Sheep help preserve hawthorn bushes

In the Maasheggen, more and more old hawthorn bushes have been dying off in recent years. Intensive management is reducing the vitality of the old bushes and causing them to lose competition from fast-growing weedy plants such as brambles and hedge weeds.

To preserve the old hawthorn bushes, which are of great cultural-historical and ecological value, it is necessary to curb the growth of the proliferating plants. This can be done by pruning the weedy plants, but also by grazing sheep in the verges and hedges that lie along the public roads. In the past two years, a successful experiment has already been carried out. That trial will continue this year.

To prevent sheep from entering farmland, flexible nets are used during grazing.