Hedgerow Cutting

Jim Martin

The Irish Wildlife Trust have just sent this out:

"Hello everyone,
Last year Minister Gormely issued a circular to all Local Authorities reminding them of the provisions of the Wildlife Act in relation to the cutting of hedgerows and other uncultivated vegetation. This activity is prohibited from March 1st to August 31st.
Collectively we are out and about across Ireland and I would ask you all to be vigilant of hedgecutters in particular. If you see this going on, please make a note of the date, time and location. If you have a camera handy photos would probably be useful also. Gormely has promised to investigate all cases brought to his attention and prosecute where the law has been broken. We can help by acting as watch dogs.
Pass any details on to myself or Joanne and we will see that it reaches the authorities.
Regards,
Pádraic

Pádraic Fogarty
Chairman, Irish Wildlife Trust
Sigmund Business Centre,
93A Lagan Road,
Glasnevin,
Dublin 11
ph.: 087-2959811; 01-8602839
web: www.iwt.ie
"

sparklepants

Does this apply to all hedgerows everywhere in the country, including those on private lands? Also what constitutes a hedgerow- is there an accepted definition?

Over the last few weeks, the local authorities in County Cork have been busy removing branches from trees and hedges that could be said to be obstructing local roads in my area. I was wondering about the appropriateness of this given the time of year. I'll keep a closer eye out from now on.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The law refers to all hege cutting. Exceptions can be made for safety reasons.
I find the biggest offenders around the country are the Tidy Towns people who cut hedges leading into each village in June. And then they have the cheek to award them points for environmental efforts. :mad:

Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976, incorporating section 46 of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000

(a) It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy, during the period beginning on the 1st day of March and ending on the 31st day of August in any year, any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated.

(b) It shall be an offence for a person to cut grub, burn or otherwise destroy any vegetation growing in any hedge or ditch during the period mentioned in paragraph (a ) of this subsection.

(2) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply in relation to – (a) the destroying, in the ordinary course of agriculture or forestry, of any vegetation growing on or in any hedge or ditch;
(b) the cutting or grubbing of isolated bushes or clumps or gorse, furze or whin or the mowing of isolated growths or fern in the ordinary course of agriculture.

(c) The cutting, grubbing or destroying of vegetation in the course of any works being duly carried out for reasons of public health or safety by a Minister or the Government or a body established or regulated by or under a statute.
(cc) the clearance of vegetation in the course of fisheries development works carried out by the Central Fisheries Board or a regional fisheries board in the exercise of its functions under the Fisheries Acts, 1959 to 1999;

(d) the destroying of any noxious weed to which the Noxious Weeds Act 1936, applies

(e) the clearance of vegetation in the course of road or other construction works or in the development or preparation of sites on which any building or other structure in intended to be provided.

(f) The removal or destruction of vegetation required by a notice served by the Minister under section 62(1) of the Act of 1946 to be removed or destroyed;
__________________________________

The word to look out for in that piece is uncultivated, as these restrictions do not apply to hedgerows on cultivated land such as garden hedges.