Managing verges for wildlife

Verges for wildlife

There is a huge opportunity for verges to be managed more sympathetically to help compensate for the 97% reduction in UK wildflower meadows since the 1930s. 

In the last few years, Dorset Council has significantly changed the way we manage many of our verges to do more than ever to protect, conserve and enhance the verges in Dorset for biodiversity. Whilst ensuring we continue to keep junctions and lines of sight clear for road users.

These changes include:

Increasing Urban 'cut and collect' mowing

We have increased the amount of 'cut and collect' mowing for the verges within our 30 mph urban road network – this is where we collect the vegetation clippings instead of letting them decompose into the soil.

'Cut and collect' happens in North Dorset, Weymouth, Portland, Purbeck, Bridport, West Dorset and East Dorset.

Collecting the grass clippings reduces the soil fertility, resulting in lower growth rates, longer periods between cutting and a far better environment for wildflowers to establish and thrive. In some areas within towns, a reduction from 7 cuts a year to 2 has been achieved and wildflowers are now thriving. This reduction in verge cutting allows wildflowers the time to complete their life cycles which benefits bees and other pollinators. This method also saves time and reduces fuel consumption, further aiding the environment.

Cutting the rural road network once instead of twice

We now cut the B and C class rural road network once instead of twice. Previously all rural roads (40mph and above) received two cuts per year with a side arm flail. This is now reduced to one cut, from late June/July onwards. This ensures not all the verges are cut in a similar time and many flowers complete their life cycles uninterrupted before cutting.

Creating designated Sites of Nature Conservation Interest

We are creating verges which have been designated Sites of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCIs) by Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT). Working with DWT, we hope to create, by good management, more verges of SNCI quality due to the diversity of herbaceous species present.

Managing Conservation Verges

Some verges already have high biodiversity value. These are known as “conservation verges”. These verges avoid the first cut, and are then cut as usual later in the summer.

This package of measures ensures that biodiversity can thrive on more of our verges each year. While we have reduced cutting, it is important to remember that for wildflowers to exist on our verges, they will still need cutting. Too little cutting results in verges turning to bramble and scrub, which would prevent wildflowers from living on our verges. Many may think it is a paradox, but if we want good populations of wildflowers, we will inevitably need to sometimes cut verges with wildflowers present. The vast majority of any cut flowers will soon bloom again between cuts, so don’t be too alarmed if you sometimes see mowers cutting verges where wildflowers are present.

Some urban verges are still cut conventionally 5 or 6 times a year using mowers that leave the clippings behind to decompose into the soil. Over time we hope to reduce this method and move to more “cut and collect” mowing on the urban verges, reducing the number of cuts and collecting the clippings.

Read more about our conservation verge trials.

#LoveYourVerge

Our Love Your Verge campaign is delivered in partnership with Litter Free Dorset and helps raise awareness of our efforts to increase biodiversity in our roadside verges.