Farm Hedgerows: The Unsung Heroes
Hedges, fencerows, shelterbelts, windbreaks and treelines are all names for more or less the same structures in our farming landscape. They separate fields from one another and from roadways and buildings. Often we do not think of them as core farming assets, but they play a very vital role on the farm and in the general landscape.
In our area, field stones from big to small make up the base of the fencerows because they needed to be removed from the fields by the pioneers for cultivating the land. These stone rows alone provide habitat for many little critters, but together with the trees, shrubs and numerous other native plants, the hedges create a unique living space for all the beings that make up a healthy and resilient farm. All too often we humans have considered these organisms as competition or even pests for our agricultural crops and animals, but the opposite is true. A balanced ecosystem is the most productive and stable farm environment there can be, and it is the job of the farmer to grow crops and animals in harmony with the natural world.
Besides providing habitat, the hedges also have a very beneficial effect on the water cycle and microclimate. They slow wind and water movement and moderate temperature extremes. Walk on a very windy, rainy or hot day from an open field past a mature windbreak and you will experience immediately the sheltering effect.
Besides these very measurable benefits, the hedges also add a lot of beauty to the general farm landscape. The value of an aesthetically pleasing environment on the human soul is now more and more recognized and living landscapes play a big part in this.
On our farm we were from the beginning blessed with many kilometres of hedges because the pioneers created small fields that were manageable with the horse drawn equipment they were using 100 years ago. Technology has changed a lot and with it the need for larger fields led to the removal of many fencerows over the last decades. Though we might bemoan the loss of the good old ways, there are ways to create a healthy farming landscape that combines the need for efficient use of appropriate machinery with respect to the natural balance on a farm.
We started planting hedges right from the start when we bought the farm in the late eighties and are continuing to do so. Farm fields were made longer and more narrow to facilitate the effective use of modern equipment and fences and trees were planted along waterways and contour lines. The establishment of fully-functioning hedges is a long and sometimes frustrating process. Trees do not like to grow in open spaces where the elements can rage in full force. Grasses compete with new planted seedlings, the sun dries out the soil and wind and snow push over the still tender plants that have the potential to become huge, sheltering trees. We have learned over the years to begin with planting resilient pioneer species that compete well under these conditions. As these trees grow and provide initial shelter, other plants will come in from seeds carried by wind or bird droppings and a more site-specific and diverse hedge will develop.
It is easy to cut down a tree, but hard to get one growing!
