Hedgelaying
By Judy Cross
Earthworks Conservation Volunteers
Hedgelaying is one of our
most popular winter tasks. A long working day brings a great sense of
satisfaction and achievement, and we can see the renewed growth each year.
It is also considered "a time-consuming, expensive and skilled method
of rejuvenating overgrown hedges"(1). Perhaps this is not such a
surprising view as it is expressed in a book published by the Farming
Press. Hedges take up a lot of land,
and at last they are becoming protected. There is much wildlife value in a
hedge, but little benefit to farmers if their machinery can only handle
large open areas of land. However, the hedges that remain are protected and
some of the traditional skills in managing them can be observed. They can
be trimmed, flailed, coppiced or laid. The latter is personally considered
the most attractive, with the least disturbance to nesting birds, less
noise than a flail and most fun for a conservation volunteer. Formation of
new growth is encouraged by cutting the stems close to the ground and
laying them over, reinforced by stakes. As the new growth grows up towards
the sun, it passes through the older stems forming a strong lattice. If
laid properly, a hedge can remain stock-proof for up to 15 years. It must
be protected for the first few years as the shoots are very attractive to
horses and goats, as we found at Chiltern Open Air Museum. Stakes &
binders from hazel coppice
There are many different styles of hedgelaying, depending on its purpose
and its location. Around Middlesex and Buckinghamshire many of the hedges
are thorn - both blackthorn and hawthorn, hazel is popular with oak
standards allowed to reach maturity. The styles we use are Midlands, a good
stockproof living-fence, and Southern style. The photographs on this
page illustrate Midlands style and its twisted binders. This style is laid
into the field so "white wood" shows.
‘White wood’
showing in Midlands style
Inserting stakes
in the laid hedge Because regions have
different styles, so do the tools used. The most commonly used tool is a
billhook and so there are Midlands, Yorkshire double-edged, Stafford
double-edged and Southern Counties billhooks, for example. Other tools used
should include a 21 inch bowsaw, sharpening stone, long handled slasher,
loppers and a small axe. Essential is a first-aid kit and it is possible to
use a chain-saw, if a skilled operative. Other tools needed depend on
whether there is a fence, and how much grass etc needs removing from the
bottom of the hedge(2) and a hedging mitt affords protection against
thorns. There are four stages in
laying a hedge: (a) The main stems
(pleachers) are cut through part way with a billhook or axe and pushed over
to make a barrier. (b) Lengths of hazel or ash
(stakes*) are driven into the hedge bank between the stems of the cut
pleachers at regular intervals. (c) Lengths of pliable wood
such as hazel or willow (binders* or heatherings) are twisted
round the top of the stakes to prevent the pleachers from springing
upwards. *[stakes and binders are
obtained by coppicing] (d) The stakes are trimmed to
an even finish and any projecting stems removed so as to give a tidy
appearance and to avoid damage to livestock when they rub against them(3). There are some rules such as
"always lay uphill" and "if right-handed, start at the
left-hand end as you face it" which may have to be ignored depending
on proximity to roads, for example. The British Trust
for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) publish a practical guide called
"Hedging".
Binders being
woven between the stakes
References
(1) MacLean, Murray. New hedges for the
countryside. Ipswich: Farming Press, 1992, p. 206.
(2) Ibid., pp. 208-209.
(3) Dowdeswell, W.H. Hedgerows and verges.
London: Allen & Unwin, 1987, pp. 150-153.
Original words ©Judy Cross 6/12/1999. Additional/modified
wording to go with new photos & layout ©Stuart Birrell 10/1/2012