A comparison of four methods used to survey hedgerows: The Cardiff Hedgerow Survey 1998

One of the aims of the Cardiff Hedgerow Survey 1998 was to compare the results from four different survey techniques on the same hedgerows. A stratified sample of 211 hedgerows was surveyed using standard 30-m lengths, 10-m plots, the Hedgerow Evaluation and Grading System (HEGS), and features of importance as defined in the UK Government’s Hedgerows Regulations 1997. thods identify variation between hedgerows which can be used to differentiate between hedgerow types (e.g. parish/community boundaries, new hedgerows), or compare hedgerows in different areas (e.g. communities). The number of species in 10-m lengths, 30-m lengths and the whole hedgerow were highly correlated; surveys of sections can thus indicate overall species richness, though 30-m lengths gave better results than 10-m lengths. In general a good relationship between HEGS and the ‘importance’ as defined by the Hedgerows Regulations was found, but it was not predictive for middle-ranking hedgerows, and the HEGS method cannot be used in proxy for the Hedgerows Regulations or vice versa. General surveys can be carried out using these two methods together to maximise both ecological and contextual information collected during surveys.