England's Hedges Stretch Far Enough to Circumnavigate Earth Ten Times

England's hedgerows, enough to encircle the planet nearly ten times, have been comprehensively mapped, revealing their importance to ecology and carbon storage.

Aerial laser scans show a total of 390,000 kilometers of hedgerows, with the South West, particularly Cornwall, having the most. In contrast, Surrey, Hampshire, and Berkshire have the fewest outside urban spaces.

Dr. Richard Broughton, who spearheaded the research at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, emphasizes England's abundance of hedgerows and the aim to fill network gaps nationally.

Hedgerows, integral to Britain's countryside since the Bronze Age, host diverse wildlife and sequester significant carbon. However, England saw the loss of about half its hedgerows from the 1940s to the 1990s, mainly due to farming and urban development.

Today, neglect and damage also pose threats. The new Lidar-based map affords unprecedented detail, including variations in hedge height.

The map exposes regional disparities, with the South West leading in hedge abundance at 24%, while the northeast, excluding London, has the least at 4%.

Among counties, Somerset, Derbyshire, and Cornwall boast the highest hedge densities. The government intends to restore or create 48,000 kilometers of hedgerows by 2037 and 72,000 by 2050 as part of its Environmental Improvement Plan.