A coppice too far...?

[Rambling Rob]

...well probably not, hazel seems to thrive on being cut back, but this one near Bembridge, IoW caught my eye this afternoon. Does seem a bit extreme though...



All the best,
Rob

[RKB]

That's actually quite long, it's often cut to about 20 cm. But that's what coppicing is, and is the main reason that hazel lives so long. As hazel is not easily able to regenerate from seed anymore (due to grey squirrels eating them all before they ripen - though not a problem on IoW), coppicing is the main way we're going to keep hazel. In two years time it will be 4-6 ft tall. Sometimes a stem or two are left uncut, but it depends on what the aim is.

[Melus]

Looks a bit of a mess to me. I'd cut it right down to about 6" from ground level. Looks as I someone has been taking rods here and there over a few years hence the difference in thickness.
Coppice always looks a bit extreme when carried out but fortunately Hazel responds well and benefits from a good 'haircut'.

Regards
gary

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Melus

Looks a bit of a mess to me. I'd cut it right down to about 6" from ground level. Looks as I someone has been taking rods here and there over a few years hence the difference in thickness.
Coppice always looks a bit extreme when carried out but fortunately Hazel responds well and benefits from a good 'haircut'.

Regards
gary

yep i agree with you - far from being extreme this is significantly too tall (uness there is a rabbit problem i suppose)

[artdemole]

Could have done with thinning out.

[Rambling Rob]

Thanks all, I have learned something about coppicing here, Rob

[JoulesH]

I'm just intrigued as to what you thought coppicing entailed if you thought this was extreme? As noted by others, this is really a bit tall for coppice. Perhaps you are confused with pollarding, which is about head-height? This was done either in livestock areas (eg willows in river meadows) to get a good yield of poles where new growth was out of reach of grazing cattle, or for ornamental reasons, or in more recent and urban situations, to curb growth without cutting the tree down.

Coppicing allows woodland production to be harvested for hurdles etc and light back into the woodland floor so a chance for flora to thrive hence many coppiced woods were managed on a rotational basis so always some ready for cutting and some recently cut, lots of different habitat available.

[pobjoy7]

I cut hazel as low as possible, just a few inches above ground, as this stimulates new growth to come from the roots rather than the stems. This helps expand the coppice stool and stops the mound of cut stumps from getting taller with each subsequent cut. I have tried leaving the smaller stems uncut but find that they just get in the way of the next cutting cycle. Best to cut them all at once and thus keep the regrowth similar size. The higher cut in the photo was probably done because it was easier or maybe above rabbit height.

[Gill Catton]

Might prevent muntjac damage too at this height especially from the central area.

[Rambling Rob]

Originally Posted by JoulesH

I'm just intrigued as to what you thought coppicing entailed if you thought this was extreme? As noted by others, this is really a bit tall for coppice. Perhaps you are confused with pollarding, which is about head-height? This was done either in livestock areas (eg willows in river meadows) to get a good yield of poles where new growth was out of reach of grazing cattle, or for ornamental reasons, or in more recent and urban situations, to curb growth without cutting the tree down.

Coppicing allows woodland production to be harvested for hurdles etc and light back into the woodland floor so a chance for flora to thrive hence many coppiced woods were managed on a rotational basis so always some ready for cutting and some recently cut, lots of different habitat available.

Trees adjoining bus routes are regularly pollarded here and although they look ugly immediately after they soon improve.

Perhaps more intriguing is why, in light of other comments here, the hazel has been cut unusually high, and I think people are right to suggest 'rabbits' - the area is infested with them!

However, there are also feral goats here which have been introduced by the National Trust (to prevent scrub invading the downland, I think..), and the regrowth will be well within their reach.

Rob