Traditional hedge restoration success on a Suffolk Farm

A hedge recently restored with Defra backing by the traditional technique of laying has just come into bloom, enhancing the beauty of rural Suffolk and providing a valuable habitat for wildlife.

The hedge work is part of a package of improvements being carried out in Finningham near Stowmarket by land owner Trevor Cracknell as part of a Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) Agreement with Defra.

As part of the agreement new hedges have been planted, ponds cleaned out and an area of neglected riverside grassland fenced to allow extensive sheep grazing. The reintroduction of grazing will improve the grassland for wildlife and, set against the backdrop of Finningham Church, will enhance the natural landscape.

Trevor Cracknell said:

"Birds have already started to nest in the hedge and the pond I restored this winter is full of frog and toad spawn. The support and advice of Defra has been invaluable in planning the work.''

Chris Hainsworth of Defra's Rural Development Service, who was involved in the project said:

"The technique is quite brutal and involves cutting almost right through the trunk then pushing the shrubs over, so it's always a relief when Spring arrives and the flowers and leaves show the work was a success".

The Countryside Stewardship Scheme supports the restoration of many kilometres of hedges across the region by coppicing and laying.

These traditional techniques involve initially cutting the hedges right back. Chris Hainsworth added:

"It really is a case of being cruel to be kind. It is amazing how resilient hedges are - within three to five years a thin old hedge, which had a poor wildlife value, will be thick and bushy. This is a great advantage for linnets or goldfinches trying to nest out of the reach of predators''.

Will Foss, an experienced hedge layer, who carried out the work,

said:

"I harvested the stakes and binders for the project from locally sustainably managed coppiced woods. Because the hedge is adjacent to a public footpath I spent a lot of time discussing traditional techniques and wildlife with passing walkers and have received a lot of positive comment about the finished work."