Bird nesting season and beyond...

[Ty Korrigan]

And so...

 From the 15th March until 31st July or 15th August, French farmers are forbidden to cut their hedges.

I assume something similar exists in the UK?

Now, restrictions are begining to be extended to the public by individual departments (counties to you)

The Vosges, Haute Marne, L'Oise and the Alsacian regions have all extended the ban and it is a certainty that many others will do so over the following years.

In areas of Belgium the ban extends to trees leaving arb guys with the choice of running the risk of a fine (enforcement is patchy) 

The work I did for my own commune (council) had to be completed by the 15th March even though there was little likelihood of birds nesting and no evidence of prior nests.

There are some exceptions to the rules of course. Trees requiring removal for projects, urgent works etc.

In effect, it is likely that in a few years our viable working period will much reduced to 6/7 months.

Filling those months whilst our harness gathers dust could prove difficult especially if your business has employees and finance.

A smug ecologist informed me it was none of his concern and I could go stack shelves in Lidl for all he cared.

He added that other plans include restricting grass cutting times, banning leaf blowers (enforced in Switzerland for half the year) and even chippers where possible due to the noise pollution. 

Green waste to be taken to a tip and processed there.

I guess as the UK has cut itself adrift from Brussels, Brit arbs might remain immune from all this.

  Stuart

 

 

 

 

 

[Mick Dempsey]

Yes, I saw a bit about this on one of the forums.

Just hope it sort of fades away like a lot of laws here.

[Botty Cough]

Uk the regulations will include a two metre ‘buffer strip’ from the centre of hedgerows with no cultivation or application of pesticides or fertilisers, and a hedge cutting ban between 1 March and 31 August to protect nesting birds.

[GarethM]

Generally speaking farming wise, it's more enforced when you're in farm subsidies or other management schemes.

[Peter 1955]

Years ago when we were laying a patio/path round a farm cottage, the farm hand was cutting the low garden hedges. He thought it was silly that he could cut the three sides that were classified as Garden hedges, but he had to wait September to cut the one classified as a field hedge. We agreed. 

[Botty Cough]

33 minutes ago, GarethM said:

Generally speaking farming wise, it's more enforced when you're in farm subsidies or other management schemes.

It's well enforced here and your neighbours along with the general pubic grass you up.

So farm area footpaths now tend to be left overgrown basically because due to weather conditions it wasn't cut...😁

[GarethM]

2 minutes ago, Botty Cough said:

It's well enforced here and your neighbours along with the general pubic grass you up.

So farm area footpaths now tend to be left overgrown basically because due to weather conditions it wasn't cut...😁

I'm aware of the regs and do work within them even tho I don't get a penny, as I've actively bashed mine back 1ft a year to return them to actually being a sub 6ft hedge Vs a whispy litter catcher.

 

Just highlighting the enforcement is more financially severe if your part of any environmental schemes, criminal enforcement would be actually harming a nest etc regardless.

[Botty Cough]

🤣🤣🤣 brilliant 

[Trailoftears]

I think this has been the 'informal' rule in uk Gardens for the last 2 seasons now.1st of March-31st July inc.Regarding both routine hedgetrimming and particularly heavy hedge topping-conifer reduction etc.Whilst its inconvenient and costs some work,at the end of the day,most people who work outside and enjoy the privilege of enjoying our desperately troubled landscape and enjoying other people's private outdoor landscapes too have learned to live with it plus have the wit to understand the reasoning behind it?

Also,it falls to us 'professional' landscapers/Arborists etc, to educate the general public too.Its a pain from a monetary sense,but its needed tbh.However, there's a certain amount of issues too.I would traditionally cut back a privet hedge twice per season-the first biggish cut,say mid June,followed by a minor cut mid/end of Sept.The unfortunate truth is that now-you are making a massive cut-say first week of Aug now.Its a hedge's worst nightmare and will both stress/weaken them.

Its akin to shaving your lawn down to 1cm from 15cms-it aint gonna end well tbh.

[daveatdave]

trouble is you say you cannot cut the hedge till the beginning of august and tell them why they just get someone else to do it. the ordinary household just want it cut.