Gardaí in Meath have urged drivers to be mindful of hedgecutters on roads as the closed season for hedge-cutting ended yesterday (September 1).
Farmers and agri-contractors alike are permitted to cut hedgerows from September 1 to April 30.
In a statement on Facebook, Meath Crime Prevention said:
“Please be mindful that roadside hedge-cutting season has begun again and there has been an increase in large machinery operating along the roadsides recently, particularly country roads.
“We would like to remind all road users to please drive with due care and remain alert at all times.”
According to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the cutting, grubbing, burning or other destruction of “vegetation growing in any hedge or ditch” is prohibited between March 1 and August 31.
The hedge-cutting season opens as Teagasc’s Hedgerow Week draws to a close today (Friday, September 2).
The event, which got underway on August 26, promotes awareness of the role that hedgerows can play in improving biodiversity and capturing carbon. In addition to this, it promotes better recognition and responsible maintenance of these structures.
The theme of this year’s campaign was ‘Best practice hedge cutting for our two hedge types’ and the campaign coincided with the opening of the hedge-cutting season.
Each of the two hedge types in Ireland have different biodiversity values and management needs, according to Catherine Keena, Teagasc’s countryside management specialist.
Escaped hedges, which have never been topped, are thin at the base but have “huge biodiversity value in the canopy”, said Keena, who said that these should be side trimmed but never topped.