Hazel and Chestnut

[digga]

coppicing is normally done between september and march but some places dont allow me to start before october you want to cut it while the sap is down summer cut chestnut thats used for fencing materials rots out a lot quicker than winter cut

[the crafty weasel]

Cheers Craftyweasel! If you were to leave 50% of a Hazel stand then would you thin it? remove the oldest polls? trim the centre or the outer growth? I know how I must sound but I really am a novice re copse cutting

 

 

Cut out the oldest/ugliest stuff first, and leave some of the younger, straighter bits. Keep an eye out for the BTCV handbooks, some good stuff in there, or See if you can find a local working coppice and ask if you can have a nose round and a chat with them.

[Brushcutter]

Cheers Craftyweasel! If you were to leave 50% of a Hazel stand then would you thin it? remove the oldest polls? trim the centre or the outer growth? I know how I must sound but I really am a novice re copse cutting

 

What your getting at there is called coppice select. Or at least a modified version of it. I use for rejuviatiung old stools. Depends of the stool singling ie removing to one good old stem might be the best management method but it may respond well to a selective removal of old material year on year. I ran a course on coppicing last weekend. Had some good feed back. If your into coppicing then "The Silverculture & Management of Coppice Woodlands" by the Forestry Commission is a very good book. £12 wouldn't be without my copy BTCV woodlands is worht a read too.

[Pat Ferrett]

Thanks for the advice! Im taking it all onboard What Ill try and do (as copse cutters down here are like hens teeth) is take a few photos of the stands and post them so we can pick them over and you guys can see what Im working with. Im not to worried at this stage about products but more concerned doing harm to the stands.

[digga]

some coppicing pics

[mattplace]

Quick question... how did you de-bark those poles in the last pic? Drawknife?

[Pat Ferrett]

Very nice mate! My heart has'nt been 100% behind tree work for the last few years and very rarely do I feel as if Im improving the enviroment that we all live in. Taking these first few steps into copse cutting (Im hoping) might be the breath of fresh air I need . Seeing pictures like yours is very inspiring, keep up the good work

[digga]

matt when taking the bark off you can do it with a drawknife but will only take off a very narrow strip off bark i use a shave made out of part of an old swap with some tape and wood round it to make handles alllso u need to bend it slightly to get it to work and draw in better

[mattplace]

Thanks digga!

 

Makes sense... I've got an old drawknife which i might try and heat up and bend slightly.

[CGW Chestnut]

We don't normally start untill about mid oct depending on how much we have on the deck from the previous cutting season then finish cutting at dusk on the the last day of march.