What the action involves
This action’s aim is that there are hedgerow trees maintained or established.
The purpose of this is to provide:
- habitat for wildlife
- carbon storage benefits
What you must do
You must make sure there’s an average of at least 1 hedgerow tree per 100m over the total length of hedgerows entered into this action. This means some 100m lengths can contain no trees, as long as you meet this average.
You can do this action by:
- maintaining existing trees growing within the hedgerow
- establishing new hedgerow trees
To establish a new hedgerow tree, you must either:
- select an existing sapling in the hedgerow with a single straight stem
- plant a new sapling – you can apply for Capital Grants to plant a hedgerow tree (TE1) and protect it with a tree guard (TE6)
You must identify each newly established hedgerow tree by tagging it or using another method to identify it clearly, so it can be avoided when managing the hedgerow.
You can include dead and dying trees when counting how many hedgerow trees are in a given length of hedgerow. This decaying wood can provide a habitat for invertebrates, nesting birds and bats. This does not include newly planted tree saplings that die before they become established.
You must not damage the hedgerow trees, or cut them unless there’s a clear need, for example:
- to prolong the life of the tree
- for health and safety reasons (such as removing branches that pose a risk to people)
- because it’s a tradition in the local landscape (such as coppicing or pollarding willow)
How to do this action
It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:
- follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
- do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim
You may find it helpful to read the ‘advice to help you do this action’, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.
When to do it
You must have done this action by the end of this action’s 3-year duration, so it meets the requirements explained above.
Evidence to keep
You must keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:
- field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
- photographs or other documentation
If it’s not clear that you’ve done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, we may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if we ask for it.
The same action appears in the other schemes under a different code. The work is broadly the same; the rate and the length of the commitment are not.
- SFI 2023 — HRW3: £10 per 100 metres for both sides of an eligible hedgerow per year, over 3 years
Where you can do it
An eligible hedgerow for this action must be:
- a boundary line of shrubs, or both shrubs and trees
- ver 20m long
- less than 10m wide
The hedgerow can be:
- newly planted, laid or coppiced
- woody growth on top of an earth or stone-faced bank, for example, Cornish or
Devon hedges
There can be gaps in the hedgerow if they’re not more than:
- 20m long
- 10% of the total length of the relevant hedgerow when you add all the gaps in it together
If the gaps add up to more than 10%, you can only do the action on the total length of the hedgerow if you’ll plant up the gaps during this action’s 3-year duration. You can apply for Capital Grants for hedgerow gapping up (BN7) and planting new hedges (BN11) to help you do this.
You can only do this action on both sides of an eligible hedgerow. This means you must have management control of both sides of the hedgerow.
You can enter both sides of a roadside hedgerow, or a hedgerow that borders a neighbour’s land, if you meet both of the following:
- you have a legal right or obligation to maintain the hedgerow
- you can meet this action’s requirements
Protected land
Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs): Eligible – you must get SSSI consent before you do this action (read section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this).
Historic and archaeological features: Eligible – you must get a SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6 'Land with historic or archaeological features' in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this).
Available area
Not applicable, as this is a linear action – you can choose what length of eligible hedgerows to enter into this action.
Rotational or static
This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.