Dead hedge

Benjes or dead wood hedges are hedges that arise from line-like, loose deposits of mainly thinner pruning, such as twigs and branches, by seed approach or initial plantings. Hermann Benjes described this approach in the late 1980s. Benjes offer birds and other animals shelter and food, so this should speed up their faeces or their food depots the Aussamen of woody plants.

The principle of Benjes hedge is to be set up not by planting hedges, but by wind approach and by seeds from the feces roosting birds. These pruning ( branches, twigs, sticks ) is messed up in a heap or in strips, as Wall loosely stacked or better simply dumped, which in turn serves to protect the growing plant. The advantages of such a system consist firstly in their low production costs, since these are not plants, but " seed" is introduced in a natural way or autochthonous and lumber is often present as "waste". In addition, the loosely mounted deadwood provides immediate habitat for numerous bird species ( esp. rear breeder ), small mammals and insects.

Since the early 1990s there has propagated the example of Benjes hedge again reinforced the creation of hedges.

As useful to the Benjes hedge proves where they would make fast and inexpensive to spacious hallway adjusted, intensively used agricultural landscapes such as meadows, fields, contributing to the biotope network. Children and young people can be good through the construction and observation of such Hedge move on subjects such as nature conservation and environmental protection and Benjes himself sees it as a means of environmental education.

Not useful it is where they must serve exclusively from pure cost reasons or convenience such as an argument to dump wood waste at any point. The disadvantages of Benjes hedge consist in the fact that the pruning of certain species after the on - the - floor - setting is far from able to kick back (eg blackberry) and these species will because even enforce and disseminate the most. Furthermore, a spontaneous vegetation does not always close to nature, but can also by foreign organisms adjacent vegetation or even threaten habitats. The Benjes hedge is therefore not useful in any landscape as a conservation measure.

In particular, on nutrient-rich soils, it is not uncommon to observe that for the deposition of pruning is not - or not in the short term - establish trees and shrubs, but competitive strong tall herb, usually the nettle or goldenrod species, which may delay this development long. Depending on the landscape come instead of the desired beer bearing briars also preferred tree species, mostly the wind spread Vorwaldarten birch and willow, ash or sycamore frequently also. This limitation of his model is also given by Hermann Benjes in the recent editions of his work. He propagated now mainly use in orchards as protection and seed bed for planted trees ( " Where, however, they are still there, intact forest edges and species-rich hedgerows? ... So must be planted, because miracles take now even a little longer " (quoted in the 5th edition ) ).

In conservation the Benjes hedge brings only very long-term results, as can first settle any threatened species by itself. Hedges require 50 to 120 YEARS FOR emergence of a natural and valuable vegetation and re- colonization takes, depending on environment 30 to 120 years. Cost Benjes can play an important role in the biotope network until then.