Background
In the late 1990s the
Suffolk Coastal Greenprint Forum began promoting
a voluntary hedgerow survey within the Suffolk Coastal area.
The Forum recognised that hedgerows represent a significant
wildlife habitat, but that for many years Government had encouraged
farmers to remove them in order to make agriculture more efficient
and to increase production. The Forum also recognised that little
information existed on how many hedgerows remained, their structure
and what hedgerow species were present.
A small working group of Forum members was asked to produce
guidance that could be used by any community or interest group to
undertake a parish-wide hedgerow survey. Called the 'Hedgerow
Pack', the guidance, which has been regularly updated, improved and
simplified in response to feedback from survey co-ordinators in the
parishes, explains how to establish a survey team and surveying to
an agreed standard.
The current position
The survey has been ongoing for over 11 years and the Working
Group decided that 2010 would be the last year it would offer full
training and support for new parishes wishing to take part and made
a concerted effort to encourage those that had not expressed an
interest to take part.
We hope that those parishes which are currently undertaking the
survey will complete by the end of 2010. Those which are just
starting up this year will have until the end of 2011 to complete
the survey.
By June 2010 a hundred and fifty three parishes had completed
their surveys of 20,096 hedgerows and the data, following an audit
by Guy Ackers, is being sent to the
Suffolk Biological Records Centre (new
window).
A further 141 parishes are currently undertaking the survey,
with many nearing completion and around 60 more are preparing to
start. These include 21 new parishes where volunteers were trained
at our final main training sessions at Lackford Lakes and at
Thornham Walks in May 2010. The Working Group is also offering
individual training to further parishes or groups of parishes
wishing to start up this summer.
Why the survey is being undertaken
Species rich hedgerows provide shelter for crops, are a feature in
the landscape and an important wildlife habitat in their own right,
as well as providing invaluable corridors for wildlife between
other habitats such as ponds and copses.
Until it is known what hedgerows we have, their hardwood species
content, age and structure, it is difficult to determine where the
priorities lie for enhancement, development and replanting. When
hedgerow planting and replanting takes place in a parish, the data
from the survey will give an immediate indication of what species
are best suited to a particular area.
The data can also be related to the Landscape Character
Assessment undertaken by Natural England and Suffolk County Council
and can help demonstrate the value of hedgerows in a particular
area. This may at best help ensure that sensitive sites remain
undeveloped, or if development has to proceed, that the hedgerows
are retained as part of the overall development pattern.
The Suffolk Biological Records Centre is already relating the
hedgerow data, to data it holds on the incidence of various species
and habitats, and clear correlations are already emerging between
landscape and species rich hedgerows to the favourable status of
those species and habitats.
Some experiences from the survey
Many communities have completed the survey and have commented on
how enjoyable the whole process has been and how it has brought the
community together. In several cases it has led to other
initiatives within the parish.
We have examples of small communities with a total population of
under 100 being able to recruit over a dozen surveyors to
successfully undertake the survey. We also have a few areas where
an individual has undertaken the survey of the whole parish in a
matter of a couple of months - whilst this is excellent and gets
the survey done, in most instances it is far better if the workload
is shared and it becomes a genuine community project.
On the negative side we also have some examples of often quite
large communities unable to find a single volunteer to either
co-ordinate the survey or work as a surveyor. We appreciate that
people are leading increasingly busy lives, but wish to stress that
the hedgerow survey, especially if a group of people share the
workload, need not be time consuming, can enable the participants
to see parts of their parish that they may never have seen before
and can be a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing experience.
A typical parish might have 150 hedgerows and a pair of
surveyors can easily survey 10 or more hedgerows on a weekend
afternoon of summer evening. With a team of half a dozen surveyors,
each team would only need to survey 50 hedges or 5 evenings over a
period of several months or even over two surveying seasons.
A few parish councils have been reluctant to become involved
because of the possible cost implications - we feel that parish
council support for the project in any community can be extremely
helpful, but is not essential if others are willing to undertake
the survey, for example the local Women's Institute or the parish
tree warden. There need be no cost to the community as the district
councils supporting the project provide all the materials required
apart from the volunteers time.
