As criminal acts go, trimming a hedge during nesting season sounds fairly trivial and unlikely to get anyone into serious trouble – but the ecological impacts can be devastating.
AS professionals in the arboriculture industry, I hope we understand the ecological implications of hedge-pruning works during bird-nesting season.
In many regions, the law prohibits pruning works during this period, yet broadly speaking local authorities still issue such works at scale. This practice lends itself to more ecological damage than an individual firm could fathom.
READ MORE: Plane trees: Why arborists should never prune them in leaf
Once a council tree contractor has quoted, had accepted and booked in tree or hedge works, they make an economic commitment. If this is in nesting season, they face the choice of losing money or disturbing a nest. For many firms it is not economical to check every tree or hedge before starting work. If, during the course of a climb, a nest is discovered, it comes down to the climber to decide what action to take.
As with any other industry, there is a spectrum of compassion among tree workers, from the conscientious to the heartless. Working overseas I was once asked to climb and lower a nest down. I asked the groundsman what he was going to do with it and he motioned that he would put the nest through the woodchipper. In the face of another climber doing just that I’ve climbed the tree and used my Silky to prune around the nest, praying the pigeon would stay calm. On this occasion I broke the law, but the alternative was much worse.
The most compassionate tree surgeons I’ve worked with will never intentionally disturb song birds and, so long as the eggs haven’t hatched, I’ve seen pigeon nests relocated to a neighbouring tree. This seems to me to be a fairly good compromise. The pigeon has a good chance to raise her young, the firm doesn’t lose money, and as long as nobody from the RSPB sees you, nobody gets a fine.
Some firms make a fairly open joke about having a pigeon/woodchipper policy. Perhaps the attitude towards pigeons comes from the fact they carry diseases. Perhaps it comes from the fact they can have multiple broods in a season, whereas most other birds put all their effort into one brood per season. But the law about nesting birds is clear and assuredly applies to pigeons as it does any other species.
Birds are essential to our ecosystem, and their nesting seasons are crucial to their survival. During this time, birds are preparing to breed and raise their young. They rely heavily on hedgerows and trees for nesting sites and protection from predators.
Pruning works during nesting season can disrupt the birds’ natural breeding behaviour and cause significant harm to their population. On a mass scale, such as at the local authority level, planning negligence is an unacknowledged yet principal cause of wildlife disruption during nesting season.
The current solution is to put 100 per cent of the ecological responsibility on the contractor, but by issuing works at scale, nationwide, during nesting season, local authorities are setting contractors up to fail.
The effects of hedge-pruning works during bird-nesting season can be disastrous. The birds may abandon their nests and their eggs or chicks may be destroyed. The birds’ feeding habits may also be affected, as many insects and other food sources they rely on may be removed during pruning. These problems could be minimised greatly if authorities planned for the hedges to be pruned outside of nesting season. It is unethical to issue hedge-pruning work at scale during nesting season and not take any responsibility for the collateral damage.
Furthermore, hedge-pruning works during nesting season can have long-lasting effects on the bird population. If a bird abandons its nest, it may not be able to breed again that year, reducing the overall population. In extreme cases, it could even lead to local extinction of a particular species.
It is essential not only for arboriculture contractors but also local authorities to prioritise the well-being of wildlife and ecosystems. Hedge-pruning works should only be issued and carried out when it is ecologically safe to do so, which means avoiding bird-nesting season altogether.
It is important to hold local authorities accountable for the potential risks associated with issuing pruning works at scale during bird-nesting season, and encourage them to schedule pruning works outside of this period.
Of course it is the contractor’s responsibility to prioritise the well-being of wildlife and ecosystems.
It is also the responsibility of local authorities to schedule pruning works outside of bird-nesting season.
It is incumbent upon contractors, governing bodies and environmental institutions to put pressure on local authorities about the ethical dilemma of issuing pruning works at scale during nesting season. By doing so, together we can help protect and preserve our natural environment for future generations.
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