Historically, hedgerows or living fences were planted with management in mind and were established by early European settlers who wanted to recreate their homeland landscapes and protect soils. By the twentieth century, they had all but disappeared, primarily due to the modernization and intensification of agriculture. Current North American hedgerows (also known as fencerows, shelterbelt or windbreaks) are diverse in structure and usage but usually experience little-to-no regular management.

Recently, hedgerows have received more attention in North America resting on evidence for their growth of ecosystem services and because of increased interest in agroforestry and socio-ecology (homesteading, transition cultures, localism and sense-of place).

In this ZOOM webinar, Jim Jones will give a brief history of hedgerows, including their ecological and social importance, and give an overview of management through the concept of the hedgerow cycle and the traditional skill of hedgelaying ahead of a practical workshop on Saturday, November 18. There will be space for a question-and-answer session at the end.

Registration for the practical portion is not required to attend this webinar, however if you are interested find out more here.

Sign up and register for this webinar here.

Jim is an ecologist with 15 years of experience in hedgerow ecology and management, first as an ecologist in the UK and more recently as Manager of the Hedgerows in The Ontario Landscape project at The University of Waterloo, where he is completing his PhD in Social and Ecological Sustainability. He currently runs hedgelaying training courses through the Ontario Land Skills Network.

What to Bring

Curiosity!