Lay of the land: Ministers hack away at upland wildlife habitats

_Brian

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

A friend of mine had the same trouble so he went into the neighbours yard to have a word. Turns out the neighbour was having some health problems so he went in and pulled them himself. That winter the neighbour offered him the land to rent and he still has it rented from the man.

Fair enough. This lad has been farming this way for the 30 years I can remember and in that time the only change has been to inherit another ~20 acres which is being ran down too.
I wouldn't care about anything else other than the ragworth, it seeds everywhere so easily.

Birdnuts

ganmo wrote: »

yes regs dictate that we can't cut them, spray weeds or spread slurry near them. so without hedges we could ignore all that regulation.

now when I say weeds I include briars which can kill sheep as they go into the hedge for shelter get tied up in them and can't get out

note - when talking about cutting hedges we mean trimming them back not uprooting them. as it stands we can't destroy a hedge without planting one the same length before attacking the existing one

A well maintained stock-proof hedge is an asset on any farm, especcially livestock. Stock with no shelter from heat,rain,wind etc. will not thrive as well as those who have access to a well maintained hedge. Problems as you describe can be avoided by fencing off the hedge. Poorly maintained hedges are an issue in this country as the old skills of laying and coppicing a hedge properly have mostly been lost and as far as I can see most hedge contractors nowadays are utterly clueless when it comes to properly shaping,trimming etc. hedges. Most go for a crude slash job that often causes damage to the hedge structure, creating problems like excessive briar growth etc.

Chuchote

Birdnuts wrote: »

A well maintained stock-proof hedge is an asset on any farm, especcially livestock. Stock with no shelter from heat,rain,wind etc. will not thrive as well as those who have access to a well maintained hedge. Problems as you describe can be avoided by fencing off the hedge. Poorly maintained hedges are an issue in this country as the old skills of laying and coppicing a hedge properly have mostly been lost and as far as I can see most hedge contractors nowadays are utterly clueless when it comes to properly shaping,trimming etc. hedges. Most go for a crude slash job that often causes damage to the hedge structure, creating problems like excessive briar growth etc.

What plant mixtures would you recommend in good hedges?

Genghis Cant

Chuchote wrote: »

What plant mixtures would you recommend in good hedges?

I've put in a nice bit of hedging here.
Probably 75% Whitethorn mixed with Holly, beech, spindle, dog rose, green privet, Hazel, and blackthorn. It's getting into a lovely hedge, the Rose is great in it, great summer colour and great rosehips from now on.

ganmo

Birdnuts wrote: »

A well maintained stock-proof hedge is an asset on any farm, especcially livestock. Stock with no shelter from heat,rain,wind etc. will not thrive as well as those who have access to a well maintained hedge. Problems as you describe can be avoided by fencing off the hedge. Poorly maintained hedges are an issue in this country as the old skills of laying and coppicing a hedge properly have mostly been lost and as far as I can see most hedge contractors nowadays are utterly clueless when it comes to properly shaping,trimming etc. hedges. Most go for a crude slash job that often causes damage to the hedge structure, creating problems like excessive briar growth etc.

stockproof hedging needing to be fenced anyway? i don't see any hedge as stock proof. yes hedges are mostly an asset but there are some spots that suffer from over shading from the hedges
all hedging here is fenced with sheep wire, none were trimmed last year so they're fairly wild

i've been walking the hedges recently with a pliers in my pocket pulling briars that are growing out into the field good or bad i don't know but i just hate the fecking things

the crux of the problem is that farmers earn money by working the ground and harvesting crops be it grass, grain or vegetable thats their main focus many don't give a second thought to biodiversity or protected animals(well except the problem ones badger + deer). I see that as a failure of environmentalists to educate them of the habitats etc so that farmers can appreciate their workplace in a different way

Genghis Cant

ganmo wrote: »

stockproof hedging needing to be fenced anyway? i don't see any hedge as stock proof.

I think you're spot on. Even an established hedge wouldn't stand a chance if livestock had unfettered access.
We just fence with one strand of electric wire.