Farmers can now use Land App to assess hedgerow condition and satisfy new SFI scheme requirements

The SFI hedgerow assessment action is a new approach from the Government and is the first time farmers are paid (currently £5 per 100 metres per side per year) to undertake a hedgerow health-check of this kind. To do this, farmers based in England* can now use the Healthy Hedgerows survey on Land App and Land App Mobile, which is based on PTES’ original survey recommended by Defra as the go-to tool for recording SFI hedgerow actions.

The survey is quick and easy to complete, and by answering just six questions in as little as two minutes, the survey records a hedge’s condition. The survey also allows users to create the written records needed to satisfy the Rural Payments Agency when required.

The aim of the Government’s hedgerow assessment is to better understand the condition of the UK’s hedgerows. Crucially, once the Healthy Hedgerows survey is completed through Land App, Standard or Professional users can get free bespoke hedgerow management advice from PTES with the click of a button. This might be highlighting which hedges should be prioritised for rejuvenation, or which might be best suited to trimming incrementally higher and wider. This enables farmers to create or adjust their farm-scale hedgerow management plans, best ensuring their long-term survival and benefitting those working on the land as well as the many species that call these iconic habitats home.

Adding PTES’ Healthy Hedgerows surveyis part of a bigger update by Land App, which has introduced a range of surveys onto Land App Mobile for the first time, complimenting the existing desktop mapping software and funding scheme templates. Offline functionality is now possible too, meaning users can undertake surveys of their land on the go, via Land App Mobile [Standard and Professional Subscription required].

Land App and PTES will host a free webinar on Friday 20th September 2024 at 12:00 to show how Healthy Hedgerows works and to discuss the benefits of completing the survey and undertaking hedgerow management. To sign up, visit https://bit.ly/4e4fpIW

Megan Gimber, Key Habitats Officer at People’s Trust for Endangered Species said: “For the first time the Government has recognised the value of healthy hedgerows and is now paying farmers to assess their hedgerows, which until now has always been unremunerated. This is a great step forward. Healthy Hedgerows is the perfect platform to leverage the financial support needed for hedge management and restoration, and can provide the advice required to improve these iconic habitats which is a win-win for everyone.”

“Hedgerows have been at the heart of farming for centuries, but without a lifecycle approach to management, their structural condition has been declining. Last century, over half of our hedgerows were lost through incentivised removal, whilst recognition of their value has turned this around, it means those that remain are even more valuable, and the need for management advice is greater now than ever before. We’re delighted to partner with Land App to bring hedgerow awareness to the fore.”

Dan Geerah, Director of Growth, Land App said: “Collaborating with PTES and integrating their Healthy Hedgerows survey onto Land App and Land App Mobile was an easy decision for us, as we know our users want a straightforward and efficient way to satisfy their SFI hedgerow actions, and the PTES survey method is the Defra recognised way of achieving it. We have made a few tweaks to make the functionality even easier, such as the ability to copy hedges from existing SFI plans to the Healthy Hedgerows survey template, rather than starting from scratch. There are also step-by-step instructions on how to complete the survey which we hope will be valued by our user base.”

The value of a healthy, connected hedgerow network cannot be overstated, especially in the face of the climate and biodiversity crises we’re experiencing. For farmers and land managers, as well as now providing income for those in England via the new SFI scheme, hedgerows supply shade, shelter and diverse browse essential for high welfare, resilient livestock farming. They protect soil from erosion, encourage pollinators and offer natural pest control. They sequester carbon in their biomass and surrounding soils, and filter pollutants preventing them from reaching nearby water courses. Healthy hedgerows are an asset to farming.

Hedgerows are vital habitats for much of our native wildlife too, including rare hazel dormice, hedgehogs, and several bat and bird species. They’re safe navigational corridors, but also provide nesting sites, shelter and food. In fact, one study found over 2,000 species within an 85m stretch of hedge in Devon!

Megan Gimber adds: “Lifecycle management of hedgerows – which incorporates periodic rejuvenation such as hedge laying and/or coppicing – is the only way any hedge survives in the long term. This type of management hasn’t been widely practised for over a generation, so it’s no longer familiar to many. Our Healthy Hedgerows survey and the management advice we deliver, is designed to make hedgerow assessment easy. It will enable farmers and land managers to understand the condition of their hedgerows, what management would best suit each one, and give them the confidence to return to lifecycle management, which will not only be a huge benefit to them but also local wildlife.”

To access PTES’ Healthy Hedgerows survey via Land App, visit www.thelandapp.com and download Land App Mobile from the Apple Store or Google Play. A full list of subscription functionality can be found here: https://thelandapp.com/functions/

PTES’ original Healthy Hedgerows app will also remain freely available and active for non-Land App users to satisfy their SFI requirements. To download PTES’ app, visit the Apple Store or Google Play, or to find out more about PTES’ hedgerow conservation work, visit www.ptes.org

*PTES’ Healthy Hedgerows survey is available to all Land App Mobile users in the UK (Standard and Professional Subscription required), but the SFI benefit is currently only available to farmers in England [August 2024].