A recently coppiced Alder stool in Hampshire

Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management, by which young tree stems are cut down to a low level, or sometimes right down to the ground. In subsequent growth years, many new shoots will emerge, and after a number of years the cycle begins again and the coppiced tree or stool is ready to be harvested again. Typically a coppice woodland is harvested in sections, on a rotation. In this way each year a crop is available. This has the side-effect of providing a rich variety of habitats, as the woodland always has a range of different aged stools growing in it. This is beneficial for biodiversity. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 794 KB) A recently coppiced stool of Alder (Alnus glutinosa), Hampshire, England, 2005. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 794 KB) A recently coppiced stool of Alder (Alnus glutinosa), Hampshire, England, 2005. ... Species About 20-30 species, see text. ... Hampshire (abbr. ... Woodland management is the practice of managing woodlands, whether for the maximising of timber production, or for the conservation of wildlife. ... In botany, a shoot is more or less synonamous with the term stem For biological and botanical definitions and information, see the main article on stems Shoots function in providing an axis for buds, fruits and leaves. ... Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity or biological diversity is the diversity of life. ...

The same Alder stool after one year's regrowth

The cycle length depends upon the species cut, the local custom, and the use to which the product is put. Birch can be coppiced for faggots on a 3- or 4-year cycle, whereas oak can be coppiced over a 50-year cycle for poles or firewood. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1360x2048, 357 KB) Summary A coppiced alder stool after one years growth. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1360x2048, 357 KB) Summary A coppiced alder stool after one years growth. ... Species About 20-30 species, see text. ... Species Many species; see text and classification Birch is the name of any tree of the genus Betula, in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. ... For other uses of the term, see faggot A faggot is an archaic imperial unit applied to collections of sticks: 1 short faggot of sticks = 2 ft. ... Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus. ...

In the days of charcoal iron production, most woods in ironmaking regions were managed as coppices, usually being cut on a cycle of about 16 years. In this way, fuel could be provided for that industry, in principle, for ever. This was regulated by a statute of Henry VIII, which required woods to be enclosed after cutting and 12 standels to be left in each acre to be grown into timber. Charcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... A statute is a formal, written law of a country or state, written and enacted by its legislative authority, perhaps to then be ratified by the highest executive in the government, and finally published. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ...

The shoots (or "suckers") may be used either in their young state for interweaving in wattle fencing as is the practice with willows, or the new shoots may be allowed to grow and mature into large poles, as was often the custom with hardwood such as oaks or ashes. This practice creates long, straight poles which are better for working than naturally grown trees which have bends and forks. Coppicing may also be practiced to encourage specific growth patterns, as with cinnamon trees which are grown for their bark.
Species About 350, including: Salix acutifolia- Violet Willow Salix alaxensis- Alaska Willow Salix alba- White Willow Salix alpina- Alpine Willow Salix amygdaloides- Peachleaf Willow Salix arbuscula- Mountain Willow Salix arbusculoides- Littletree Willow Salix arctica- Arctic Willow Salix atrocinerea Salix aurita- Eared Willow Salix babylonica- Peking Willow Salix barrattiana- Barratts... Species Many, see text. ... Binomial name Cinnamomum verum J.Presl Cassia (Indonesian cinnamon) is also commonly called (and sometimes sold as) cinnamon. ...

Current practice

Diagram illustrating the coppicing cycle over a 7-20 year period

In Europe coppiced hardwoods were extensively used in shipbuilding (wooden ships) or carriagebuilding, and are now still grown, albeit in very small amounts, for making wooden buildings and furniture. Image File history File links Coppice2. ... Image File history File links Coppice2. ...

In Southern Britain, coppice was traditionally hazel, grown amongst oak standards (large trees). This provided wood for many purposes, especially charcoal which before the availability of coal was economically significant in allowing smelting of metals. A minority of these woods are still operated for coppice today, often by conservation organisations, producing material for hurdle-making, thatching spars, local charcoal-burning or other crafts. The only remaining large-scale commercial coppice crop in the area is sweet chestnut which is grown in parts of East Sussex and Kent for splitting and binding into cleft chestnut paling fence bound together with wire.
This article is about the tree; for other meanings of hazel, see Hazel (disambiguation). ... Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus. ... Charcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. ... Coal (previously referred to as pitcoal or seacoal) is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining (surface mining). ... Chemical reduction, or smelting, is a form of extractive metallurgy. ... This page gives an overview of the complex structure of environmental and cultural conservation in the United Kingdom. ... Hurdles are a form of rural crafts. ... A thatched pub (The Williams Arms) at Wrafton, near Braunton, North Devon, England Thatching is the art and craft of covering a roof with vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge, rushes and heather. ... Binomial name Castanea sativa Mill. ... East Sussex is a county in South East England. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. ...

Pictures

Coppiced Hornbeam photographed at Hockley Woods, Essex, UK, illustrating regrowth Image File history File links Coppicephoto. ... Species Carpinus betulus - European Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana - American Hornbeam Carpinus cordata - Sawa Hornbeam Carpinus fargesii - Farges Hornbeam Carpinus laxiflora - Aka-shide Hornbeam Carpinus japonica - Japanese Hornbeam Carpinus orientalis - Oriental Hornbeam Carpinus tschonoskii - Chonowskis Hornbeam Carpinus turczaninowii - Turkzaninovs Hornbeam The hornbeams (Carpinus) are a genus of relatively small hardwood... Essex is a county in the East of England. ...

Ancient coppice of a sweet chestnut, Banstead Woods, Surrey Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 760 KB) Summary {{Information |Description = Ancient coppice of a sweet chestnut |Source = Self-made |Date = 2006-03-19 |Author = Dieter Simon |Permission = Own photo Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Binomial name Castanea sativa Mill. ...

Sweet chestnut coppice, as above but seen from other side Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 754 KB) Summary {{Information |Description = Sweet chestnut coppice, Banstead Woods, Surrey |Source = Self-made |Date = 2006-03-19 |Author = Dieter Simon |Permission = Own Work Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

See also

• Pruning fruit trees
• Pollarding
• Shredding
• Apical dominance

Pruning is a technique that is employed by gardeners in order to control growth, remove dead or diseased wood or stimulate the formation of flowers and fruit buds. ... Pollarding is a woodland management method of encouraging lateral branches by cutting off a tree stem two metres or so above ground level. ... Shredding is a method for the disposing of woody plant material in which it is rendered into small shreds or chips. ... Many conifers show particularly strong apical dominance, strongest of all in the family Araucariaceae, showing a single erect central trunk with strongly differentiated horizontal branching. ...

References

• G. Hammersley, 'The charcoal iron industry and its fuel 1540-1750' Econ Hist. Rev. Ser. II, 26 (1973), 593-613.

• Rackham, Oliver (2001). Trees and woodland in the British landscape : the complete history of Britain's trees, woods & hedgerows. London: Phoenix Press. ISBN 1-84212-469-2.

Oliver Rackham is a botanist and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. ...

External links

• A directory of current coppice produce in southern England
• English charcoal site, with good history section