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  Coppicing You might think that the only way to get usable wood from a tree is to cut it down, killing the tree in the process. This is true with conifers, which only have a single growing point. But most of the native, broad-leafed trees of Britain - including oak, ash, willow and hazel - don’t die when cut down. The stump of the tree remains alive, and produces a vigorous growth of new shoots around the cut-down area, replacing the trunk with several smaller trunks. People realised this and began to use this knowledge as long ago as 5,000 BC. It’s called coppicing, and it’s the oldest form of woodland management. Trees were coppiced on a cyclical system over a number of years, to produce poles of varying degrees of thickness according to their intended use. Hazel coppice products were once an essential part of the rural economy, used for cask hoops, basketry, walking sticks, hurdle-fence panels and even thatching. Coppiced hazels themselves serve as windbreaks, screens and hedges. If you’d like the effect a coppiced hazel produces, you can call in an expert, but this can be expensive. It’s relatively straightforward to coppice your own hazel. Bear in mind that it involves cutting the tree down to the stump - so if you’ll be without your tree for a while - but the new shoots grow quickly. First, snip away the smaller twigs from the outside, so that you can get to the larger branches more easily. Then saw away the medium size branches. It’s a good idea to trim them about a foot up, before cutting them again just above ground level. This way, when the branch falls, it doesn’t rip the wood near the final cutting place. (It’s important to leave a clean, smooth surface, angled so that rainwater slides off rather than being absorbed into the trunk). Finally, remove the largest, innermost branches. At this point you should trim all the stumps to just above ground level. The aim is to end up with a stump that’s known as a "stool", with all the branches cut to just above ground level. Each final cut should slope outwards, so that rain water drains away. Fresh shoots will grow around the outside of the stool, forming multiple, thinner trunks. You can repeat this process every few years according to the effect you want. |
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