All hedgerow cutting or trimming and non-essential tree felling should be banned between March and August to give declining bird species a chance to breed undisturbed by human activity.
According to Defra figures, farmland birds have declined by 57% and woodland birds by 27% between 1970 and 2018. RSPB research shows 16 out of 20 garden birds are in decline.
Each spring, many people enter their gardens and decide a hedgerow needs cutting back or a shade-causing tree needs felling. Unfortunately, large swathes of the public are unaware that this activity is detrimental to birds. Neither the public nor tree surgeons should be cutting hedges or trees from March to August.