Hedgerows are an undervalued resource and are in danger of being lost from our towns, cities and countryside.
Britain’s hedgerows stretch over 700,000km – 1.5 times the distance to the moon! – but in the last 75 years the UK has lost 50% of its hedgerows, and what we do have left is being removed and mismanaged at an alarming rate. Our relationship with hedgerows needs to change urgently as we face up to the dual biodiversity and climate crises in the coming years.
Why hedgerows matter
Hedgerows offer us countless benefits, from boosting biodiversity, absorbing carbon and improving air quality to improving our wellbeing, cooling our cities and forming a key part of our cultural heritage.
They also form the UK’s largest wildlife habitat and have a crucial role to play in halting biodiversity decline and tackling climate change. Our relationship with hedgerows needs to change urgently as we face up to the dual biodiversity and climate crises in the coming years.
Working to conserve our hedgerows
For them to have a healthy future, hedgerows need the support of a range of people and organisations, from farmers and planners to environmentalists and local communities. Through our work with Hedgelink and the Life on the Hedge programme, The Tree Council aims to protect and conserve our hedgerows for the future.
