Normandy, France, August 2024
Introduction:
This project in Normandy is specifically aimed at planting hedgerows with the participation of farmers, in order to complete the existing bocage networktypical of this region. Planting hedgerows made up of more than 15 different species encourages development of a rich and diverse fauna by providing shelter and food, and also provides important support for the local flora.
This project has been supported by A Tree for You since the winter of 2019/2020 and continues every year. In five phases, BNE Orne, A Tree for You‘s field partner, has supported several farmers. A total of 44,616 trees have been planted in the heart of the Normandy bocage:
- Early 2020: 1st planting phase, with 11,020 trees;
- Early 2021: 2nd planting phase, with 3,643 seedlings;
- Early 2022: 3rd planting phase, with 10,011 plants;
- Early 2023: 4th planting phase, with around 8,400 plants;
- Early 2024: 5th planting phase, with 11,542 plants..
Focus on the 2020 to 2023 planting phases:
The hedges planted since 2020 were maintained and cleared in June 2024. This maintenance was carried out earlier than in previous years because of strong vegetation growth following the heavy rainfall since November 2023.
A repellent has been used on sections suffering damage from roe deer and/or hares. It will be reapplied if necessary during replanting next winter.
Recovery rates are excellent, at around 95% for the 2021-2022 plantings and 94% for 2022-2023. Note that each section planted to date has been systematically replanted once or twice.
Focus on the 2023/2024 planting phase
Planting took place in four départements during this 2023/2024 winter: Orne, Seine-Maritime, Manche, and Oise. A total of 11,542 metres of hedges were planted on various farmers’ sites.
The work was spread over several months due to heavy rainfall, which made it very difficult to plant the hedges. However, the methodology used was the same for all the different sectors, i.e. decompacting then crumbling the soil before laying biodegradable mulch. A corn starch-based film was rolled out over 95% of the linear sections. Only a few sections were covered with other types of mulch, always biodegradable, for technical reasons.
The prolongation of the rainy weather into spring and early summer enhanced plant recovery, which is positive! In fact, the recovery rates are particularly good. They are 97% in Seine Maritime and Oise and 99% in Orne and Manche. There is still pressure from roe deer on certain stretches of lowland. Yet unless extreme, this problem is generally kept under control by applying repellent twice a year for the first few years.
See you soon for more news from the field!
On the previous planting waves
