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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steve Dudley" data-source="post: 1699108" data-attributes="member: 5172">I know more conservation minded farmers who leave these trees and bramble patches to grow up and occasionally trim them back in rotation. This works well and no such problems with damage to dyke banks. Most of these are growing in either dry or 1m dykes with very little water in them, and even in the wettest winters (like now after the snow melt) even some of the 1m dykes hold little water. So no, I don't accept that they cant be left. The reason they arent left, and the reason the dykes are cut both sides each year, is because, despite my best efforts to educate my neighbours, these couple of farmers have simply no interest in conservation unless they are getting money for it (oh, they know about things then!). Agreed, wet hedges are fantastic and far more wildfire-rich than people think. I recall when I first moved out on to the arable fen some of my mates thought I was bonkers! 'nowt but beet out there' was one comment. Little did they know or understand! I have one of the largest garden lists in the county thanks to dykes by the house, an oasis garden to pull birds into and open views across the fen. Spankin'!Anyway, back on to topic, interesting how quickly the birds ship out when the melt kicks in. The garden seems bare now with numbers right back to normal. Proves that (most!) birds prefer to forage naturally for natural foodstuffs rather than live on free handouts! The ones left behind are obviously the lazy and institutionalised living off charity!</blockquote>

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