4/12/2023 0 Comments Coppice hazel treesCan be cut at about 25cm above ground level and will produce new growth from the base. Robinia pseudoacacia (Black locust) – As with Gleditsia, Black Locust has a lignotuber which aids efficient coppicing. It is not advisable to use coppiced oak for fuel because of its slow growth and high moisture content. Coppiced oaks will produce standard trees with an open center. However, it will naturally grow into standard trees if left un-pruned so can be coppiced at about 15cm above ground level. Quercus robur (Oak) – It is difficult to coppice because of its long periods of dormancy and slow growth. It is important to note that the tree will create thorny suckers so it may only be suitable for low hedges or wildlife uses. The stems produce suckers which can be beneficial in pollarding applications. Pyrus communis (Pear) – It has a lignotuber which makes it easy to coppice. A quick-growing tree that can be cut at about 25cm above ground level. Gleditsia triacanthos (Honey locust) – It has a large lignotuber that aids its efficient coppicing, producing vigorous basal growth with little suckering. Branches can be cut back to about 25cm above ground level and will often regrow from the base of the plant. Hazel growth is fast so shoots need to be harvested every 3-4 years, and the growth on a stool will be heavier than growth on a coppiced stem.Ĭrataegus monogyna (Hawthorn) – Hawthorn is best suited to wildlife uses such as coppicing because of its suckering habit which reduces the vigor of new shoots. As soon as you have cut it back, anywhere up to 90cm above ground level, growth will start from the base of the plant and produce long flexible stems. The stems are slow-growing and have a faint, attractive zigzag pattern.Ĭorylus avellana (Hazel) – It is perhaps the most efficient of all the coppice species. It is best coppiced under-story trees to provide poles or firewood.Ĭarpinus betulus (Hornbeam) – It can be cut back at about 25cm above ground level and new shoots will grow from the base of the plant. However, the coppice growth is relatively weak and stems are best reserved for wildlife or other less demanding uses.īetula (Birch) – Birch is more difficult to coppice effectively than some other trees as it has evolved to regenerate by suckering. The regrowth that follows produces long, thin poles which are suitable for basketry and other crafts.Īesculus hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) – It is a large, deciduous tree that can be cut down to ground level annually during its first year. These will grow to around 6-8m when they are coppiced again.Īcer pseudoplatanus (Sycamore) – It is an upright deciduous tree that can be cut back at about 25cm above ground level. While young it can be cut back every few years to around 2m above ground level and new stems will develop from the base. Vigorous and freely-growing coppice stems.Īcer campestre (field maple) – It is an upright, shrubby tree that will grow into a standard tree unless coppiced. Produce new growth from the base of the plant (a lignotuber) where buds can be activated by cutting.A strong, straight stem that will produce long, thin poles or small diameter wood.Some trees are more suitable for coppicing than others. Since the Second World War, when there were around 100,000 hectares of copses in England and Wales, there has been a huge decline to an estimated 25-30,000 hectares today (The National Archives, 2012). The Domesday Book (1086) records that over 1.4 million acres of wood pasture in England contained coppiced woodland. These habitats play host to many specialist plants and animals which are only found in these environments.Ĭoppicing has been used in woodland management for centuries. They are coppiced without felling the entire tree.Ĭoppicing mainly occurs in wood pastures and ancient woodland where traditional management can help to maintain a wide range of trees species by periodic cutting back which prevents the trees from getting too big. Trees tend to be coppiced when they are mature or past their prime, but before they reach full maturity. It involves the periodic cutting back or removal of tree stems either close to ground level, at about 30-40cm height, or on a stool (a short raised stem), with the intention that new growth will appear from buds within the stump or stool, which will shoot out again to form the next generation of trees.Ĭoppicing is practiced commercially on hazel, sweet chestnut, and oak (see below), but any deciduous, woody-stemmed tree can be coppiced including sycamore, birch, and maple. Coppicing is an ancient woodland management practice that has been used to rejuvenate stands of trees.
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