![]() From 8 years of growth there were no major changes in vegetation structure. Low foliage (within 2 m of the ground) reached its greatest development between 3 and 5 years of growth, subsequently declining as the coppice canopy closed. Patterns of temporal change in the assemblages of birds closely matched major changes in the structure of the coppice vegetation. Where migrants did use old coppice they were largely confined to the edges where it adjoined young coppice. All species with narrow habitat amplitudes, including all the abundant long-distance migrants, were confined to young coppice no species was restricted to old coppice. Bird species differed greatly in the stages of growth at which they were most abundant and in their habitat amplitude. During this period all stages of coppice growth from freshly cut to nearly 40 years old were present. As for other uses, consider basket splints, stakes, bentwood furniture, and tool handles.The distribution of breeding birds within 30 ha of mixed coppiced woodland in south-east England was determined by territory mapping over five years. The dense cluster of shoots around a stool provides important habitat for birds and small mammals. It is also worth noting that the benefits of coppice systems extend beyond simply providing firewood. From my more productive trees, this will yield firewood that’s three to four inches in diameter – small enough to avoid splitting.īecause coppiced trees are kept in a juvenile stage, they will never die of old age. I tend to harvest most of my coppice firewood on an eight- to twelve-year cycle. The amount of time it takes to produce your first firewood crop will vary depending on species, site, stool size, and desired firewood diameter. I usually leave four to six vigorous sprouts per stool.ĥ. After leaf fall, clip off the smaller, less vigorous sprouts. By late spring, you’ll begin to see numerous sprouts emerge from the stump, each with a J-shaped leader. ![]() Beech and birch, for example, are less attractive to animals than maple or oak.Ĥ. Another approach is to favor species that are less palatable to browsers. If you live in an area that is prone to animal browse, I recommend placing branches around the stool as a deterrent. If you’re harvesting a previously coppiced stump, make the same angled cut just above the point at which the stool splits into multiple stems.ģ. The ideal coppice stool should only be two to three inches above the ground, and should slope slightly to shed water. This promotes the development of roots and increases the tree’s stability. Cut low stumps, which will encourage the establishment of new shoots at or below ground level. Select trees with poor form that have little value as sawlogs or other forest products.Ģ. While coppicing can be done any time of the year, best results are achieved from late fall to early spring. ![]() We’re fortunate in the northeast that our most desirable firewood species (maple, beech, birch, oak, cherry, and hophornbeam) coppice relatively easily, using a five-step system:ġ. Larger stumps will produce more sprouts, so choose trees that are at least four inches in diameter. The most obvious advantage of coppicing is rapid growth, thanks to the already established rootstock. In fact, the economic importance of coppice firewood was so significant that Henry VIII mandated that fences be built to protect coppice forests throughout England. ![]() In turn, these buds develop into sprouts or shoots, capable of growing firewood in just a few years, instead of the decades it takes to grow a tree from a seed.Ĭoppicing dates back to the Neolithic period when coppice wood was used for a variety of purposes, ranging from bean poles and laths to firewood and fence posts. Coppicing is a reproduction method where a tree is cut back periodically to stimulate new growth through dormant buds on the stump, or stool. Of all the silvicultural techniques available to forest owners, perhaps no method is more underused than coppicing. Two 15-year-old coppiced gray birches and one 18-year-old coppiced American beech add up to a face-cord on the author's porch. ![]()
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