Oxfordshire Woodland Group

This work has now been awarded to Rhiannon Fentimen of Chalgrove and Andrew Jarvis of Watlington who have teamed up to undertake this project. Work commenced on site on Monday 18th February 2013 and in due course pictures of work in progress will be posted here.

The hedge laying project is part sponsored by The Chilterns Conservation Board [ http://www.chilternsaonb.org/ ] as part of their ongoing objectives and commitment to support and encourage both landowners and countryside craft practitioners to undertake projects that will enhance and improve the Chiltern's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The CCB project officer is Kath Daly.

The Oxfordshire Woodland Group is very appreciative for the CCB support for this initiative.

Ken Hume - Executive Trustee OWG
trustees@oxfordshirewoodlandgroup.co.uk

Work is proceeding apace and the birds are now twittering with excitement at the prospect of moving into their new home once shoots begin to appear in spring (it's coming!).

A six prong approach has been adopted to lay this difficult overgrown hedge.

1) - skinny trees are axed low down and laid along the fence line.

2) - some of the larger "standard" type trees are selected to remain in position to help punctuate the hedge and ensure that some autumnal fruits are still available at a higher level for birds and mammals.

3) - some of the hedge trees that have too large a trunk to be laid are cut off (coppiced) at ground level and in due course these will shoot up in multi stem fashion to help fill gaps created in the hedge line. The felled trunks do not go to waste as some say that Hawthorn is the best firewood much prized by bakers to create a high heat in their ovens.

4) - where a section devoid of hedging trees is encountered then extra hazel is woven into the stakes at lower levels to create a barrier against which new hedging plants can be secured and protected with some dead hedging made from lop & top to help new plants become established and resist browsing pressure.

5) - the variety of trees growing in the hedge will be improved by transplanting young trees already growing in the woodland understory that are shade tolerant i.e. like Holly, Yew, Hazel, etc.

6) - after the hedge has filled out the old barbed wire stock fence behind the hedge will be removed.

Ken Hume - Executive Trustee OWG
trustees@oxfordshirewoodlandgroup.co.uk

With the end of the 100 metre hedge laying project in sight a new problem emerged.

Hedgrow trees that were previously pollarded and have now developed large multi stem branches are a pleasure to lay but result in a much higher hedge run.

The laid hedge has now reached 75 metres in length

25 metres to go !

Ken Hume - Executive Trustee OWG
trustees@oxfordshirewoodlandgroup.co.uk

A warm spell at the end of April 2013 has encouraged the hedge to flush out

although some sections where regrowth is still a bit slow or sparse are now becoming more obvious.

These sections will probably need to be underplanted in due course but the hedge will be given several months before decisons in this respect are made. Any underplanting would be done during the autumn 2013 tree planting season when soil moisture competion from the adjacent larch trees will be less and hence will afford any new hedge plant root systems a chance to settle in and become established over winter 2013/14.

Ken Hume - Executive Trustee OWG
trustees@oxfordshirewoodlandgroup.co.uk

By mid June 2013 the woodland canopy has now well and truly closed. Regrowth of the hawthorn hedge does not appear to be dramatically different when compared with the last progress photos taken in early May 2013.

However closer inspection reveals that nature is at work with dormant buds having developed adventicious regrowth.

and even on previously bare hardwood stems sprouts are appearing.

It remains to be seen how the hedge will now stand up to deer browsing and 3 roe deer were spotted within 20 yards of the hedge when progress photos were being taken.

Ken Hume
Executive Trustee - Oxfordshire Woodland Group