Community coppicing

For centuries local people have been cutting wood in Fineshade and for 9 years until 2016 the Fineshade community had a contract to coppice areas, providing a great sustainable supply of firewood.

 

Paul Hackett writes:

 

Coppicing is an English term for a traditional method of woodland management which takes advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level. In subsequent years, many new shoots emerge and after a number of years the coppiced tree, or stool, is ready to be harvested and the cycle begins again.

 

Within the confines of annual contracting with the Forestry Commission, parts of Fineshade are coppiced by local people. Traditionally coppicing can be done on cycles of between 4 to 20 years depending on the trees and the ground conditions.

 

Each phase of the regeneration favours one or more parts of the woodland ecology. Before trees are cut they are a home to numerous bird species, lichens and mosses. After cutting, woodland flowers grow and enable insects, bees and small mammals to thrive. The new shoots are a delicacy for deer and other herbivores in the woodlands and after a few years brambles take over and give a home, food and security to dormice and some larger mammals and reptiles. The brambles also protect the stools enough to prevent the deer eating new shoots.

 

Eventually the tree has grown to a sufficient size for some of it to be suitable for stakes, binders and other useful products and after a few more years the trees can be felled again for fire wood or charcoal making.