Small Woodland Management - Help And Guidance Appreciated

[Bombus]

Rather than brashing all over the stool, which may encourage dormice who will damage the new growth, you should be brashing around the stool to prevent deer reaching the new buds etc.

 

I'll bear that in mind. I've also read that brash can encourage rabbits, so it's not easy to know what the best approach is.

[sandspider]

I meant as a sustainable production of logs. Overgrown hazel stools are fine firewood but have a poor yield compared to ash or SC. Some overgrown stools will die rather than regrow when cut back as well. So hazel was coppiced on a 7 year cycle traditionally for 1-2inch thick growth for splitting. I've planted about 1000 hazel in my wood for coppicing but don't expect to get fire wood from them.

 

Understood, thanks.

[Bombus]

It's interesting that you've planted so many Hazels WoodyGuy. What's your reasoning? I assume you have a market/use for them?

 

My understanding was there's not much demand for it these days, and what demand there is is supplied by very cheap imports from eastern Europe.

 

Since it's not useful for long term firewood production, I'm struggling to see what I can do with acres of Hazel coppice.

 

I'm not planning on getting rid of it all by any means, but I think losing some to add to the overall diversity will be a good thing overall.

[the village idiot]

It's interesting that you've planted so many Hazels WoodyGuy. What's your reasoning? I assume you have a market/use for them?

 

My understanding was there's not much demand for it these days, and what demand there is is supplied by very cheap imports from eastern Europe.

 

Since it's not useful for long term firewood production, I'm struggling to see what I can do with acres of Hazel coppice.

 

I'm not planning on getting rid of it all by any means, but I think losing some to add to the overall diversity will be a good thing overall.

 

Hi Bombus.

 

There are still plenty of thatchers, hurdle makers and hedge layers that are keen to source good quality UK hazel. I would love to supply them myself but most of the hazel I have access to is seriously out of rotation.

Nearly all my hazel goes into the charcoal kiln for which it is excellent.

 

Another option is to convert the tops into river faggots. Huge demand for these and easy to make. Nice quiet job too with just a block and a billhook. If you have plenty of brash you can churn out about 20 a day, they sell for around £7 each collected.

 

Not saying don't convert some areas from hazel, but it may be more valuable than you think! If nothing else hazel can be cut on a relatively short rotation and it is great for supporting wildlife.

 

TVI (chair-idiot of the hazel appreciation society)

[Gnome]

Hi Bombus and Gnome.

 

I am curious to know how old your woodlands are, and Gnome- what is the intended use of yours?

 

Sent you a PM mate.

[the village idiot]

Sent you a PM mate.

 

So you have dear boy!

I shall reply without delay this evening.😊

[Two Acres]

My hazel is also seriously out of rotation. Am I right to think from whats been said that if I coppice it now I'll have a good crop for firewood but I may losse some stools, others will regenerate. The following crop will be useful for other purposes but won't make firewood?

[woodyguy]

Yes that's about right. I've planted a load of hazel for two reasons. Firstly although I've a 7 acres wood I have only a handful of hazel stools. I'm infested with grey squirrels so the hazel doesn't naturally grow there now. So it's part of my policy of increasing diversity and hazel is good for a range of wildlife.

 

In addition I have a powerline through my wood. This has 9 foot bracken, brambles and sycamore coppice under it. All of these are useless with the sycamore needing cutting every second year. So I've spent two years killing the bracken and controlling the brambles. Its now planted with hazel which I can then coppice when it is near the powerline and use to make woodland craft eg hurdles. I hope that this will only need doing every 6-8 years. So labour saving, good for wildlife and I enjoy making things with hazel.

 

Like the poster, my wood has surprisingly little diversity of species. It hasn't regenerated a big range but has become overgrown with bracken and holly. So I'm a big fan of thinning the birch, controlling the bracken and planting a wide range for diversity. I'm sure if I left it for 300 years the holly would be superseded but I'm not going to live that long.

[Bombus]

Any thoughts on the species I've ordered, or the best way to introduce them to the wood?

[woodyguy]

Will reply a bit later when I've some time as that is a lengthy list of species.