Understanding hedges better is the theme for Hedgerow Week 2021 which starts today (Friday, December 3) and will run until next Friday, December 10.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Pippa Hackett stressed the importance of Ireland’s network of hedges at the launch of the programme of online events.
Minister Hackett said: “I am delighted to launch hedgerow week, a week full of valuable information, promoting the value of hedgerows and the ecosystem services they provide.”
Stakeholders
Teagasc director, Prof. Frank O’Mara welcomed the involvement of a wide range of organisations and interested stakeholders.
He said that hedges provide a tangible link between town and country, evoking a sense of place, giving character to farms, townlands, parishes and counties, making them distinct from other areas.
In the near future it is expected that farmers will be planting hedges under the next Rural Development Programme (RDP), and by many wishing to improve their farms for biodiversity and climate change.
Hedgerow Week webinars
There will be a Hedgerow Week 2021 webinar each morning next week, from Monday to Friday, December 6-10, from 9:30a.m to 10:30a.m.
Teagasc countryside management specialist, Catherine Keena, along with a panel of experts and interested stakeholders, will address questions raised by participants.
On Monday, December 6, the state of Ireland’s hedgerows, both quantity and quality, will be addressed by a panel including research, county councils and hedgerow non-governmental organisations.
The panel on Tuesday, December 7, will address the biodiversity of hedges including how birds, bats, bees, butterflies and other wildlife use hedges including ecological experts and the All Ireland Pollinator Plan.
On Wednesday, December 8, Francis Quigley, Teagasc machinery specialist will be involved in a discussion on hedgerow management with a panel of people with an interest in hedge cutting, hedge cutting contractors, farmer organisations and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
Thursday, December 9, will focus on food from hedges, with a panel of foraging experts from research to private enterprise.
The final webinar on Friday, December 10, will discuss the value of native provenance trees and hedging stock and how to reduce health risks to them with Joe Gowran, CEO Woodlands of Ireland and Maria Cullen, chair of the Society of Irish Plant Pathologists (SIPP).