Ash Regrowth

[coppiceer]

Has anyone any experience of coppicing Ash (Fraxinus excelsior).

 

I have numerous instances of nice, straight regrowth between 6' - 8' in the first year Only to have the stems "collapse" in the autumnal gales. This is always on the maiden cut of trees around 10 years old.

 

The shoots appear healthy and well attached but are unfortunately horizontal. I must be doing something wrong as no-one else that I have contacted has ever experienced this sort of thing. As ever, Arbtalk is my best and only hope of a resoulution.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

never seen this before, I would leave them lying and let them grow on.

[Big Bolt]

a bigger picture if poss , i always leave about 8 inches above ground on that size and seems to be ok any thing above that even higher, you can see the high ash in the pic's the white one's

[jacjak]

iv never coppiced anything that young apart from hazel but you could try cutting the stems lower have found in the past that high cut can lead to this sort of growth, also if you cover the coppice stool with the tops not only does it give protection against rabbits and deer and as the new stems grow through i suppose the frame work of the tops can offer some support.

hope this is some help and best of luck with getting it sorted

[Ty Unnos]

Just been reading this book:

 

The Woodsmith's Store: Coppicing and Coppice Crafts by Rebecca Oaks and Ed Mills - Green Woodworking Tools - Green Woodworking Accessories

 

It was a new one on me but it recommends that ash be cut higher than hazel. I think it said to leave a 6"-8" stump and not cut lower when re-cutting.

[Rebel_Commando]

Just been reading this book:

 

The Woodsmith's Store: Coppicing and Coppice Crafts by Rebecca Oaks and Ed Mills - Green Woodworking Tools - Green Woodworking Accessories

 

It was a new one on me but it recommends that ash be cut higher than hazel. I think it said to leave a 6"-8" stump and not cut lower when re-cutting.

 

 

I've just got that book to read too!

I was told that ash regrows better if you leave a higher stump.

[Stereo]

Out of interest, with an average ash stool, from the point of coppicing, how many years before you have stems which are 4 to 5 inches at the base.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Saw this pond side today, bout 30 inch diameter! shooting too:001_smile:

 

 

[Ty Unnos]

Out of interest, with an average ash stool, from the point of coppicing, how many years before you have stems which are 4 to 5 inches at the base.

 

Depends a lot on conditions but I would guess 20 years or more.

[Al Smith]

As a result of wooden packing crates from the Pacific rim a parasitic emerald ash borer has or will wipe out a majority of the ash trees in the central portion of the US and possibley Canada .Because of the St Lawrence seaway extending from the Atlantic ocean to the great lakes it became transmitted from the interior .The worst possible scenerio

 

About 50 percent of the time these tress will resprout .Fact I've seen sprouting on 3 feet diameter trees .The big question remains will these sprouts grow large enough to reseed .Only time will answer that question .If so it will take at least a hundred years or more to ever replace the amount of ash trees that died .