They provide shelter for birds and insects, keep the soil healthy and even contribute to the fight against climate change.
Due to their importance to the English countryside, scientists have now created the most comprehensive maps of England’s hedgerows to date.
The scientists used LiDAR – a technology that emits light pulses to create 3D images – to identify the locations of the hedges and measure their height.
According to the results, there are 240,000 miles (390,000 km) of mature hedgerows in England – enough to circle the Earth almost ten times.
Counties with the most hedgerows are Cornwall, Somerset and Derbyshire, while the counties with the fewest hedgerows are Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.
According to the results, the southwest has the highest hedge density. Greater London and the North East have the least
Hedgerows have been an integral part of our rural landscape since the Bronze Age. Traditionally, they mark boundaries and keep livestock inside. Pictured: hedgerows in Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire
“Hedgerows are not only an intrinsic part of England’s rural heritage, they can also be a real asset in helping to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises,” says project leader Dr Richard Broughton from the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology.
‘The new map allows us to see where hedgerows are scarce and identify locations for targeted planting and restoration efforts, connecting habitats and improving the hedgerow network.
‘It can also be used to estimate the potential amount of carbon that hedgerows can remove from the atmosphere and store.’
The LIDAR data has been collected over five years as part of a mapping project across England led by the Environment Agency.
According to the results, the South West has the highest density of hedgerows, led by Cornwall with an average of 5.1 km (3.1 miles) in one square kilometre.
Apart from the major urban areas of Greater London and the West Midlands, the lowest densities are found in Surrey (1.2 km), Hampshire (1.5 km) and Berkshire (1.7 km).
Depicted is the density of hedges (1-6 meters high) per province. Cornwall, Somerset and Derbyshire have the most hedges, while Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire have the fewest
The photo shows the team’s elevation data across hedgerows in the Lincolnshire landscape
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) uses light in the form of a pulsed laser aimed at the ground
Most English hedges, both managed and unmanaged, are between one and six meters high, the project found.
There are 242,000 miles (390,000 km) of such hedges in England – almost 10 times the circumference of the Earth (24,901 miles/40,075 km).
But the LiDAR also identified another 67,000 kilometers of vegetation lines under 1 meter, possibly damaged, pruned or newly planted hedges.
Another 185,000 kilometers above six meters include mature hedgerow trees and overgrown hedgerows that have become rows of young trees.
The scientists are calling for greater appreciation of hedgerows, which have been part of the rural landscape since the Bronze Age, traditionally defining boundaries and keeping livestock.
Not only do they contain hundreds of plant species, but they also act as homes for insects, nestlings and small mammals such as hedgehogs, harvest mice and even foraging bats.
Like other vegetation, they can also capture and store large amounts of carbon, which helps in the fight against global warming.
England’s intricate network of hedgerows and the role they play in nature may be underappreciated
Sadly, around half of Britain’s hedgerows were lost between the 1940s and 1990s, especially in England, due to overdevelopment and agricultural intensification.
Although losses have decreased in recent years, there is a new threat: a lack of maintenance, resulting in holey covers.
There may also be a lack of care on the part of municipalities, resulting in hedges being cut down without much thought.
Dr. Broughton hopes that advances in satellite and drone technologies will improve the quality and availability of hedgerow mapping.