Research completed by the University of Leeds has proven that hedgerows increase soil carbon storage by almost half compared to intensively managed grasslands. By looking at soil samples from farms in Yorkshire, Cumbria and West Sussex, scientists were able to study how carbon storage under hedgerows differed to soil taken from intensively managed grass fields. They found that soil under hedgerows store on average 40 tonnes more carbon per hectare than grassland, which demonstrates the positive impact that hedgerows could have on soil health and soil carbon storage. Increasing hedge planting has also increased the biodiversity seen in these areas, with farmers reporting more birds, bats and other pollinators.
The results were published in the Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment journal by researchers from the University of Leeds School of Geography and the University of Sheffield's School of Biosciences. This data could have a big impact in informing the UK's net zero targets and predict the contribution that planting new hedgerows would have on the country's goals. With 118,000 miles of hedgerow lost between 1940 and 1990 due to intensive farming and development, it's vital to maintain existing hedgerow to ensure carbon sequestration, as well as continuing with important replanting efforts.
What's more, this is also a way that all of us can make an impact in our individual efforts - getting involved in our green spaces in composting, leaving soil undisturbed, letting our gardens become grassland and maintaining our hedgerows - all of this adds up.
Interested in learning more about what we can do? UN1TY's Carbon Literacy Training covers all of this and more. Our next cohort is running on 20th and 23rd May - book through this link: Carbon Literacy Project - Guernsey Tickets, Tue 20 May 2025 at 09:00 | Eventbrite or get in touch for more info!
Check out the article here: Hedges capture more carbon than grassland - University of Leeds study - BBC News
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