Management Prescriptions
Neglected coppice can be felled at any time of the year with little effect on subsequent growth, but it is inadvisable to cut during spring and early summer when it will disturb nesting birds. The tree must be in its dormant cycle to begin the process of coppicing.
Stools should be cut as close to the ground as possible. Cut the tree above the basal wood, which is the swollen area at the base of the tree trunk. New stems will probably develop closer to, or below, ground level and may develop their own root systems and have greater stability.
Coppice with standards is more complicated to manage than simple coppice. Standards reduce the size and vigour of coppice shoots and stools, and if necessary overstorey canopy cover should be reduced when the understorey is cut.
Allow shoots to grow. A number of shoots will spring up and grow rapidly after cutting. These may be cut during the dormant season, whenever they reach the desired size. Cut each new stem above its basal section. New shoots will continue growing after each cutting. A broad stump, known as a stool, eventually will develop.
New shoots must be protected from deer, until they have grown beyond the height at which browsing damage occurs, for vigorous crops in good growing conditions this will be a minimum of two growing seasons. Temporary plastic fencing erected around a coupe of hazel, should provide adequate protection.
Shoots will grow rapidly during the following spring which is then left until ready for cropping. Once cropped the cycle starts again.
Tools to be used
Small or medium-sized shrubs and small-diameter tree species can be cut with a pruning saw or billhook. Thicker-diameter shrubs or trees may require the use of a bowsaw, axe or chainsaw. Regardless of the tool you choose, remember to follow all necessary safety precautions. Be aware that thicker trees may require undercutting, which can add significantly to the danger of falling material.
The conservation value of coppice
Some butterflies, in particular, require the open conditions of newly cleared woodland which was once provided by coppicing. Several of the woodland butterflies, for example, have become much rarer since the decline in coppicing.
Actively coppiced woodland is very diverse in its structure and is, therefore, attractive to many different plants and animals. Rich communities of birds, for example, can be found in coppiced woods with many stages of growth. Although no birds are confined to coppiced woods, some, such as nightingale and garden warbler, find ideal habitats in coppice. These species and other birds needing open and young woodland were probably far more widespread before the decline in coppicing.
Many invertebrates undoubtedly thrive in young coppice because it provides open ground with a particularly warm microclimate for adults feeding at flowers or hunting for prey and because the highly diverse ground flora. Ground-dwelling species such as ground beetles and wolf spiders occur in these areas, when cutting is done.
Under the shade of a mature coppice canopy the field layer is usually very sparse some species of plant have become dependant on coppice woodland. Their success require regular cutting of the coppice. If cutting become neglected the dense canopy that forms will shade out the woodland floor.
Light reaching the woodland floor is the first step to promote the growth of flowering plant species such as bluebells, ground-ivy and yellow archangel.
