Guidance

How to do the SFI actions for hedgerows

Find out how you could do the SFI actions for hedgerows.

• From: Rural Payments Agency
• Published: 10 August 2023
• Last updated: 16 August 2023 — See all updates

Applies to England

It’s up to you how you complete each SFI action, as long as you do it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve the action’s aim (which is described in each action).

This voluntary guidance includes advice on how you could do the actions for hedgerows (HRW1, HRW2 and HRW3):

You may find it helpful to read this guidance, but you do not have to follow it. The requirements you must follow for each SFI action are explained in the ‘Details of the SFI actions’, which you can find in either:

• section 2 of the SFI handbook

• the webpage versions of the ‘details of the SFI actions’

How to assess and record hedgerow condition (HRW1)

What you’re aiming to achieve

The aim of HRW1 is that you:

• understand the condition of your hedgerows

• effectively plan how they can be managed to improve their condition

Completing a hedgerow condition assessment

You can choose how to complete the hedgerow condition assessment required by HRW1. There is no standard format. It could be a simple survey.

Because you’re assessing the structure of the hedgerow, not species, you can do this survey at any time of year. You may find it easier to see the structure of the hedgerow during the winter months, when there is less foliage.

The People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) has produced guidance on surveying to assess hedgerow condition, which explains that you can:

• record the start and end point of each hedgerow – these points include where another hedge meets the hedge you’re surveying, or the hedge structure changes dramatically for 20 metres (m) or more, or the hedge meets a wall or woodland or it turns a corner of 90 degrees of more

• estimate or measure the average height and width of hedgerow

• estimate the average height of the base canopy – this is the height from the ground up to the lowest leafy growth

• count the number of trees in the length of hedgerow you’re surveying – this could also help you to do HRW3 (maintain or establish hedgerow trees)

• assess the hedgerow structure – you can use the Adams Hedgerow Management Scale to help you do this

• estimate or measure the total length of gap within the hedgerow, not including gateways or access points

Producing a written hedgerow condition assessment record

You can choose how to produce the written hedgerow condition assessment required by HRW1. There is no standard format.

To complete the hedgerow condition assessment and produce a written record, you may find it helpful to use the PTES ‘Healthy Hedgerows’ Survey online tool. This is a rapid hedgerow health checking survey, which includes an app for mobile phones (you can also complete the survey on paper and input your results to the website).

If you do use the PTES ‘Healthy Hedgerows’ Survey tool, it may generate more management options than are available in the SFI actions for hedgerows. If this is the case, make sure you do what’s required in the relevant SFI action.

How to manage hedgerows (HRW2)

What you’re aiming to achieve

The aim of HRW2 is that you manage hedgerows so there’s a range of different heights and widths to provide:

• habitat for wildlife

• pollen, nectar and berries for mammals, birds and insects

Managing hedgerows

HRW2 explains what you’re required to do to manage hedgerows entered into this action (under ‘What to do’).

Before you start managing the hedgerows, check whether there are any regulatory restrictions which may affect what you’re intending to do. For example:

• birds, nests and eggs are protected by law, so if you see signs of nesting birds, delay cutting until the birds fledge

• you can check with your local authority if any hedgerows are in a conservation area

• if your management of hedgerows will include felling trees, check if you need a tree felling licence

To find out more, read the information about regulatory issues and consents that could affect you and the land in an SFI agreement (or section 4.3 of the SFI handbook).

You may find it helpful to read the PTES guidance on top tips for managing hedgerows or Hedgelink’s hedgerow management advice.

Cutting hedgerows

How you cut the hedgerows will affect how much wildlife benefit they will have. For example, if a hedgerow is cut:

• too low it will not be used by birds and animals that like to feed or nest further away from the ground

• back to the same point every year, it’s unlikely to produce many berries

• to the same height each time, it will have poor structure and is likely to provide fewer nesting sites for birds and easier access for their predators

Hedgerows will usually be fully established around 5 years after they’re planted. If you’re incrementally cutting fully established hedgerows, you can do this by increasing the height and width of each cut by about 10 centimetres (cm) compared with the previous cut.

If it’s a newly planted, or not fully established, hedgerow, HRW2 requires you to trim it incrementally until it’s fully established. Light, regular, incremental trimming of the hedgerow in its early years will encourage dense, bushy growth.

You can find more information about cutting hedgerows in Natural England’s ‘Hedge cutting: answers to 18 common questions leaflet’.

Coppicing or laying hedgerows

You can manage fully established hedgerows in a coppicing or laying rotation, to restore hedgerows to stimulate new growth from the base.

You can manage regrowth by cutting it incrementally higher and wider to form a bushy hedgerow.

