Hedgerows
Hedgerows give the Irish landscape its distinctive character and field pattern. They provide important wildlife habitats, especially for woodland flora and fauna. Increasing the variety of hedgerow types in terms of height, width, shape, and species mix promotes diversity in flora and fauna, they offer a number of farming benefits:
Hedge Fodder
Carbon Sink
Water Quality
Find out more about the hedgerow benefits for animals here.
Shelterbelts
A Shelterbelt is a barrier of trees or shrubs created to provide shelter on a farm. Farmyard shelterbelts are planted to provide protection of a yard from the elements and to deter rodents and thieves. A Shelterbelt can be designed to protect crops from wind and reduce soil erosion. Livestock shelterbelts protect livestock and livestock facilities as well as provide adequate odour control, they can also be used in coastal/shoreline areas to provide protection from wind and salt by selecting the correct type of tree and through succession planting design, more information can be found in this research report from the Falkland Islands. More about shelterbelts can be found here.
Benefits of Agroforestry for livestock
Three upland farmers talk about the benefits of giving their livestock access to trees and hedgerows, and why it's good for the animals, soil health, biodiversity, the environment and the bottom line. Soil Association UK.
