Hazel Coppice Restoration

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.

What is Coppicing?

COPPICE WOODLANDS

Coppicing is the act of periodically cutting a small tree so that it produces many shoots rather than one main trunk.

History

The practice of coppicing dates back to Neolithic times and by the middle ages the hazel cycle system had become the standard form of woodland management. In Celtic law, hazel or ‘coll’ were given chieftain status along with Oak, Yew and Ash. The system reached its zenith in the 19th Century by becoming an indispensable part of the rural economy. The isolation of settlements and industries meant that timber had to be procured from the immediate area. This necessitated perpetual management of woodlands in order to produce a constant timber crop. Nearly all indigenous species will sprout readily from the base if cut and this is how the crop of wood was maintained. Rotational cutting over an area of woodland gave a constant supply of wood which was used in every aspect of life. A few standard trees – ones that were never coppiced – were allowed to reach maturity or a size for specific purposes such as building houses, barns or boats.

Decline

By the mid 1800’s the decline in rotational cutting had begun. More and more oak standards were planted to supply the rapidly expanding tanning and ship building industries – ironically both demands collapsed before the felling time. Other factors aiding the decline included the improved transportation which carried the exploitation of coal for fuel, and brick and stone for building to rural settlements and industries. Since then two world wars have decimated the rural communities who managed these rotational systems and, coupled with the march of modernisation in agricultural practices, have caused many ancient woodland sites to be grubbed up and changed to extensive softwood plantations, or to increase productive field sizes for crops or pasture land for grazing stock.

Conservation

The act of coppicing increases the longevity of a tree. By rotational coppicing in coups (the term given to compartments within a woodland as illustrated) it will be highly beneficial to both flora and fauna, ranging from the dense canopy and shaded area of the older coppice to the bare open ground of the cleared coppice with various stages of growth between the two. This creates a constantly recurring cycle and it is important to remember that most of our native flora woodland species and wildlife have evolved under the coppice system. Years 3 - 5 are most suitable for wildlife cover. It is estimated that over 90% of coppice is out of cycle or derelict, even this state in conservation terms is far more favourable than plantation or field systems.

Coppice Working

Ideal conditions for coppicing occur between October and March. This is the period when the sap level is low in the stools. Cutting outside this time can harm the stools and reduce the vigour of the regrowth. It will also produce material full of sap which, in the case of hazel for hurdles, lacks the durability of those made with the sap ‘down’. Other factors include the damage to flowering flora and nesting wildlife.

Just below the bark is the cambium layer – this is the living layer that produces the shoots when cut. Before felling commences the immediate area around the stool should be cleared and the height and lean of the growth assessed for safety reasons. The cutting height should be as close to the ground as possible. This gives a greater yield of produce and also increases root development. In the case of old stools, this may be as high as 0.5m. The angle of the cut should be outwards and clean to prevent water collecting which will cause rotting. The finished cut when felling should leave no damage to the bark and cambium level of the stool.

The size of area cut in any one season is called a coup and its size will depend on the workforce and management objective. Traditionally this was dictated by the ability of one or two men to prepare the produce required in a winter’s season. As a general rule coups should be no smaller than 0.5 hectares (1 acre) and no more than 25% of the wood or 5 ha maximum.

Traditionally, billhooks with various weights were used with handsaws and side axes. This is still the case but with the added help coming from the chainsaw (full safety precautions to be observed). Waste material such as ‘lop and top’ is placed over the cut stool to protect new shoots emerging in the following season from the ravages of deer browsing. Any excess should be burnt, chipped or heaped into habitat piles. Bonfire sites should be kept both in sites and numbers.


Rotation Lengths:


Suggested length of rotation is very much site specific and geared to the end product.


Hazel - Spars and other thatching uses, pea and bean sticks, hurdles (7 to 12 years)


Birch - Horse jumps, besom brooms (4 to 12 years)

Ash, Birch, Field - Firewood (15+ years)

Maple, Hornbeam Turnery poles (15 to 20 years)

Oak - Charcoal cleftwood (30+ years)

Standards

Overstory also needs management. A wide age distribution being the goal, with new saplings coming on to replace the mature trees.

Suggested age range:-

20 saplings – 0 – 25 years                                  

12 young trees – 25 – 50 years

8 semi mature trees – 50 – 80 years

6 mature trees – 80 – 125 years

4 trees ready for felling – 110+ years

Replanting Coppices

Consideration should be given to replanting gaps in the coppice floor which prevent the canopy from suppressing all undesirable species from gaining a foothold. The suggested densities should be aimed for, depending on soil and drainage.

Hazel - 1500/2000 stools per acre

Sweet Chestnut - 800/1000 stools per acre

Ash and Oak - 200/500 stools per acre

Economics

Short rotations such as hazel make favourable income compared to other broadleaved crops. In addition it will provide a livelihood for approximately 10 times as many people as a similar sized wood managed by modern forestry methods. Hazel is used between the years 6 – 12, any older and it fast becomes a liability. Prices paid by coppice workers for standing in-cycle hazel vary widely per acre depending on quality, but a well-stocked acre of 8 year old hazel should produce 10,000 – 12,000 rods of 10 to 15 feet in length. This can be converted into approximately 300 x 6 foot square hurdles, or 75,000 thatching spars. In addition, assorted bean and pea sticks, clothes line props and the occasional oak or ash standard. Other uses include stakes and ethers or hedge laying, charcoal, pulpwood, wood chips, turnery, firewood, garden products, compost bins, tree guards, clothes pegs and tent pegs, walking sticks and rake handles. Other coppice species include Alder, Apple, Aspen, Birch, Sweet Chestnut, Lime, Hornbeam, Ash, Oak, Maple and Willow, all having a multitude of uses and income.