Felling of trees and shrubs produces a large amount of woody material of all sizes. In the past, when wood was the mainstay of the rural economy, nothing was wasted. All material cut in a wood was removed for use, including the tops, which were bundled as faggots for fuel. The flora and fauna of ancient woodlands are adapted to this practice, with losses of deadwood habitats, but gains in the form of a rich herbaceous ground flora, when compared to natural conditions. Trees in wood-pasture and hedgerows were also managed to produce useful woody material.

Many coppice workers today follow this tradition, needing to maximise their income from an area of coppice, and both new and traditional markets are being developed to support the coppice economy. However, markets take time and energy to develop, and for voluntary projects in particular, it may not always be possible to link the need for management with an end-use for the cut material.

In the recent past, burning was the main method of getting rid of surplus woody material. This has several practical advantages. Cuttings are completely removed so that they do not interfere with plant growth by shading, obstructing the ground or altering the general soil conditions. Burning is quicker than cutting and stacking to size. Last but not least, a fire keeps volunteers warm and happy!

However, burning also has disadvantages. Any vegetation on the fire site is destroyed, and the soil becomes enriched with mineral ash so that the fire site usually gets colonised by rank invasive vegetation such as nettles, with only very slow if any recovery to more natural conditions. Burning is wasteful, in that the material can have other uses before it gets returned through the carbon cycle. Burning removes a source of deadwood habitat and returns minerals to the soil in ‘raw’ form which are easily leached by rainfall. Bonfires are increasingly seen as antisocial.

Within the aim of a particular woodland management project, the re-use of woody material should be increased as much as possible, and the amount of burning minimised. However, where the main aim of a project is clearance for access, glade creation or maintenance of open habitats, burning may be the only feasible method of disposal.

Note the following:

  • Operations such as thinning and coppicing should be linked to re-using material if possible. The need for thinning or coppicing should be planned some years ahead, giving time to find a market for the material. However, it’s important that thinning should be done at the correct time, even if the economic return from the crop is poor. Coppice cycles may also need to be maintained for conservation reasons, and for some coppices, the need for cutting and restoration is urgent, and should not be delayed until markets are found.
  • Many projects involve the clearance of growth such as blackthorn, elder, bramble and other species which have little re-use value. Spiny, branched material including blackthorn and hawthorn is difficult to compact, and takes a long time to rot down, and is normally best burnt.
  • Rhododendrons and other invasive exotic species are usually not possible to re-use, and the volume of material involved means that burning is normally essential. Where machines are being used for clearance and very large volumes are produced, conversion to woodchips or brash-bundling is possible, provided there is a market for the material.

Methods of re-use

The following section gives some ideas about re-using the cut material from woodland management. There are many factors to consider:

  • Access. Vehicle access makes an enormous difference to the viability of woodland management. Where there is no vehicle access, the effort involved in carrying material, and the possible ground damage caused, may make re-use not worth considering.
  • Ground conditions for extraction. Linked to access is the importance of ground conditions. Many woodlands are on damp ground, and most woodland management takes place in winter. Wet ground will make extraction more difficult, and damage to the ground will be much greater, both by vehicles and feet. Take advantage of dry spells of weather to extract material.
  • The time available. Most projects have a time limit, and a decision needs to be made on the balance between cutting and clearing up/extraction. Some voluntary projects in woodlands are long-term, allowing time to store material for later re-use, and to build up local uses for the material.
    • The labour available. Cutting up material for re-use and extraction normally takes longer than burning, but where plenty of hands are available, re-use can provide useful work for everyone. Qualified operators of machines, including chainsaws, log splitters and woodchippers will make a difference to the viability of re-use.

Within the wood

Re-using some material for projects within the woodland itself is a good option, as it reduces the need for transport, and avoids the purchase and import of other materials. Possibilities include:

  • Fencing. Hardwoods, especially oak and chestnut are excellent fencing materials. Sections of post and rail fencing can be constructed for car parks, alongside paths, or for tree surrounds. See Fencing for further details.
  • Revetments. Various types of wood can be used to build revetments to prevent erosion of woodland paths or banks. See Footpaths for further details.
  • Path construction. Bundles of roundwood or faggots can be used to make path foundations through wet ground. These can be edged with larger roundwood, and topped with woodchips.
  • Woodchips. Useful for car-park surfacing, play areas, and for mulching around newly planted trees and shrubs (see below).
  • Dead hedging. To protect newly coppiced areas, natural regeneration or new planting from damage by deer.
  • Piles of brash. These may be useful for discouraging access at certain points, particularly if they are left long enough to get grown over with bramble. They can also make useful bird nesting habitat. However too many ‘habitat piles’ are a nuisance rather than a benefit, and it’s better to plant understorey shrubs or improve the woodland edge habitat if more cover is needed for birds.

In suitable habitats woodcock can be encouraged to nest by constructing ‘doughnuts’ of brash. Choose a dry spot with plenty of leaf litter. The brash should be piled into a ring, about 1.5m (5’) high, leaving the centre free, where the woodcock can make a simple scrape in the leaf litter. The brash should be dense enough to deter foxes, but allow the woodcock through.

