Limerick City and County Council to host event to explore best practice in managing hedgerows

LIMERICK City and County Council will hold an event with Hedgerows Ireland, funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPW) to explore best practice in managing hedgerows for nature, this Saturday.

It will take place at Gearóid Maher’s farm in Cappamore on Saturday, October 19 from 9.30am to 1pm. 

Everyone is welcome, especially hedgerow contractors and farmers. For more information and to register for this event visit Limerick.ie.

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Hedgerows are an integral part of Ireland’s natural, cultural, historical, and archaeological heritage. Most of our hedgerows were planted during the 1700s and 1800s, though some date back to medieval times and even as early as the Neolithic and Bronze ages, according to Teagasc, 2022.

Originally, hedgerows were planted to mark townland boundaries and enclose livestock in fields. Today, they provide numerous benefits, including carbon sequestration, wildlife habitats, flood control, and improved water quality.

Hedgerows can sequester between 0.66 and 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year, according to EPA, 2014. They offer food, nesting sites, hibernation sites, and safe corridors for wildlife. The availability of hedgerow berries and flowers is crucial for wildlife, particularly invertebrates and pollinators. However, hedgerows require management, and over-frequent or extensive hedge-cutting can limit fruiting in the following year and reduce the benefits hedgerows provide.