Managing hedgerows to optimise ecosystem services in agroforestry systems

Publication date: 03/06/2019
Extent: 50 pages

Contributions by: Penka Tsonkova and Christian Böhm, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany; Rico Hübner, Technical University of Munich, Germany; and Julia Ehritt, Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Brandenburg, Germany

Chapter synopsis: Hedgerows are composed of trees and/or shrubs and serve as natural fences, often between pastures and arable fields. This chapter discusses the importance of hedgerow management and maintenance to enhance multiple ecosystem services such as biomass production, wind and water protection, habitat provision and landscape aesthetics. It develops a categorisation of existing hedgerows, applicable to linear woody-features such as hedgerows, windbreaks and riparian buffer strips, and evaluates the condition of each category with respect to multiple ecosystem services. It considers different measures for improving hedgerow condition and provides guidelines for hedgerow restoration and management under consideration of potential conflicts between services. The chapter highlights key constraints to hedgerow management in Germany and applies the developed concept to an agricultural area in the federal state of Brandenburg. It estimates the biomass potential of hedgerows in this area and demonstrates the application of a restoration and management strategy to selected hedgerows under two different scenarios.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2018.0041.03