There are a large number of possible uses for cut material outside the wood, which are described further in Chapters 9 – Coppicing, Chapter 10 – Green woodworking and Chapter 11 – Firewood and charcoal. For local voluntary groups, start with re-using as much material as you can within the group. You should find you can dispose of quantities of material for pea and bean sticks, rustic poles for garden use, kindling and firewood. Try and make sure that anyone with transport goes home with a few bundles or sacks of material for themselves or their neighbours. Seek out homeowners with wood fires or wood-burning stoves, as they may be keen to cut and transport firewood for their own use. Contact local scout groups, gardening groups and others who may have use for woody material.

Further information on stacking and extracting is given in the next section.

Woodchipping

Woodchipping is routinely used by many authorities and private businesses for converting woody material from roadside trees, parks, gardens and woodland management into woodchips. These can be used for mulch and compost, surfacing for playgrounds, paths and riding arenas, or used as fuel in domestic or commercial heating systems, or for power generation.

The viability of the operation depends on the costs and quantities involved and on the market. For voluntary groups managing a small woodland it can be an efficient way of recycling brash, and a useful contribution to income. Woodchipping machines must only be used by trained operators. Two examples of voluntary schemes are given below (prices are and indication only and need updating).

At Lodge Copse, West Sussex, volunteers coppice 1.5 acres each year, on an 8 year rotation. The brash is laid butt ends to the track. A chipping machine is hired at £50.00 per day, and is towed along the track, followed by another driver with a trailer. This produces 4-6m3 of chips per day, which is stored in bins made of stakes and sleepers. The chips are left for 2 years, with 4m3 of chips producing about 2m3 of compost. Charcoal at a proportion of 10% is added when bagging to keep the compost sweet. The compost is sold through garden centres, and at West Dean College. Other waste is stacked up to make dead hedges around the coupe, to keep people out and discourage deer. The group only have a bonfire on the last Tuesday before Christmas, with mince pies!

At Rocks East Woodland, Wiltshire, volunteers convert all material smaller than 75mm (3”) diameter to woodchips. The composted woodchips sell at £3.50 per bag (2000), which is a better return than from firewood. Woodchips are also sold by the trailer load, at £35 per load within a three mile radius of the woodland.

Bonfires

Where re-use is not possible, burning may be the only option.

Location

  • Site the fire where the vegetation is least valuable, such as on previous fire sites, heavily used tracks or where undergrowth has shaded out the ground vegetation. If unsure about the location of any valuable flora, which may not be visible at the time of burning, take advice from the site manager.
  • If working at the edge of the wood, you may be able to get permission to burn in the adjacent field.
  • Site the fire downhill of the worksite, if feasible, to make it easier to drag the cuttings.
  • Site the fire downwind of the worksite, to keep the site less smoky.
  • Site the fire well away from the boles and crowns of standing trees. The heat from a big fire reaches far beyond the visible flames. Overhanging branches may be killed even if they are high above the fire itself. Trees exposed to intense heat may appear unharmed at the time, but can lose their bark and die in a year or so. Smooth-barked trees such as beech, sycamore and ash are particularly susceptible to scorching.
  • On wet sites, build the fire in the driest place possible. Unless it is very windy, choose a raised site to maximise the draught. Avoid hollows. Avoid burning on peat. Damp peat will get damaged, and dry peat may smoulder underground for weeks and then flare up unexpectedly.
  • Take extra care on sites with a high fire risk, such as heathland, pinewoods or woods on sandy soils. Clear a firebreak, and have water available if possible.

Starting and tending

  • If you are clearing scrub or other difficult to burn material, it’s essential to get the fire going quickly and efficiently, to keep up with disposing of the cut material. It’s probably best to have one person in charge of the fire, until it is going well.
  • Use newspaper, dry kindling or dead wood to get a small fire going. If the weather is bad, come prepared with a sack of dry material to start the fire. Never use petrol to start the fire.
  • Once it has caught, add thin, dry wood in fairly short, straight lengths so that they pack close together to form a bed of embers. Don’t put on awkwardly branched wood or green wood at this stage.
  • Sned branches sufficiently so that they pack down neatly and keep the fire small.
  • Lay branches on the fire with their butt ends to the wind. The twigs will thus be in the downwind and hottest part of the fire, where they will catch quickly. The pile will also pack down quickly as the smaller branches burn. Push the butts into the fire as necessary.
  • Keep the fire tight, to minimise ground damage and for efficient burning.
  • Some people should drag branches to the fire for the fire-tenders to cut up for putting on the fire. Use a sharp billhook, light axe, or loppers and small bowsaw. Use the axe or billhook on a chopping block, to avoid damage to tools. Avoid the situation where everyone throws on their own material, as this usually results in the fire spreading and losing efficiency.
  • Keep the area immediately around the fire free of material, to avoid the danger of people tripping.
  • Use a long-handled pitch fork or 1.8m (6’) prog to push cuttings well down into the fire. This keeps the fire compact and burning strongly. Turn in the fire to stop it getting too big by pushing branches and embers in from the side. If the fire gets hollow, knock it down with a pole to keep it burning.
  • Never overload the fire in an effort to keep pace with the cutting, as the fire may be damped down, or worse, get out of control.
  • Don’t leave the fire until it has burnt down to embers. If there is any doubt, turn it in and cover it with mineral soil (not peat) before leaving.
  • If possible, gather up the ashes the next day to stop them enriching the fire site. Wood ash is a useful fertiliser for vegetables and soft fruit.

Chapters