Hornbeam - cut to ground level - how to stop the rot ?

[Catweazle]

I recently had to fell a large Hornbeam because it had developed a large split in the main trunk. I cut it to near ground level.

 

I know that Hornbeam coppices well, so I'm hoping this tree will live on as a coppice. It might be a bit old to survive its first cut, but worth a go.

 

Normally a coppiced tree would have the stems cut at an angle to allow the rain to run off and avoid rot, but this tree is a bit big for one angled cut and the centre is already rotten.

 

I'm thinking of cutting angles all around the perimeter to shed the water away from the rotten centre, is there something I can do to stop the centre rot from spreading ? Maybe cut it out and hammer a hormbeam plug into the hole ?

 

Any ideas ?

[skyhuck]

Only the heart wood will rot, which is in real terms is dead any way so doesn't matter.

 

The new growth will not rot.

 

When you find old coppice stools they are normally hollow, its not a problem

 

The slopping cuts don't rot thing, is a bit of a myth.

 

In fact standing water actually stops rot, it used to be considered good practice to drain water filled cavity's, but not now.

Edited September 14, 2009 by skyhuck

[Saw-sick Steve]

Only the heart wood will rot, which is in real terms is dead any way so doesn't matter.

 

The new growth will not rot.

 

When you find old coppice stools they are normally hollow, its not a problem

 

The slopping cuts don't rot thing, is a bit of a myth.

 

In fact standing water actually stops rot, it used to be considered good practice to drain water filled cavity's, but not now.

 

Years ago, working on a National Trust woodland, we used to thin Beech and Sycamore as they were considered invasive. To prevent re-growth of stools, the warden instructed us to leave the stumps as flat as possible and cross-hatch them so they retained water and rotted. Didn't make any appreciable difference as far as i could see.

Years later, managing my own woodland, i decided to experiment and cut half a coup as per BTCV manual and the other half randomly. I can honestly report that there was sod all difference in stool survival or regrowth:001_smile:

[Catweazle]

Good news then, I'll just stick a bit of chicken wire around it and keep my fingers crossed

[Mesterh]

This may be a silly question but whats the chicken wire for?

[liamjordan]

stop deer eating the regrowth? they wont bother jumping over it unless threatended

[Catweazle]

Correct, it's to stop deer and rabbits from eating the new stems. I have deerproof fence around 1/2 the site, the other half is slowly getting a thick deadhedge as I clear the logging trails.

[Saw-sick Steve]

I have used dead hedging extensively in the past to stop deer browsing on regrowth with great effect. However, its very labour intensive and may not be as effective against Muntjac. Piling brash over stumps seems to be almost as effective, and involves a fraction of the work - cheaper than wire as well:biggrin:

[Andy Collins]

I successfully coppiced an old split hornbeam last year, the regen has been good this year, I also netted around the stool.

I was taught that you should slope the cuts facing south, to encourage regen as the stool catches the sunlight better, but have recently read that this is a myth too.

[Catweazle]

I hope it will survive, it's not the time of year I would have liked to cut it, but it was emergency as it overhangs a path and was splitting further every day.

 

A lot of the mature hornbeams in the woods seem to have very long, low horizontal branches pointing South and very few branches on the North side.

 

I'm thinking of trimming some of the long horizontals to take some weight off them, I don't want any more splitting like the last one.

 

I don't have any pics of the Hornbeams, but this Oak is an example of the problem;