Sustainable Timber Production - Coppicing

Coppicing is a traditional method of sustainable timber production. A deciduous tree, such as hazel, ash or willow, is cut down close to ground level. The remaining stump (called a stool) is not killed; it sends up many new shoots, which grow into long, straight stems. After several years these stems are harvested and the stool regrows again. A coppiced tree can be cut repeatedly for hundreds of years.Pollarding is similar, but the trunk is cut higher up (about 2 m or more above the ground), so that deer and other grazing animals cannot eat the new shoots.Rotational coppicing is used to manage a woodland sustainably. The wood is divided into sections (coupes), and one section is cut each year in turn, so that there are always sections at every stage of regrowth. When all sections have been cut, the cycle starts again at the first section.Rotational coppicing also increases biodiversity. Recently cut sections let light reach the woodland floor, allowing flowering plants such as bluebells and primroses to grow, which support insects. Sections at different stages provide a range of habitats for birds, butterflies and small mammals. This is a form of deflected succession, as it stops the wood developing a closed canopy.Worked example: a hazel wood is coppiced on a 7-year cycle and divided into 7 equal sections. One section is cut each year, so each section is cut once every 7 years and there are always sections from 1 to 7 years old.