient enrichment is excluded as a factor. Hedgerows most commonly failed on excessive gappiness - 42% failed because the base of the canopy was too high off the ground and 28% failed because they had more than 10% gaps or any gaps over 5m wide. Considering that the majority of hedges are shrubby (66%) rather than lines of trees (10%) our results suggest that the biggest problems for hedgerows are intensive what did the surveys show us? management and neglect, leading to them becoming gappy and/or leggy. The priority hedgerows that we less clear for this criterion. Also, our Hedgerows in such condition need to focused on only comprise a small survey period extended over a time be rejuvenated by coppicing or laying proportion of the hedges in a of year when the nutrient enrichment to encourage new growth from the particular county or region, but some base, along with having larger gaps 97 useful information can be obtained 100 filled by new planting. 90 92 from this snapshot survey. 76 72 80 Our results are in keeping with those 54 The majority of hedgerows in all 60 58 of the Countryside Survey 2007 and survey areas were classic shrubby 40 the Local Hedgerow Survey Review hedges in poor condition. Dorset 28 2006-2008, which respectively 20 had the highest proportion (74%) of %passing criteria reported that 31% and 41.7% of species rich hedgerows, consisting 0 hedgerows were in favourable of five or more woody native species, condition. Hedgerows in the Survey and Surrey the smallest (34%). The Review were also failing because of highest proportion of hedgerows excessive gappiness but our survey Dimensions: in favourable condition, according suggests that perhaps the problem is to the Defra condition assessment, length: along Gaps even more serious. Basal canopy height: Nutrient enrichment: Nutrient Undisturbed ground: was in the cluster of counties we nutrient enrichment: loosely termed ‘Chilterns’ (Berkshire, excluding criteria all Passed Isolated hedgerow trees also provide Recently-introduced species: Recently-introduced Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, cover: vegetation Herbaceous important breeding and foraging Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire - The proportion of HfD hedges passing each habitat for wildlife, including moths 24.8%) and the lowest in Surrey favourable condition attribute 40 (6.6%). This figure rises if you exclude 40 nutrient enrichment as a factor in determining species (nettles, cleavers the assessment, which some surveys and docks) would not always have 30 choose to do as the thresholds are far been present anyway. 21 20 % 15 12 8 Surrey Essex Shropshire Dorset Cumbria ‘Chilterns’ Kent Total 10 3 No. of hedges 137 88 68 27 80 113 74 587 0 surveyed <5cm: 5-20cm: >100cm: % shrubby 50.4 51.1 70.6 88.9 88.8 69.0 71.6 66.1 20-60cm: Unknown: 60-100cm: Size class (cm DBH) % line of trees 23.4 9.1 11.8 0.0 7.5 1.8 1.4 9.7 Isolated hedgerow trees by size class % shrubby with line 25.5 39.8 17.6 11.1 3.8 29.2 27.0 24.0 of trees and bats. Modelling undertaken by Forest Research indicates that at % species rich 34.3 51.1 55.9 74.1 60.0 62.8 51.4 52.3 least 45% should be below 20cm in % favourable 6.6 15.9 22.1 14.8 10.0 24.8 8.1 14.3 diameter at breast height (DBH) for condition the hedgerow tree population to remain stable. In the HfD survey only % favourable 13.9 28.4 42.6 25.9 11.3 47.8 32.4 28.4 24% of isolated hedgerow trees were condition if nutrient smaller than 20cm, indicating a need enrichment for planting or better recruitment of excluded young trees into hedgerows. spotlight on a hedgerow surveyor name: Robin Cottrill county: Essex number of hedges surveyed: 43 total length of hedges surveyed: 7.5km! how did you find the surveys? The training was really good but I found a lot of my hedges didn’t fit easily into a simple category so in these cases I had to draw a diagram. The four-page forms were a little difficult to handle in management workshops and feedback wet or windy conditions, but apart from that it was a great project with a hugely to landowners worthwhile aim. The information gained from the advice provided by our local what were your high points? hedgerow surveys also enabled us partners in Natural England, Sunny autumn days with lots of unusual to contact landowners and land Farming and Wildlife Advisory bird sightings. Also, being privileged to managers, invite them to attend a Group (FWAG), the RSPB, Kent walk around farms I couldn’t otherwise Hedgerow Management Workshop Wildlife Trust and The West have accessed. in their county, and provide them Weald Landscape Partnership. with lots of information regarding Environmental Stewardship and any low points? the condition of their hedges and is the scheme administered We did most of our surveying in the best practice advice on future by the government which autumn/early winter so have memories management. provides payments for of lashing rain and high wind, farmers and landowners who sheltering under spindly trees and even Sixteen workshops took place across manage agricultural land in an sub-zero temperatures and snow! the HfD project range, attended by environmentally friendly way. 180 landowners and land managers We are delighted that several of who were interested in learning about our workshop attendees have already HfD and whether or not they are in hedgerow management, dormice and been successful in entering new favourable condition. We also sent out hedgerow wildlife in general. Nigel stewardship agreements. Hedgelink packs along with our own Adams from the National Hedgelaying advice leaflets so that they are armed Society gave a fascinating overview All landowners who we obtained with lots of useful information! of the ’Hedgerow Management contact details for and who had Cycle’ at all of the workshops, which hedgerows surveyed were provided advises on the best management with feedback whether or not they for each stage of a hedgerow’s were able to attend a workshop. development to ensure its longevity We sent bespoke maps of their area and healthy condition. We also highlighting which hedgerows were discussed hedgerow options under in our priority ‘dormouse highway,’ Environmental Stewardship, with whether they have been surveyed by the importance of teamwork The HfD project was made possible their fields to restore the nation’s Partnership, the RSPB and all other by good partnership working, green veins; conservation agencies Hedgelink partners; and of course which is the keystone of successful and groups who worked with us, all the dedicated volunteers too conservation practice: landowners especially Natural England, The numerous to name but who were and land managers who allowed National Hedgelaying Society, FWAG, involved in surveying, landowner us access to survey hedgerows, The Wildlife Trusts (especially Surrey, liaison, hedge planting and attended workshops to learn new Kent, BBOWT and Cumbria), Surrey management, GIS mapping and data ways of management and took to Dormouse Group, Essex Biodiversity entry.