On English farms, an old craft that for centuries helped maintain a balance between agriculture and wildlife is coming back to life. Instead of simply trimming the thickets, farmers are once again learning to carefully "lay" the stems of shrubs, giving them a slant and stimulating fresh growth. This technique, whose peak of popularity came in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, is today regarded as one of the most effective ways to preserve biodiversity on agricultural land.
Government grants in England have attracted more than two and a half thousand applications for hedgerow restoration. If all the projects are approved, it will be possible to lay around 1300 kilometres of hedgerows — a distance comparable to the span from Land's End to Hadrian's Wall and back. Such figures show how much in demand this practice has become among those who work the land every day.
Mature, properly managed hedgerows work as natural carbon stores: per hectare they are capable of holding more carbon than many woodlands. Moreover, a dense living wall slows the runoff of rainwater, reduces soil erosion and creates shelter for thousands of species of insects, birds and small mammals. Farmers note that after laying, the hedgerows gain noticeably more birds and small creatures.
The process of laying demands precision and experience: the stems are almost completely cut through, then carefully bent down to the ground at a certain angle. At the point of the cut, the growth of new shoots is activated, the hedgerow is rejuvenated and fills in the gaps. Modern farmers combine the traditional technique with a "conservation" approach, leaving more branching growth for birds to nest in, without sacrificing the hedgerow's protective function for livestock.
Interest in the craft is growing not only because of the grants. Farmers share their experience in online communities, hold workshops and take part in national laying championships. Many admit that it was precisely working with hedgerows that became for them the "entry point" into broader conservation practices — from planting new trees and shrubs to giving up the excessive use of chemicals.
Without regular care, even recently planted hedgerows quickly lose their value: studies show that a significant share of young plantings disappears because of improper pruning or a complete absence of management. That is why grant programmes provide not only for planting but also for subsequent laying and rejuvenation.
The revival of this ancient skill is a reminder that effective conservation often begins not with large-scale projects but with everyday work on one's own land, where every cut stem and every new shoot contributes to the overall ecological balance.
