In-cycle coppicing

This describes the work involved in managing a coppice which has been regularly cut over the preceding rotation. Coppice growth should be good quality, on evenly spaced stools with few gaps and little undergrowth.

With in-cycle coppicing there should be no waste, as nearly all the cut growth can be marketed. Alternatively, the top growth can be re-used within the woodland for dead hedging to discourage deer. Only burn if absolutely necessary.

Work season

Traditionally coppice was cut from the beginning of October to the end of February. These days, some coppice workers cut all year round for economic reasons, although this does have disadvantages.

• The cutting of the plant when in full leaf reduces the strength of the regrowth.
• The new sappy shoots are also very vulnerable to browsing by rabbits, hares and deer in the autumn when other forage is scarce. Hazel and some other species, if cut in winter, will have reached 1.2-1.5m (4-5’) high by the following autumn, out of the reach of rabbits and muntjac deer. Spring browsing, when the shoots are small, is normally not so serious as there is plenty of other forage available.
• Cutting in spring causes disturbance to nesting birds, and results in trampling and damage to spring flowers.
• Summer-cut material is thought not to be as durable as material cut in winter.

For commercial coppicing, the advice is to avoid cutting from mid-April until the end of July, and only work with stored material during this time. Non-commercial coppicing should keep to the traditional season between October and the end of February.

Organising the work

This covers the general organisation of coppicing work, using hand tools. Detailed procedures are here.

Group working

Decide how you are going to organise the site. This includes stacking of newly-cut material, stacking of trimmed poles, tool storage area, fire sites and access routes through the site. For safe and efficient group work, make sure everyone understands the system.

Start cutting the coupe in a strip or ‘lane’ about 4m (13’) wide, preferably alongside the access road or ride, felling the poles into the clear space of the ride. When this is completed and the cut material trimmed and stacked, start on the next strip, parallel to the first. This method of working means that the danger area is clearly defined for the working party, and carrying of cut materials is made easier and safer. It gives space for people to go back and forth to the access track without crossing where others are felling. Keep the working area defined, so that if work is held up by bad weather and less is completed by the end of the season than was planned, a block will be completed, rather than a haphazard area. Avoid though leaving any inaccessible blocks of uncut coppice, which can only be reached through newly cut areas, as extraction in following years through partly grown coppice will be difficult.

Lay the fallen material tidily, with the butts all pointing the same way, to make trimming and topping easier.

Trim, cut, sort, bundle or stack the material according to the end-use.

Individuals or pairs of workers

Individuals or small teams working a coppice can work in wide strips at right angles to the access track. This means that any unfinished strips are still accessible to the track in following years, without going through partly grown coppice. There are various ways of working, depending on the size of the coppice poles, the spacing of the stools and personal preference.

• Work up the strip cutting, and lay the cut material in drifts to either side as shown.
• Once the strip is cut, work back down it cutting and sorting the cut material, and burn any waste.
• Stack the cut material at the start of the strip.
• Work each adjacent strip in the same way.

An alternative method suitable for hazel or other light coppice growth, where the stools are in lines, is shown below. Under this system, the cut material is laid in a swathe over the line of cut stools, butt ends towards the ride. Laying the material over the cut stools makes the best of the available working space, leaving clear pathways between the stools. Laying it all butt ends to the ride makes extraction easy, as you can start extracting from the ride and work back up the swathe, with all the butt ends exposed progressively as you work. You must start cutting from the far end of the line, in order to lay the material in the correct direction.

The exact procedure for cutting each stool will depend on whether you are right or left handed, and on personal preference for tools and methods of cutting. A possible procedure for right-handed cutting is as follows.

• Start at point 1a, at the far end of the first line of stools. Standing facing along the line to be cut, start cutting with your right hand into the right side of the first stool, and with your left hand, lay the cut material back to your left. Starting from the right side of the stool leaves room to use the saw or billhook, and laying material to the left gets it clear of the uncut stems. Depending on the size of the stool, you may need to work around it in a clockwise direction, but always lay the material in a neat pile with butt ends towards the ride end of the line, as shown.
• Work back along the row to 1b, laying the cut material in a swathe along the cut stools, with all the butt ends towards the ride.
• Working in reverse to the cutting order, start from point 1b and work back up the line, extracting, trimming, bundling and stacking the cut material.
• Repeat on the next line, cutting from 2a, and extracting from 2b, and so on up the coupe.
• A pair of workers can cut two lines simultaneously, or, as shown in the diagram, one can work ahead cutting a line, while the second worker extracts and trims from the previous line.

Routine management

The coppice requires little or no attention between the cycles of cutting, but checking it periodically will help keep it in good condition.

• The presence of people in the wood in the year after cutting, preferably working up cut material, or regularly walking the wood, will help keep deer away so reducing damage to the coppice regrowth. Dogs are also a good deterrent.
• Where temporary fencing is used to keep deer or rabbits away, this must be checked frequently.
• Note any stools which have failed to regrow, and replant the following autumn. Weed to clear thistles, nettles or brambles from any gaps where stools are failing to thrive.
• Clear fire sites of nettles, thistles and other weeds.
• Make sure any ditches are kept clear and free-flowing so that no long-term waterlogging occurs which could cause stool death.
• Keep tracks and rides in good condition, by keeping them clear of bramble and other growth. Surfacing or drainage work which permanently improves access may be a worthwhile investment.
• Manage public access as necessary. Some access is useful to keep paths open, and for people to enjoy the flora and fauna of the coppice cycle. Too much access can be destructive, and action will need to be taken if the coppice is getting damaged or cut for children’s dens or other purposes.