Coppice planting planning

[csservices]

You could use Sitka spruce for the windbreak/screening fast growing and still usueable as firewood although it won't coppice it is a quick way to establish an effective windbreak, alot depends on soil type you can get very varied growth rate, but ash,alder,hazel, sycamore and silver birch are generally less fussy and will grow anywhere

[AHPP]

I'd originally discounted silver birch because whenever I've seen it it's either live and kicking or soft rotten - no middle ground! Does it coppice well? How fast does it grow in comparison to the other species we've been discussing?

 

You've go me thinking about willow and poplar again. A monoculture block of each and maybe a block of the two mixed could run as a sub-system on its own (shorter) rotation.

 

I clearly need to do more research on softwoods and hedging so that I can ask better questions.

[AHPP]

With some reference to it being said on this thread you can get logs from poplar and willow after 4 or 5 years, there's something else I'd like people's thoughts on.

 

I've been thinking that relatively short rotations could be a good idea anyway. Aim to harvest a pole when at about 4"/10cm diameter at breast height (DBH) and cut to chosen lengths. Most importantly, no splitting (huge labour and time saver). You get 4 or 5 rounds from floor to breast height which are decent sized logs and everything above that going up the pole is obviously smaller and smaller diameter (still unsplit). You get a decent selection of log/stick/kindling sizes from each pole. Excellent branchwood logger territory, I'd have thought.

 

How does this fit in with how trees grow and coppice? I'd like to believe this system of harvesting when at 4"/10cm DBH lends itself very well to growing from a stool. Loads of roots and energy from the stool gives quick early growth (and we're not interested in the later, more steady growth).

 

Thoughts?

[csservices]

Have just had a look at Farm Woodland Management, by John Blythe etc, in there it reccomends a first cutting at 5-7cm diameter to initiate the coppice stump, it also lists field maple and lime as good coppice trees, with regard to the poplar and willow, I have been wondering the same as I have some poplars that are about 10 years old and vary between 4-6 inch dbh and I am considering felling some of them this year for the same reason, ease of processing and extraction due to thier location

[woodyguy]

have a look at this

Logging Brochure - Fast Growing Trees - Hybrid Willow and Poplar Trees - Game Cover - Bowhayes Trees Limited

[APC]

Purely wham bam money orientated? Sycamore all the way. You literally have to do nothing apart from watch it grow, fell it, sell it and let it regrow.

[AHPP]

Have just had a look at Farm Woodland Management, by John Blythe etc, in there it reccomends a first cutting at 5-7cm diameter to initiate the coppice stump, it also lists field maple and lime as good coppice trees, with regard to the poplar and willow, I have been wondering the same as I have some poplars that are about 10 years old and vary between 4-6 inch dbh and I am considering felling some of them this year for the same reason, ease of processing and extraction due to thier location

 

More to add to my reading list.

Field maple and lime though. Yuck to both! Rough, covered in twigs, everything elbow shaped (unless they grow much nicer as coppice poles than they do as trees).

 

I think no-split simplifies things beautifully.

Fell a line of trees. Buck where necessary (for manual handling). Drive a tractor with a 3 point linkage sawbench or branchwood logger along the line. Finished logs drop into trailer/bags/crates via wheelbarrow(s)/conveyor. Add barrows, add trailers, add vehicles, add (unskilled) men. Lots of options for how fast you want to work.

No skidding (no winch), no forwarding (no crane), less driving distance, less going over the same ground more than once (less ground damage), less product rehandling, quickest drying (maximum endgrain surface area per tonne) straight off the bat.

Edited May 24, 2013 by AHPP

[AHPP]

have a look at this

Logging Brochure - Fast Growing Trees - Hybrid Willow and Poplar Trees - Game Cover - Bowhayes Trees Limited

 

Cheers. Keep the links coming!

[AHPP]

Purely wham bam money orientated? Sycamore all the way. You literally have to do nothing apart from watch it grow, fell it, sell it and let it regrow.

 

Pretty much my first take on the subject but I'd be kicking myself when Apocalyptic Sycamore Disease killed everything I had. Diversity might be less efficient but it might be more productive. You could of course just replant but that's cost, hassle and rather defeats the point of coppice. Nice to hear more support for sycamore though.

[csservices]

More to add to my reading list.

Field maple and lime though. Yuck to both! Rough, covered in twigs, everything elbow shaped (unless they grow much nicer as coppice poles than they do as trees).

 

 

That was my thought when I read it too, agree with sycamore but it it will probably end up everywhere, on the plus side though its readily available all you need do is collect up some seedlings and pot them on