Longford County Council has announced the start of a new biodiversity research project which will focus on hedgerows.

The study will help to better understand the extent and condition of the county’s hedgerows from biodiversity, historical and cultural perspectives.

The first such research to take place in close to two decades, the project will assess hedgerow health and functionality, and how this may have changed since 2006.

The council said that the the research will inform future conservation priorities.

Hedgerows provide food (such as blossom and berries), create wildlife corridors, help with shade and shelter for livestock as well as field drainage, and offer a habitat for beneficial insects.

According to the local authority, the surveys will be carried out by a team of two ecologists between June 16-20 over an area covering 12km².

A standardised appraisal system will assess each hedgerow sample area and the historical and current management that has led to each hedgerow’s current condition.

The hedgerows will be scored across a range of criteria, including historical significance; species diversity; structure; connectivity; and landscape significance.

The ecologists will use mobile technology to record the data in the field.

The research team will also look at the flowering composition of the hedgerow, including its tree, scrub and ground flora layers.

The local authority said that the collected data will be "valuable now and into the future for comparison with any further surveys".

It is expected that the findings from the research project will be presented at an event later this year.

Longford County Council has thanked to all of the farmers and landowners who are allowing access to their lands for the purposes of this survey.