Devon Hedge Awards 2024

 

The Devon Hedge Award has a different theme each year. For 2024 the theme is Healthy Hedge Trimming.  The methods and variety of hedge trimming can make a big difference to the wildlife value of Devon’s hedges. Although annual autumn flailing is an effective method of controlling a hedge, there are regimes that can bring great benefits to wildlife and that may cost less. Possible options include:

  • Incremental trimming – whereby the hedge is allowed to grow slightly bigger each time it is cut, whether annually or less frequently. If the hedge gets too big it can then be cut back harder.
  • Trimming every 2, 3 or more years- so that the hedge produces lots of flowers and fruit, which do not get a chance to develop on annually close-cut hedges (flowers and fruit generally develop on the previous years growth). Trimming every two years only brings benefits if the trimming is done late in the winter rather than in the autumn, unless the hedge is allowed to grow incrementally.
  • Traditional hedge laying – cutting in at the base of each stem to create a hinge that stays alive when the stem is bent over, tight on top of the bank.
  • Conservation hedge laying – whereby less of the existing hedge is cut out and a bigger laid hedge is created. 

Some useful guidance on healthy hedge trimming can be found here 

You can apply for a Devon Hedge Award in 2024 if you trim your hedges using techniques chosen for the needs of both wildlife and agriculture.  The Award is about saying thank you to people who are working hard to create wildlife-rich hedges within Devon’s countryside.  You will receive a personal certificate as well as an award plaque, that you can proudly display on a gate or building.

The way that Devon’s hedges  are managed greatly affects their wildlife value. More information about this can be found throughout this website, particularly in the section on Management Advice

To enter for an award please complete the entry form below and then submit it with up to 4 photographs or send your answers and photos to [email protected].  The closing date for entries is 31st December 2024.

 

Entry Form Devon Hedge Awards 2024

    To enter for an award in 2024, you must fulfill 3 or more of the following criteria, across your land holdings.

    1: Hedge trimming choices
    Annual flailing,taking the hedge hard back to the point it was cut last timeIncremental trimming, allowing the hedge to grow outwards and upwards a few inches each time it is cut2-year rotational trimming in the late winter3 year (or longer) rotational trimming, whether in the autumn or late winterLeaving some margins uncut to benefit especially overwintering insects

    2: Establishment of new hedgerow trees
    Singling up at the time of hedge layingSingling up within a flailing rotationPlanting new saplings into existing hedges

    3: Management of existing hedgerow trees
    Within a flailed hedgeIn a hedge being left for future laying

    About your hedge cutting ethos
    Tell us about your hedge trimming regime - what you hope to achieve, what has been successful, how your plans affect your costs, and how hedgerow wildlife has benefited.

    Photos
    Please include up to four photos. Please upload image files up to 1MB each. If your images are too big, you can resize them, for example with an online service such as picresize.com.

    Photo 1:

    Photo 2:

    Photo 3:

    Photo 4:

    Your Permissions

    Can we use your comments and photos to inspire others in our social media?
    YesNo

    Can we give your name and approx. location of your hedges (nearest village or town) in social media news about the Devon Hedge Award?
    YesNo

    Are you happy for us to locate your hedges on a low-resolution map - postcode only?
    YesNo

    We would love to keep in touch with you to share the latest Devon Hedge Group news; opportunities to get involved through our projects, events, volunteering, appeals, and campaigns; information about our products and services, and to let you know the impact your support is having on Devon’s hedges

    Would you like to receive further updates on Devon's hedges?
    YesNo

    I would like Devon Hedge Group to keep in touch with me by email
    YesNo

    I would like Devon Hedge Group to keep in touch with me by post (no more than every 6 months)
    YesNo

    If you would like to receive an award plaque and personalised certificate, please compete the details below. We will not use this information for anything else unless you opt-in to Devon Hedge Group permissions above

    Your details

    Please submit your form by 31 December 2024.