Optimum diameter to coppice

[hedgesparrow]

Yes 6-8yrs is the usual rotation period.

I understood it as the OP asked about the first cut for a new coppice?

 

just read post again so sorry for ny confusion. if its the first time then what will you use the coppice for will depend when you cut it. and the ground it is on some ground it will grow much quicker than others so may need cutting only after say 3 years if its to the size you need.

have a hedge i am laying and first part was 2 to 3 inch diamiter as i get down field its more open and bigger trunks up to 4inch this is after 12 years.

but this is not coppice material but thorn wayfaring,hazel not big and maple which has grown big.

[coppiceer]

Hazel

 

!8th and 19th century experts argue whether it's best to cut at the time of planting or to leave for a year. I have tried both, plus leaving for 5 years to establish a good root system.

 

If planting in a shrub shelter then I found that it was best to trim the stem back to 4" at the time of planting: this avoids unnecessary disturbance to the plant roots and the bother of removing and replacing the shelter;

 

If you don't have a deer problem then I found that it was best to remove any shrubshelter before it impeded the growth of the plant and to cut after five years: there is then planty of bushy growth that can be chopped up and loosely piled on the stump to protect from rabbits and create a nice cosy micro-climate for the new regrowth;

 

It is always better to use a Tubex shrubshelter than any other protection for new plantings.

 

Trimming back after 1 year and piling loose material over the stem invariably killed the plant.

 

Birch

 

First cut must be made within a couple of years of planting. None of my birch has ever regrown when left longer than 2 years.

 

Ash/ Oak

 

First cut made after the first 2 years has always resulted in twisted, bushy regrowth.

 

Cornus

 

Can't really stop it regrowing.

 

Bird Cherry

 

No problem with leaving for 5-6 years. Regrowth is always good, plus it throws up plenty of suckers from the roots.

 

 

Wild Cherry

 

 

Sometimes it will regrow strongly, sometimes it won't. I have coppiced trees up to 10 years old with mixed success. However it usually grows like a weed in my wood.

[woodyguy]

Thanks that's really useful and exactly what I wanted to learn!

[Marko]

Thanks, that is useful.

 

Perhaps I should have asked is there a point at which a species is more likely to die rather than regenerate. Two years for the birch is a real surprise (I had expected something around 4-5 years old).

[woodyguy]

I've been cutting down 30 year birch which regenerates nicely. Not all though and bigger ones sometimes died.

[Marko]

Hmmm interesting. So there really must be an optimum after which probability of regeneration starts to tail off?

 

I am really surprised this has not been asked many times before but if the might of Arbtalk can't point at it then perhaps it is a study still waiting to happen?

[coppiceer]

Hmmm interesting. So there really must be an optimum after which probability of regeneration starts to tail off?

 

I am really surprised this has not been asked many times before but if the might of Arbtalk can't point at it then perhaps it is a study still waiting to happen?

 

As I understand it, all transplants were cut back either at planting or after 1 year. Those intended for coppice were left to grow on with multiple stems, whereas those intended to be standards were reduced to the single best stem. This would probably explain the absence of any historical mention of problems that occur when the first cut is delayed.

 

Also some species do not maintain many dormant buds on their trunks and so are less likely to regenerate than others.

[Stereo]

I felled a load of alder, mostly mature trees around 10-12 inches. Some exploded with re-growth, some just died and some started shooting, then seemed to die off again. I have found that just cutting off he new growth and randomly jamming it into the ground (soft and wet) gives you about 30% chance of a new tree taking.

 

With various species, I seem to get most successful re growth when the base is 4" or so.

[coppiceer]

I have found a related article from 1970 in the RFS Quarterly Journal of Forestry. Apparently there had been a lot of debate about the merits of using chainsaws, as opposed to axes, in coppicing. The sunnary is as follows:

 

"The increasing use of power saws for coppice cutting would

appear to be in direct conflict with one of the long-established

rules of coppicing, namely that all cuts be made with an axe and

all cut stools rounded to shed water. An investigation of some of

the comparative effects on coppice re-growth of cutting by axe

and cutting by chainsaw has thus been made and this paper

describes the results".

 

Unfortunately, as is the norm for the Forestry Commission, the study only lasted for a single season and thus the long-term effects of chainsaw use were never established. The findings of the study indicated some differences in regrowth between the two methods but they were not significant. However, as they only compared 8 stools from 4 species (1 axed and 1 chainsawed) that isn't surprising.

 

I don't understand what was meant by the use of the term "rounded" in the summary, but my experience with hazel shows that felling with a axe produces additional "adventitious" buds around the wound scars which are not present when the stools are smoothly cut with either a chainsaw or handsaw. This increases the productive capacity of the stool and doesn't affect its health. The Forestry Commisiion dismiss these shoots as "shortlived" but they produce good binders after 3 years so I don't see the problem.

 

The cd-rom archive from the RFS is a very good source for historical material if you can get hold of one.

[Marko]

Thanks. I will look out for a copy.