Coppicing trees in the garden and coppice woodlands

woodland, trees, management, coppice, hazel, wildflowers, biodiversity

Mature coppice in Herefordshire

Whilst I was working with the BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) a number of years ago (quite a number actually!), I completed a super training course in woodland crafts at the Greenwood Trust in Ironbridge, Shropshire.  Since then, I am in the habit of advocating coppicing not only as a useful and productive way of managing woodlands (of all sizes) but also as a method for controlling the size of trees  in small gardens, especially where space is at a premium but the owner still wants to have trees of some sort present.

woodland, trees, management, coppice, hazel, wildflowers, biodiversity

Recently cut coppice stool

Coppicing comes from the French word ‘couper’ meaning to cut.  It involves cutting a tree at as low a level as possible to create what is known as a coppice stool.  From the stool, multiple stems will re-shoot and these are then re-cut on a cycle lasting a few years for trees such as willow to much longer periods of time for slow growing trees (maybe 25 years).   The effective result is to create a shrubby tree with many branches.

coppice cycle, managing, trees, garden, woodland

Stems reshooting from the base of a cut stump

Coppicing is a traditional form of woodland management, popular since mediaeval times, especially in parts of England. Coppice woodlands often include standard trees, such as Oak, that are left to grow in to mature trees alongside the coppiced trees, such as hazel.  The coppiced trees and their produce, collectively known as the ‘underwood’, have traditionally supplied timber for firewood, charcoal-burning, fencing wattles and tool handles.  The mature trees were left to grow to provide structural timber for house building etc.  The coppicing cycle (typically between seven and up to twenty odd years) for the underwood creates different thicknesses of timber for the different uses.

woodland, trees, management, coppice, hazel, wildflowers, biodiversity, crafts, charcoal

Charcoal burning in a coppiced woodland

Coppicing should be undertaken between late October and early March when the trees are dormant, so good work for a cold January day!  For existing multi-branched trees, it might be easier to do the cutting in stages.  First remove the main stem(s) and then secondly cut all stems close to the stool.  Use a sharp bow-saw and/or loppers to create a slightly angled cut.  For a tree with a single existing stem, it might seem harsh but don’t be afraid to go for it.  Most common broad-leaved trees will coppice, although apparently Beech can be somewhat temperamental. Cherry, aspen and most elms will reshoot from suckers reforming as the main stump dies off.  Ash, Chestnut, Oak, Alder, Lime and Maple will coppice including exotic varieties.   Since coppicing often has the effect of increasing leaf size, trees such as Eucalyptus can look great when coppiced.  That is the tree that I am going to coppice this year, as my Eucalyptus niphophilia, although small in size, has outgrown its space and is leaning at an awkward angle.  I will post on my success, or otherwise, of this later.

coppice cycle, managing, trees, garden, woodland

Simple diagram of the coppice cycle

From a garden design perspective, multi-stemmed trees can look great as part of a given design and coppicing is one way of introducing this effect in to an existing garden without necessarily outlaying on new trees.  There may also be ecological benefits to the garden from a more diverse plant structure .

coppice, gardens, maintenance, gardening, multi-stemmed trees, design

Bushy, multi-stemmed trees used to the forefront of Adam Frost’s Land’s End show garden featured at Chelsea 2012

Finally, my course took place in old Shropshire woodland and there is nothing quite like walking through one of these woodlands in the spring, as they often have rich carpets of herbaceous vegetation.  This is because a well-developed coppicing regime may provide a complete gradation of habitats from open glade to closed canopy forest.  Richer plant biodiversity is found in the younger ‘coupes’ whilst bird-life will tend to prefer older coppice.   This means that coppice woodlands are excellent habitats for supporting biodiversity not only plants but also insects, butterflies and small mammals.

A happy dormouse nesting in a Hazel coppice!

 

 

17 Comments
  • Anne Nidecker
    Reply

    Hi Tim,

    Great blog. I always wanted to start coppicing a plot as, besides loving trees, I also want to have some ways of producing fire wood for my own use. You mention that some trees can be cut sooner that others. I was thinking of planting ash and am wondering how many years I need to wait before cutting. Reading your blog makes me wonder if it would be better to plant a variety of trees rather than just the one kind. Thanks in advance for your advice.
    Anne

    28th April 2013at3:21 pm
  • Barry Kemp
    Reply

    Hello Tim,
    Great blog on coppicing! I think all gardeners and garden advisers should be doing more to promote this wonderful ancient tradition. I would even go as far as asking every local authority to allow groups to manage local woodlands as coppices. The benefits are amazing.
    On a financial side, anybody lucky enough to have 2 or 3 spare acres would be able to grow all their own fuel, hurdles, charcoal, posts, wattles etc, and have a beautiful wildlife garden.
    Thanks – Barry.

    25th September 2013at11:07 am
  • David
    Reply

    I have a 30ft eucalyptus tree in my garden which want to reduce to a manageable height for future pruning. Can you advise please

    25th November 2013at2:14 pm
      • David
        Reply

        Tim
        Thank you for your response ,when is best time of year to prune to reduce the heigth or pollard the tree
        David

        30th November 2013at12:57 pm
  • Hi there, thanks for the post – I learned a lot, very interesting.

    We have a mature bird cherry – its about 1.5 feet in diameter and 25 ft high. What do you thibk the % chance of coppicing it successfully?

    Cambridge – clayey soil.

    ATB Gerry Cavander

    5th January 2014at2:56 pm
  • Sylvia
    Reply

    I will be planting a hazel this year and I was wondering how long I would have to wait before I can coppice the tree?

    16th April 2014at6:35 am
  • Anthony
    Reply

    Hi Tim,

    Your woodland bluebell picture has transported me to one my favourite woodlands in Wexford. The recent strong winds along the Wexford coast caused my 10 year old Aspen to keel over. It’s leaning at about a 45% angle with some of the roots showing. Can I save it by coppicing it now?

    Thanks,

    Anthony

    5th June 2015at11:20 am
  • sally
    Reply

    Hi, I have a cercis Forest Pansy in a boarder. I want to pollard it at about 3-4 feet. It is about 8 feet high I think its a suitable tree, if it is when should I do it? Thanks Sally.

    31st August 2015at8:14 am
  • I hadn’t heard of the term “coppicing,” though I was familiar with the concept. It’s cool that the trees and shrubs are able to recover from a stump like that. Plants’ resilience and ability to grow even more branches than before is really cool to me. Thanks for explaining the process so well!

    15th April 2016at4:03 pm

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