How to maintain or establish hedgerow trees (HRW3)

What you’re aiming to achieve

The aim of HRW3 is that you maintain or establish hedgerow trees to help provide:

• habitat for wildlife

• carbon storage benefits

Establishing new hedgerow trees

To establish new trees in hedgerows, you can select existing saplings with a single straight stem or plant a new sapling.

In both cases, try to:

• plant or select a mix of different, site-suited species to support a wider variety of wildlife

• avoid planting ash, because of ash dieback disease

• use tree guards to protect the trees from browsing animals, such as deer, and grazing animals

• avoid planting or selecting a sapling beneath or near to (around 20m) overhead powerlines

• avoid planting or selecting a sapling where they might obstruct roads, tracks or rights or way

HRW3 requires you to identify a newly established hedgerow tree by tagging it or using another method to identify it clearly. This is so anyone trimming or flailing the hedgerow is aware there are protected trees within the boundary.

To identify each hedgerow tree, you can tag it by:

• using brightly coloured, durable material

• putting a tagged stick near it if a tree is difficult to reach

• putting a clearly visible stake in the hedge next to the tree

It’s advisable to check the trees each year to make sure the tags (or other method of identification) are still in place, replacing them as necessary.

Selecting existing saplings

If you’re selecting an existing sapling in a hedgerow, try to choose undamaged stems that are growing straight up all the way from the base. These are more likely to produce a good, strong trunk.

Planting new saplings

If you’re planting new saplings in a hedgerow, it’s usually best to do this between November and March, when they’re dormant and can be supplied bare-root.

On drier sites, planting at the start of winter can give the roots more time to establish. Planting at the end of winter on wetter sites can help stop the roots from rotting in the wet ground.

When you’re planting new saplings in the hedgerow, it’s advisable to:

• choose a local source, to avoid the risk of introducing alien pests and diseases – you can use the Plant Healthy website to help you choose a source

• plant in existing gaps in hedgerow if possible, so there’s less competition from existing plants – alternatively, plant into small gaps cut into the hedgerow

• plant them far enough apart (usually at least 20m) from existing trees so they do not shade or compete with them once they mature

• plant far enough away from boundary walls so they’re not damaged by the tree as it grows

• stake trees which are more than 1m tall for their first year

• keep the area immediately around the young tree weed-free until it’s established

• water them during dry spells or if they show any signs of wilting

You may find it helpful to read:

• the Tree Council’s step-by-step guide to tree and hedge planting or watch their video on how to plant trees and hedgerows

• Natural England’s guidance on ‘Hedgerow trees: answers to 18 common questions’

Before you plant a hedgerow tree:

• check if there are any regulatory restrictions which may affect this - read the information about regulatory issues and consents that could affect you and the land in an SFI agreement (or section 4.3 of the SFI handbook)

• if you’re a tenant, check whether your tenancy agreement allows you to complete what’s required

Protecting hedgerow trees from damage

HRW3 requires you not to damage hedgerow trees that are being maintained or established.

Hedgerow trees may be damaged by:

• how the land around the tree is managed

• livestock

• farm machinery

Most tree roots usually grow in the top layer of soil, up to a depth of around 30cm. They may spread to several times the width of the canopy. Over time they develop beneficial associations with fungi called mycorrhizae. These help the tree by extracting nutrients and other elements from the soil.

You can manage the area around the tree in a way that helps to protect the roots and the structure of the soil they’re growing in. For example, you could consider:

• controlling scrub and tall vegetation, as these can compete with the tree roots

• applying a mulch, such as wood chips, which can help to relieve soil compaction and control weeds

You can prevent livestock from compacting the soil and stripping the bark, which can damage the trees.

Cutting hedgerow trees

HRW3 allows you to cut back a hedgerow tree if there’s a clear need. This may be:

• to prolong the life of the tree

• for health and safety reasons, like removing branches that pose a risk to people

• because it’s a tradition in the local landscape, for example coppicing or pollarding willow

If you need to prune hedgerow trees, it’s advisable to:

• employ a qualified tree surgeon

• prune the trees during the winter months when they are dormant, unless you’re pruning for health and safety reasons which you can do at any time

• avoid pruning when the trees are in active growth in the spring

If possible, try to leave cut branches or piles of dead wood to help provide habitat for wildlife.

Before you start pruning, check whether there are any regulatory restrictions which may affect what you’re intending to do. For example, check:

• with your local authority if any of trees are subject to a Tree Preservation Order or in a conservation area

• if you need a tree felling licence

To find out more, read the information about regulatory issues and consents that could affect you and the land in an SFI agreement (or section 4.3 of the SFI handbook).

Published 10 August 2023
Last updated 16 August 2023 + show all updates

1. 16 August 2023

   Update to Completing a hedgerow condition assessment. The guidance on identifying gaps in a hedgerow of 20m or larger changed to advise estimating or measuring the total length of the gap within the hedgerow.

2. 10 August 2023

   First published.