Last month we responded to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy‘s call for evidence on Greenhouse Gas Removals. With climate change high on the public agenda, it is important that we tackle it while ensuring livelihoods, food production and wildlife are part of the conversation.
Our practical approach is well placed to inform this discussion and our submission highlights the finite land resource we have as an island nation, and the implications of this. To feed a nation, hit climate targets and keep people employed, every hectare needs to provide multiple goods and services.
One potential tool is increasing the carbon storage capacity of the nation’s extensive inventory of hedgerows. We know that hedgerows can sequester carbon at twice the rate of woodland as they capture more sunlight due to their three-dimensional structure. Following the removal of hedgerows between the 1950s and the 1990s, there is a concerted effort to increase their coverage, which should be continue apace.
It is not just quantity that matters, but quality too. Many of the nation’s hedges are flailed down low and gappy. Allowing hedgerows to expand both upwards and outwards, and filling in the gaps would greatly increase their sequestration potential. It may seem a simple solution, but practical, achievable management advice can make a national difference.
Hedges aren’t just offering a hassle-free solution to carbon storage, they also improve water quality, reduce soil loss and provide vital habitat corridor for birds and butterflies. Crucially, hedgerows can deliver climate and ecological benefits in urban and rural areas, making them a universal force for good.
Because hedges grow on land which is not producing food, they also lend themselves to incorporating tree planting. A tree every 20 metres in existing hedge-lines would add 40 million trees with no loss of productive land, even allowing for planting strategies that omit open landscapes and consider other biodiversity requirements. The impact could be considerable.
There is much more to discuss on greenhouse gases but engaging those on the ground to make realistic changes is the first challenge to overcome. We hope our comments are heard.
You can read the full submission here >