I would like to raise my concerns about how hedgerows are being cut around my area of Kells and in many other part of Co Kilkenny. Every year it seems the hedgerows are cut lower and lower, probably due to the incresing power of hedge cutting machines. This happens between fields as well as along roadways and has changed the traditional look of the countryside to make it very unattractive. Many hedges are no more than a metre tall, leaving little space for wildlife. A tall hedge can accommodate a multiple of the amount of wildlife that a low hedgerow can. Teagasc recommends a hedgerow height of at least 1.5m, but research shows that the higher the hedgerow, the more wildlife it can accommodate. When wildlife is on a long-term year-on-year decline, every effort should be made to reverse the decline by providing wildlife habitat. Teagasc also recommends leaving occasional thorn trees when hedges are cut, a practice which I see no evidence of.
I would like Kilkenny County Council to adopt and enforce a policy that hedgerows should be cut no lower than 1.5m, and that they should ideally be left at 2m or more. Away from roadways especially, trees should be allowed to grow uncut in hedgerows with just some side-trimming where necessary.
I would like Kilkenny County Council to adopt and enforce a policy that hedgerows should be cut no lower than 1.5m when cut, and that they should be ideally be left at 2m or more. Away from roadways especially, trees should be allowed to grow uncut in hedgerows with just some side-cutting where necessary.
Little space is being left for wildlife habitats