President's Page
Charles Watson 18 Thorley Park Road, Bishops Stortford, Herts CM23 3NQ
One advantage of the President's Page is that it offers the opportunity to let off some steam
and draw attention to conservation issues of concern across the County of Essex. In particular
I have in mind the condition of many of our hedgerows. Following the extensive removal of
hedges in arable land in the 1960s and 1970s to facilitate cultivation, and the subsequent hue
and cry to limit these operations, the situation has stabilised and few hedges are now being
grubbed out. Indeed, some new plantings have been made.
However my anxiety is over the present condition and management of the hedgerows which
remain. It is accepted that a good hedge is a valuable habitat for birds, plants and insects, and
provides a corridor along which wildlife can move. Some conservationists will assess the
quality of a hedge by the number of woody species it contains - a method that may indicate
great age but tell us very little about its wildlife value or state of health.
Over much of Essex arable crops predominate and it is now common practice to complete
cultivations in August or September including annual cutting of hedgerows by flailing.
The result is a total loss of berries and seed, which, apart from depriving birds of their
winter food, means that there can be no young growth for regeneration. The effect of
repeated annual cuttings in this way is beginning to appear. Large gaps can be seen in
hedgerows that are trimmed hard each autumn. Most of the hedge may die leaving only
a line of small isolated low bushes, which the farmer still regularly clips into shape. Any
drift of herbicide from adjacent crops restricts summer growth and also impoverishes
the ground flora.
One wonders what motivates farmers to manage hedgerows in this way. Is it a passion
for tidiness, or perhaps a belief that this is what is best agricultural practice? Cost can
surely be ruled out. Trials have shown that by cutting one side of a hedge each year the
wildlife can benefit, the hedge will thrive, and the farmer can save half the expense. We
must realise that for some arable farmers on heavy land the hedgerow serves no useful
purpose and is, in fact, a nuisance, which has to be maintained because other people say
so. I have watched the hedgerows slowly deteriorate over much of Essex in the last few
years and now fear that their removal has not stopped. They are not being grubbed out,
merely killed off slowly by mismanagement. Look around you this winter and you will
see what I mean.
Essex Field Club: a new look for a club wishing to become a charity
The Essex Field Club is considering applying to become a Charity. There are several
benefits of such a move, the major one of which is financial. As a charity, we would get
extra income from those subscriptions that had been linked with Gift Aid, and we would
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Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 40, January 2003