Hedgerows!

[Headfry]

Roadside hedgerows.......
I am not a farmer, nor a council worker so please can anyone help me understand the crazy times of year they seem to choose to trim back the hedges.
On my way home I found they had slashed back lengths of the hedgerow beside the roads.
what makes it hard to understand is the loss of all those berries that the birds need in order to survive the winter! (unhappy Mrs HF)
Could they not do this job the winter after berries, before nesting???????
Am I missing something here?

[Flummery]

I susect they do it when there's a man and a machine free Headfry - nothing so strange as bringing logic into it!

[Headfry]

Would not all the good farm men (and Ladies of course) be in mid harvest now?

[shirlthegirl43]

Our local council have just done the hedges, they do them now as the birds have finished nesting. They are done in late winter / early spring too, before nesting starts. Our local roads are so narrow that if they left the hedges till winter nobody would be able to get along the roads The one place locally that I can pick wild damsons is only reachable because they have trimmed back the lower hedgerows too. Hedges here are high enough and wide enough for the birds to do okay from the berries that people and machinery can't touch.

[Headfry]

It just seemed a shame- there were so many elderberries and the like.... now there is just bare shattered branches and twigs. Poor little birdies....I know I'm being silly - sorry

[shirlthegirl43]

Do you mean they have taken the tops off too? They don't do that here - just take off what is growing into the road and trim the lower grasses right back.

[Headfry]

Tops and sides! its just a mass of wood about 5-6 tall Not even green anymore. They seem to do that in Oxon! All leaves and berries gone!

[shirlthegirl43]

Oh dear, that is a shame. Perhaps our council have a better environmental outlook for the wildlife then. The tops are left at this time of year - they are chopped back early next year. I understand you being upset if they destroy the hedges in that way - maybe you should write to them and suggest they save the manpower at this time of year and just do the sides?

[Sue]

Headfry
My allotment has a hedge running down one side, this backs on to the road and the council came along around this time last year and like yours, all the berries etc went, leaving a horrible mess, torn and ripped branches etc.
I wrote to the allotment officer and complained and also explained that the flail they use comes so far on to the inside it damaged hawthorns I'd planted to thicken the hedge.
So far on the Spring cut they left the inside, understand they have to do the road side of the hedge, so fingers crossed this autumn the berries will stay put and they'll once again leave the inside hedge to grow.
The only good thing was the savaging of the hedge made the brambles grow like crazy and I've already got 4lb of free blackberries from them.
Sue

[rustylady]

Tops and sides! its just a mass of wood about 5-6 tall Not even green anymore. They seem to do that in Oxon! All leaves and berries gone!

I think they have a timetable which is absolute. You cannot blame the individual workers, they just do as they are told. I don't think the people who arrange the schedule know much about wildlife or wild fruits either, they are just interested in keeping the road or lane clear. You could try writing to your local council, but I don't hold out much hope. The best way is to hand cut, but they obviously can't afford this so just send out a mechanical cutter probably twice a year.