hedge

Row of closely planted shrubs or low trees, generally acting as a land division and windbreak. Hedges also serve as a source of food and as a refuge for wildlife, and provide a habitat not unlike the understorey of a natural forest.

Generally, the older a hedge, the more species are found contained in a given length, roughly one species per century for a 30-yd length. About 309 species of plant occur only in hedgerows. Hedges are part of the landscape in Britain, northern France, Ireland, and New England, USA, but many have been destroyed to accommodate altered farming practices and larger machinery.