We are aware that some surveys have been completed on the
ground, but that the final mapping appears to be an obstacle to
completion. It is in reality quite simple and Guy Ackers, chairman
of the Suffolk Hedgerow Working Group, will be only too willing to
advise and assist - he has already helped a number of co-ordinators
overcome this hurdle.
What is involved?
Once a commitment to undertake the project is confirmed the
district council will send your co-ordinator a comprehensive
starter pack which includes the survey forms, maps and guidance
booklets for co-ordinators and for surveyors.
Whilst this may initially look quite daunting the survey is in
reality quite straight forward. The survey co-ordinator will
identify and number on a parish map (which will be provided) all
the boundaries in the parish. Surveyors will be allocated, or
volunteer to survey a specific group of hedges.
Once surveying from public access areas is complete the
co-ordinator will need to obtain the consent of landowners for
surveyors to go onto their land. Whilst a few landowners are
reluctant to co-operate, many are now becoming actively involved in
the survey and some are even volunteering to becoming
surveyors.
The survey involves walking the length of the hedge and
identifying all the woody species present. Surveyors will also need
to give an indication of the hedge structure and its relationship
to its surroundings. They must never voice criticism of how a hedge
is managed, but simply record what is there.
Training for co-ordinators and surveyors
Coordinators and surveyors have been trained how to undertake
the survey as every year the project has provided full
practical training for up to 250 volunteers. To date we have
trained roughly 1,400 volunteers at these formal training sessions
and many more at smaller local events. Once some volunteers from a
parish have been trained they can then of course pass on their
expertise to others in the team.
Our final main training sessions took place at Lackford Lakes
and Thornham Walks in May 2010. Working Group members are still
prepared to provide training sessions for groups of parishes in
their own area during this summer.
The project also produces two newsletters each year for each
district area (see below for the summer 2010 Newsletters) and these
are sent to every parish council and to every coordinator. Not only
do they show the state of play in each survey, but also provide
contact details of each coordinator for more effective networking -
adjoining parishes working together can be extremely effective.
What happens at the end of the survey?
When you complete your survey please contact Guy Ackers who will
arrange collection - we do not want completed surveys lost in the
post! Guy will check the survey and then pass it to the Suffolk
Biological Records Centre. It may also be copied for your district
and parish councils. As it is a snapshot at a certain point in time
and parishes recorders are increasingly interested in having a
permanent copy for the parish records.
How to get involved
In Suffolk Coastal there are only 6 parishes which are
definitely not undertaking the survey (Crettingham, Dennington, Hoo
and Monewden - where just two large landowners have denied access)
and Shottisham and Wantisden where there is little potential to
recruit volunteers.
There are also a small number of parishes, which have attempted
to undertake the survey, but for one reason or another have not
managed to get going. These are Chediston, Cookley and Walpole
(where surveyors have been trained, but every year since 2006 there
appears to be a new reason why the survey cannot proceed), Linstead
Magna, and Tunstall (which also had surveyors trained, but has put
off starting work for a number of years).
If you are in the Suffolk Coastal district and would like to
find out more about the Suffolk Hedgerow Survey and how you can
help by becoming a surveyor or co-ordinator please contact:
Anne Westover,
Landscape Officer, Suffolk
Coastal District Council.
Telephone 01394 444420 or email
anne.westover@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
Peter Ross,
Countryside Officer, Suffolk
Coastal District Council.
Telephone 01394 444619 or email
peter.ross@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
Guy Ackers - Chairman of the Suffolk Hedgerow
Working Group.
Telephone 01394 383264 or email
guyackersmelton@rmplc.co.uk.
Guy Ackers named Green Community Hero
Guy Ackers was named Green Community Hero at the 2010 Creating
the Greenest County Awards for the work he has undertaken (and
continues to undertake) over the last ten years leading the Suffolk
Hedgerow Survey.
More about this story.
Information leaflet and newsletters
You will find more information about the survey and contact
details for other council areas in the newsletters and
leaflets below:
Follow this link for help with downloading and opening PDF files.
The Suffolk Hedgerow Survey is supported by Babergh, Forest
Heath, Mid Suffolk, Suffolk Coastal and Waveney district councils
and St Edmundsbury Borough
Council.