Hedgerows Toolkit
All parts of the Toolkit are designed to interact, so you can follow all the steps necessary to design, plant, and successfully sustain hedgerow projects with confidence and efficiency.
A hedgerow is a row—or several rows—of plantings that are designed to complement each other and ultimately weave together in an informal, multi-species hedge.
Hedgerows are defined by groups or rows of trees and shrubs, sometimes with the additions of mixtures of perennial and annual grasses and flowers. Hedgerows are often planted along fence lines or property boundaries as substitutes for fences or privacy screens, to make pasture or field divisions, or along waterways to keep our waterways healthy and clean.
“Discover Hedgerows” Upcoming Events
We have some great upcoming opportunities for folks interested in learning more about hedgerows as a conservation tool! These will be a mix of hands-on volunteer opportunities, webinars, and farm tours. Keep scrolling for more information and sign up links. We will be updating this page as we finalize more details for each event, so be sure to check back frequently for more updates. All links will open in a new tab!
July 14th - Weeding Party at Oyster Bay Farm (4-6PM)
Join us for an evening of hedgerow weeding at Oyster Bay Farm in NW Olympia! This is a great hands-on learning experience, especially if you are unable to make the tour later in the week. We can provide tools and a limited amount of gloves. Further details will be sent upon signing up! Click here to register (link opens in a new tab).
July 21st - Weeding Party at Helsing Junction Farms (5-7PM)
Join us for an evening of hedgerow weeding at Helsing Junction Farms in Rochester, WA! This is a great hands-on learning experience; we can provide tools and a limited amount of gloves if you let us know what size you’ll need. Further details with directions and logistics will be sent upon signing up! Click here to register (link opens in a new tab).
Hedgerows How-To Handbook
Hedgerows for Rural & Working Lands: A How-to Handbook provides the foundation of the Toolkit. It’s divided into four sections, focusing on practical hands-on advice. The Handbook intersects with the other elements of the Toolkit on this site.
Sortable Plant Table
This sortable, searchable Plant Table lists and provides detailed characteristics of over 75 trees & shrubs to define a hedgerow’s footprint and successfully achieve numerous landscape goals. Use the Table to choose the best plants for your site’s conditions and project goals. (More tables coming in 2023 focusing on herbaceous plants!)
Hedgerow Planting Templates
The Hedgerow Planting Templates provide ready-made planting plans customized for six different hedgerow goals. These ready-to-go templates provide primary options for all the layers of a hedgerow, and offer alternatives in each category so you can mix and match and select the right plants for your space.
Budget Categories & Examples
Budget Categories & Examples will help you understand the various possible cost centers, how to save money, and plan ahead for purchases.
Videos
Explore our growing video lessons to help you maximize your use of the Hedgerows Toolkit and gain more insights into the nuances of hedgerow design and implementation.
Resources
Explore this cornucopia of resources for reaching community partners that can provide technical help, funding, and where to access more how-to background and support. Each of the categories below expands out to numerous resources!
Hedgerows Mini Case Studies
Starting in fall 2023, we began implementing demonstration hedgerows in Thurston County with community partners and local agricultural providers. These case studies will be fleshed out as we gain new information, but for now, check out some of our recent projects and our lessons learned so far. Click here to visit our WSU subdomain and read all about it! (Link opens in a new tab.)
Get Involved
We’ll be offering online and field-based workshops for more learning & hands-on implementation practice! Sign up here to be notified of upcoming learning opportunities!