How to remove a hedge

How to remove a hedge

Legal background

Tearing out hedges is prohibited between March 1st and September 30th according to the Federal Nature Conservation Act. The law is valid in all federal states and relates to free landscapes and settlement areas. The law for the protection of breeding and living spaces of wild animals was passed. It mainly serves to protect native birds, whose breeding grounds have been severely impaired or completely destroyed by massive interventions in nature. Trees are important habitats for birds that should be protected in private gardens.

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There may be special regulations within the federal states that affect pruning and the removal of hedges. Exceptions to the closed seasons may apply to sick bushes or trees that pose a risk to road traffic. The public order office provides information about any special regulations. A violation of these regulations is considered an administrative offense that is punished with a fine.

Removal instructions

Inform your neighbors about the upcoming work so that there are no nasty surprises. Use appropriate protective clothing when tearing it out. You need a spade, branch and hedge shears (€ 135.56 at Amazon *) and a hand ax or saw for the work. Chainsaws and mini excavators make it easy to remove old bushes and large hedges.

1. Free the trunk base

Remove the branches from the base of the trunk so that you can easily saw it off later. A hedge trimmer is suitable for smaller branches. Thicker branches are cut with loppers.

2. Saw off the trunks

Use a hand ax or small saw to cut the logs at the base. With larger shrubs, pay attention to the direction of fall so as not to damage anything.

3. Eliminate roots

Remove the entire root from the soil. Root pieces remaining in the ground can sprout again. Old hedges have built up an extensive root system, which makes this work step difficult.

Tips for removing the roots:

  • Expose roots with a spade
  • cut through small roots
  • Loosen the trunk base by moving it back and forth
  • Pull out by hand or with a rope

Beech hedges develop stuck and deep roots that often cannot be completely removed. These roots rot in the ground. Saw cracks in the roots or punch small holes in the wood. Fill the voids with compost. This measure speeds up the rotting process. The soil can be replanted after a few years.

4. Dispose of wood residues

Hedge trimmings are ideal for composting. Small-cut branches and leaves serve as dry structural material in winter that can be mixed into the compost substrate on a regular basis. Thicker logs provide firewood.

5. Follow-up

Fill in the holes that have formed with stale compost. It supplies the earth with nutrients and prepares it for replanting.