The Wildflower Ark
Working to help conserve plant diversity in the Lower Tees Valley and increase public awareness of local plants and their habitats.
Hartlepool Hedgerow Survey
In 2010, the Wildflower Ark carried out a survey of hedgerows in the borough of Hartlepool. The Hartlepool Hedgerow Survey aimed to establish the extent, character, condition and management requirements of hedgerows in the borough of Hartlepool by carrying out a random survey of hedgerows following the method given in Defra's Hedgerow Survey Handbook.
The field survey was carried out over the summer and autumn of 2010 with the help of 23 volunteers who were recruited through Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, the Wildflower Ark, Hartlepool Borough Council and Hartlepool Natural History Society. Data collected during the field survey was collated onto an online database and a GIS digital mapping system, and has been passed onto the Tees Valley Biodiversity Partnership (TVBP) and the Environmental Records Information Centre (ERIC, the regional record centre). A summary of the results of the survey follows below. More detailed analysis can be found in the survey report which is available to download at the bottom of the page.
During the Hartlepool Hedegrow Survey, a total of 183 hedgerows were surveyed, equating to 41.53km. The character of the hedgerows was similar across the borough. Almost all of them (86%) were shrubby hedgerows consisting predominantly of Hawthorn (present in 97% of the hedgerows) with additional species such as Dog Rose (47%), Bramble (41%), Elder (40%), Blackthorn (28%), Ash (21%) and Sycamore (13%). In total there were 76 isolated hedgerow trees, predominantly Ash (43) or Sycamore (21). Over half of the hedgerows were mixed (i.e. not dominated by one species) and over a quarter of the hedgerows (27%) were also species-rich, meaning they contained four or more native woody species in the 30m section that was surveyed.
Of the 183 hedgerows surveyed, only 5% were found to be in favourable condition. Favourable condition is assessed on six different attributes: hedgerow dimensions, hedgerow integrity, basal canopy height, width of undisturbed ground at the base of the hedgerow, width of herbaceous vegetation cover at the base of the hedgerow, and presence of introduced species. Each attribute has an acceptable threshold and a hedgerow must be within this threshold for all six attributes in order to be classified as in favourable condition. Of the 95% of hedgerows that were not in favourable condition, the majority of them failed on the basal canopy height. A table summarising the management necessary to bring these hedgerows into favourable condition has been produced and given to the TVBP. This will allow the TVBP to target future hedgerow management appropriately in order to increase the number of hedgerows in the borough that are in favourable condition for biodiversity.
A copy of the final report for the Hartlepool Hedgerow Survey can be downloaded here.