Biodiversity boost as Roots plants 400 metres of native hedgerow at new Leigh Woods allotments

Roots Allotments have continued work to boost biodiversity at its new growing community in Leigh Woods, 1.5miles from Bristol, as preparations continue for its official opening in spring.

Roots and its members have re-introduced more than 400 metres of native hedgerow back to the land. All native hedgerow that once ran through the field was removed in the past, back when the field was used for conventional agricultural use such as the growing of wheat and potatoes.
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The hedgerow, which is the first stage in reinstating more than 1600 metres of native hedgerow, is made up of 11 different varieties including field maple, hazel and spindle. Established hedgerow can support over 500 species of flora and over 1,500 different insects. Hedges can also play an important role in improving air quality by capturing and storing carbon. The largest species used is hawthorn which can offer an early source of food for pollinators.
All the trees were sourced from within 25 miles of the Leigh Woods growing community, by a husband and wife team who run an independant tree nursery. By establishing hedgerow and following traditional laying techniques, it is hoped that over the coming years, it will create a super-dense hedgerow that will negate the need for any other type of fencing once a suitable height has been reached.

It is part of a full schedule of initiatives by Roots to increase biodiversity in linear habitats such as trees and hedgerows by as much as 100 percent. It follows the successful planting of more 30 mixed variety fruits trees in February, with ambitions to plant more than 100 over the next year, and over 400 trees in total. The team will also be working with members to build insect habitats and dung piles. The new growing community is set to open in the spring, enabling members to grow their nutritiously-dense food for more than 600 families. With Roots providing its members with the education, seeds & plants, equipment and tools to grow their own food, more than half of the allotments are already sold out.
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Leigh Woods joins a number of other growing communities set up by Roots across the country, in an effort to provide local people with much-needed access to an allotment. Recent reports suggest the number of people waiting for a council allotment has almost doubled in the last 12 years to more than 157,000 people, with over 8,000 on Bristols waiting list. The length of waiting time continues to increase significantly too, with waits of up to 15 years in some areas of the country.
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Meanwhile, latest studies have shown that allotments play an important role in boosting biodiversity, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. The research by the Urban Pollinators Project found that allotments are just as important and effective for boosting pollinator numbers, even when compared to nature reserves.

Ed Morrison, one of the founders of Roots Allotments, said: “Following our successful tree planting, it was great to join up with our members once again. Re-instating the hedgerow at Leigh Woods is a key part of our ongoing efforts to increase biodiversity within our site boundary. Bringing this back is not only important for our wildlife as a source of food and shelter, but it’s vital for carbon storage as we all play our part in improving air quality.
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“Once open in spring, it promises to be a wonderful community and a fantastic space that both local people and nature can benefit from. There’s no greater place to grow your own food than surrounded by nature and our allotments demonstrate that is more than possible for food production and biodiversity to not just co-exist, but to complement each other and to ultimately thrive. With such a demand for allotment spaces and a desire to get growing, we look forward to supporting many members of the community very soon.”

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