 | Hedgerow Survey |  |
| Background For many years farmers were encouraged & financially rewarded to increase the productivity of their land & allied with the need to accommodate larger machinery, this inevitably resulted in the removal of many hedgerows. Nowhere more so than in Occold! This was undoubtedly a factor in the dramatic reductions in the numbers of many, once common wildlife species. In some areas where hedges & ditches have been removed the incidence of seasonal windblow of soil, or waterlogging has increased & the communities now realise the value of these historic assets. Unfortunately many of the hedges, which remain, are kept narrow; again to minimise the area lost to agriculture & because of a mechanised cutting regime. These ‘over managed’ hedgerows although still a feature in the landscape, are of little value for wildlife. Until the hedgerow legislation was introduced in 1997 local authorities, although they clearly had concerns, had no control over the removal of hedgerows. That legislation, which was subsequently amended in an attempt to rectify a number of flaws, has clearly brought considerable protection, particularly to hedgerows, which are species rich or of historical importance. By the time the legislation was introduced, much of the loss had already occurred & there have in fact been relatively few applications for hedgerow removal, under the new provisions. Although it is evident that many hedgerows have been removed, because the activity was not subject to any regulation, there is no accurate record of what remains. Volunteers needed | The objective is to build up a record of all the landscape hedgerows present & to log details of different species of shrubs & trees, which go to make up each hedge. The results are a benchmark document for our parish records & the details also go to the Suffolk Biological Records Centre to create a scientific baseline for the benefit of our hedgerow heritage & the inheritance for future generations. There are also practical benefits for the community, the Council & for landowners & farmers. We are now most anxious to find some volunteers to get Occold added to the active list & this is written to invite anyone who would possibly be interested (or knows someone who might be) to contact us. We know there are parishioners who are enthusiasts in the environment & you don’t need special skills or previous experience, nor does it take up a lot of time & it does not cost you anything. Ideally we need volunteers who can get around the parish to survey the hedges & others who can do plotting work on maps, paperwork, computing & liaison work, all of which takes up little time. The survey is really good fun & teams of 2 or 3 find it very enjoyable, gentle exercise, interesting & rewarding. We can provide all the information you need, including training & the minimum commitment we ask for is 5 half days per year, May to October from each surveyor. The survey would normally be completed within 2 years, so there is no stress or tight deadlines to be met. It is not necessary in order to be part of the survey, but if you would like to attend (free of charge) a 20 minute talk on how to complete the survey sheet and 2½ hours practical field experience surveying hedgerows at Thornham Field Centre on Saturday 19th May 9.15am, please contact John Hewitson, 01 678 020 john@hewitson24.freeserve.co.uk |