Vegetation plot data from a survey of hedges in UKCEH Countryside Survey sites, England, 2022-2023

This dataset consists of plant species presence and abundance in vegetation plots located on hedges, recorded from 248 1km squares across England in 2022 and 2023, as part of a survey of hedges funded by Natural England.
The survey sites belong to the UKCEH Countryside Survey, which is a unique study or 'audit' of the natural resources of the UK's countryside. The sample sites are chosen from a stratified random sample, based on a 15 by 15 km grid of GB. Surveys have previously been carried out in 1978, 1984, 1990, 1998 and 2007 by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and predecessors, with repeated visits to the majority of squares. The countryside is sampled and surveyed using rigorous scientific methods, allowing us to compare new results with those from previous surveys. In this way, we can detect the gradual and subtle changes that occur in the UK's countryside over time.