Volunteers planted around 150m of new mixed native hedge at Mareham Pastures Nature Reserve on Sunday 8 January 2023.
Vital features in the landscape, hedges are more than an essential refuge for wildlife. Small but mighty, they also clean our air, capture carbon, help reduce flooding and give clues to historic land management.
Hedges come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can include many different species. Rural hedges are often a mix of shrub and tree species, such as hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, ash and oak.
The hedge plants were kindly funded by CPRE The Countryside Charity as part of their Hedgerow Hero campaign to see a 40% increase in the extent of hedgerows nationally by 2050, as recommended by the Climate Change Committee to help achieve carbon net zero.
It’s one of two hedgerow projects funded by the charity in Lincolnshire, alongside one at Dunston Playing Fields, which will be planted in March.
Sleaford’s new hedges were planted by volunteers from the Friends of Mareham Pastures and members of the Sleaford Rotary Club.
Lorraine Ray, Project Manager for CPRE said, “CPRE Lincolnshire is pleased to have partnered with Lincolnshire County Council on this valuable project. Hedgerows are often unsung heroes of the countryside and we are glad that we can extend their network in some small way in the county. Our thanks go to the volunteers from FOMP and Sleaford Rotary Club.”
Matthew Davey, environment and community projects officer at Lincolnshire County Council said:
“There’s a lot of focus nationally on tree planting as a means of capturing carbon. And whilst trees are vitally important, we mustn’t overlook the importance of hedges in providing habitats and corridors for wildlife, enhancing biodiversity, preventing flooding, and of course reducing carbon.
“I’m grateful to our volunteer planters and CPRE in helping us get these projects off the ground – or rather ‘in’ the ground – here in Lincolnshire.”