Mixed Scrub BNG Units
Medium
Heathland and shrub
Trusted by Developers and Landowners
What is Mixed Scrub?
Mixed scrub is a habitat of dense or scattered shrubs, typically 1–5 metres tall, composed of a range of native woody species. It often develops as a transitional stage between grassland and woodland, or where land is left unmanaged. Scrub can form mosaics with grassland, woodland edges, or hedgerows, creating valuable structural diversity.
Why It Matters for BNG
Mixed scrub supports birds, pollinators and small mammals. Creating structurally diverse scrub helps deliver moderate to good condition units and strengthens habitat networks.
Allowing scrub to develop where appropriate generates BNG opportunities with minimal intervention. Managing age structure and species mix increases unit value while supporting wildlife.
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Where It Is Found
Mixed scrub appears across a wide variety of landscapes, including:
• Grassland margins and pasture edges
• Woodland rides and glades
• Hedgerow expansions and field corners
• Brownfield sites and abandoned land
• Road verges, railway embankments, and quarries
How To Create Mixed Scrub From Scratch
Inputs
• Allow natural regeneration by excluding or reducing grazing and mowing to permit shrub seedlings to establish
• Directly plant or seed a range of native shrubs to speed up development
• Use thorny species such as hawthorn and blackthorn as “nurse shrubs” to provide protection for later colonisers
• Avoid herbicide or fertiliser applications, which suppress shrub establishment and understorey diversity
Management
• Plan for a varied age structure by planting in patches of different sizes and densities
• Retain open ground and grassy patches within new scrub to prevent uniform thickets
• In drier regions, favour drought-tolerant species such as gorse or more resilient provenances of hawthorn
• Where appropriate, coppice or cut back sections to create structural variety and prevent monocultures
Landscape
• Target planting on field corners, slopes, or margins where scrub links other semi-natural habitats
• Position new scrub adjacent to existing hedgerows, woodland, or grassland to create habitat networks
• Use scrub as a buffer strip along watercourses or between farmland and semi-natural habitats
• Plan scrub mosaics that combine dense thickets, scattered bushes, and edges to maximise biodiversity
How To Improve Existing Mixed Scrub
Inputs
• Supplement single-species thickets with additional native shrubs to broaden diversity
• Allow natural regeneration to add structural complexity without heavy intervention
Management
• Maintain a varied age structure by rotational cutting or coppicing patches
• Retain thorn thickets, bramble, and rose patches, which are valuable for invertebrates and nesting birds
• Prevent total succession to closed-canopy woodland if mixed scrub is the intended long-term habitat
Landscape
• Link scrub patches with hedgerows and woodland edges to strengthen ecological networks
• Retain gradual transitions from scrub into grassland or woodland, avoiding hard edges
• Incorporate open rides or glades for light-demanding plants and invertebrates
Target Condition
Mixed Scrub in Good Condition shows:
• A diverse mix of native shrub species, including both thorn and non-thorn types
• Structural variety, with dense thickets, scattered bushes, and open areas
• Evidence of natural regeneration and a healthy understorey
• Functional connections with adjacent habitats
The BNG Value of Mixed Scrub
• Distinctiveness: Medium
• Condition Potential: High, if structural diversity and species richness are maintained
• Habitat Connectivity: Provides strong links across fragmented landscapes
• Climate Services: Contributes to carbon storage, soil stability, and shelter for livestock
Species Typical of Mixed Scrubs
🌿 Shrubs
• Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
• Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
• Dog-rose (Rosa canina)
• Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)
• Hazel (Corylus avellana)
• Elder (Sambucus nigra)
• Gorse (Ulex europaeus) on dry sites
🐦 Birds
• Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)
• Common whitethroat (Curruca communis)
• Linnet (Linaria cannabina)
• Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
• Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
🐇Mammals
• European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
• Hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) [regionally restricted]
• Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) [bat species using scrub edges]
🐝Invertebrates
• Brown hairstreak (Thecla betulae)
• Numerous pollinators including bumblebees (Bombus spp.) and hoverflies (Syrphidae)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mixed Scrub?
A general BNG metric category for areas dominated by a mix of native shrubs and young trees (e.g., Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Willow) that doesn't fit the criteria for a specific, high-value scrub type (like Blackthorn or Gorse Scrub).
How is BNG measured here?
Assessment focuses on the species diversity of the scrub and the associated understorey/ground flora. Condition is based on the structure and extent of non-native species.
How can I achieve BNG?
Enhancement by managing the structure (rotational cutting/coppicing) to provide different age classes of scrub and controlling invasive species. Creation by planting diverse native shrubs.
What is the BNG target condition?
A Good condition often involves a mix of dense and open areas, a diverse shrub species mix, and evidence of ongoing management to prevent it from succeeding fully to woodland.
What management is required?
Rotational cutting or light grazing (where appropriate) to prevent succession to woodland and maintain the open-edge characteristics that benefit insects and birds.
Exploring Other Habitats?
Line of Trees
A Line of Trees in BNG is a row or corridor of trees forming a clear linear feature in the landscape. It is made up of individual trees spaced closely enough to create a recognisable boundary or route through farmland, estates or river corridors. These lines often follow historic field edges, green lanes or trackways and can include banks or ditches alongside them.
Some lines are simple boundary features, while others hold greater ecological value because they contain mature or veteran trees, standing deadwood, cavities and other natural features that support birds, bats and invertebrates.
Native Hedgerow
A Native Hedgerow BNG habitat is a linear woody habitat where more than 80% of the shrub and tree cover consists of native species. Structurally, native hedgerows consist of a dense shrub layer commonly dominated by species such as hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel, often with standard trees including oak or ash emerging above the canopy.
Ecologically Valuable Line of Trees
An Ecologically Valuable Line of Trees is a high-distinctiveness linear habitat consisting of a continuous or near-continuous arrangement of trees over 20 metres in length, typically less than 5 metres wide between major stems, and distinguished by structural features that support specialist wildlife. Unlike standard lines of trees, this habitat includes at least one tree with veteran characteristics or natural ecological niches such as cavities, standing or attached deadwood, ivy cover or loose bark.
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