It is good to read that East Riding of Yorkshire Council countryside services is providing an awareness day to demonstrate the skills required in maintaining hedgerows (The Yorkshire Post, January 21, 2023).

The government and Tree Council are providing funding for farmers and large landowners to plant more hedges with British native trees and shrubs to enclose fields and keep them stock proof, or keep cattle in a field.

Hedge rows provide 'wildlife corridors' between woodlands and provide safe habitats and food sources for small birds and small rodents in the landscape.

Hedge Laying is a skill that should be preserved. PIC: James Hardisty.

If the trees, mainly hawthorns, blackthorns, maples and hazels, were not pruned they would keep growing upwards and the base may open out and cattle could escape.

By cutting into the base of the stem, leaving the bark still attached, allows it to bend to approximately 45 degrees, giving an opportunity to fill the gap at the base.

To keep at this angle, timber stakes are needed to support by weaving and holding the branches together.

This process 'stresses' the trees and it will naturally produce berries to combat the tree dying.

If hedge laying is done by skilled and knowledgeable people the trees will survive and rejuvenate from the base and will extend the lifespan of the hedge by many decades.

This task has been done by farmers for generations, but modern farming techniques saves many hours of time using machinery attached to a tractor mounted swivelling flails blades, which effectively prunes the hedge to keep the branches dense.

Many local authorities' education departments and academy's are planting hedges along school boundaries fence lines to absorb air pollutants from vehicles, which has further increased the demand for people with hedge laying skills.

Holding hedge laying, and also dry stone wall repairing and building days, is a good way of recruiting new people who may be looking for a career change into rural crafts industries before there are no skilled people available and the skills die out.

The fact that the day is free to attend makes it more of an attraction to attend and learn more life skills.

Hedge laying skills need to be retained otherwise they will die out - Yorkshire Post Letters