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Author Topic: Coppicing  (Read 14901 times)

Carolinajim

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • Eastern North Carolina, USA
    • Red Bay Farm
Coppicing
« on: December 22, 2008, 01:21:33 pm »
Anyone out there coppice trees for firewood?  I like roundwood better than split and would liike some techniques to explore when I am cutting trees for firewood. 

I have two species, red maple and water oak, which may be good for coppicing.  It would be nice to cut the trees to optimize coppicing.  Any tips?
Best Regards,
Jim
www.redbayfarm.com a website about a small 46 acre family owned tree farm
Become Carbon Neutral - Buy Land and Plant Trees

Carolinajim

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • Eastern North Carolina, USA
    • Red Bay Farm
Re: Coppicing
« Reply #1 on: December 22, 2008, 01:47:05 pm »
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3473531/Growing-wood-by-cutting-back.html

Here is a nice article which was descriptive enough to help a little.  Additionally, there are some UK contact numbers which might be useful.

Like all things...coppicing sounds easy...but there is always a bit of this and a little of that that separates amateurs from professionals.


And another article.
http://www.itsnoteasybeinggreen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3321

Shropshire is a bit of a drive for me, otherwise, I'd attend the course.

« Last Edit: December 22, 2008, 01:57:07 pm by Carolinajim »
Best Regards,
Jim
www.redbayfarm.com a website about a small 46 acre family owned tree farm
Become Carbon Neutral - Buy Land and Plant Trees

rustyme

  • Guest
Re: Coppicing
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2008, 01:56:47 pm »
hello CJ ,
              http://handbooks.btcv.org.uk/handbooks/content/chapter/690
 
 lots of info about coppicing, and all things wood really, on the above link. Good ones over here in the UK for coppicing are :willow, hazel and ash. Others are good but these are very fast to grow and have lots of uses other than fire wood/chips.

cheers

Russ

Carolinajim

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • Eastern North Carolina, USA
    • Red Bay Farm
Re: Coppicing
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2009, 01:05:50 am »
I cut back some of my red maples.  Gee what a sweet splitting wood.  Just tap it with the axe and it splits so easily.

I have split and stacked about a 3/4 each of oak and maple.

Just love this type of work.  So much more satisfying than shuffling paper.
Best Regards,
Jim
www.redbayfarm.com a website about a small 46 acre family owned tree farm
Become Carbon Neutral - Buy Land and Plant Trees

Lemming

  • Joined Jan 2009
Re: Coppicing
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2009, 12:29:40 am »
I've got about 10 acres of woodland. It's mostly overgrown coppice that hasn't been cut for 30/40 years, and I'd love to get it back in working order. The grown-out stuff is about right for making charcoal; once I've cleared that, I'd like to grow wood for thatching spars, hurdles &c.

My main problem is deer; my lot is sandwiched between two large woods, and the deer commute between the two, munching all the green shoots on my patch on the way. When I fell the overgrown coppice and the stools start to sprout, the deer eat off all the new growth.

I can't afford deer fencing, and the few that end up as venison are just a drop in the ocean; the woods on either side haven't been managed for many years and the deer population has exploded.

Any suggestions?


doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
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Re: Coppicing
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2009, 10:36:46 am »
Do deer keep away from an electric fence?  I once looked at fencing for a pony and it was only about £150 for a long run.
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: Coppicing
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2009, 06:00:20 pm »
Hi,

In reply to the deer problem (as we suffer the same!)
I would ask around in your local area to see if there are any hunters who would be willing to manage your land.
We were very lucky and found a guy who trains gun dogs for a living. He comes up every day with the dogs and also at dawn & dusk for the deer and ducks. He has also introduced more pheasants for shooting and generally manages the land in return for keeping a %age of the game. Our eventual plan is to offer a days shooting to people in return for their hard earned cash lol!

Good luck,

Karen  :pig:

woodsman

  • Joined Dec 2008
Re: Coppicing
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2009, 06:23:14 pm »
 we were taught to stack the brash over the stools , in the hope that this would deter deer . probably about as much use as the forestry commission's advice to prune the lower limbs on juvenile trees to stop squirrels stripping bark .
 A continuous brash pile at your perimeter , if high n wide enough ...?
 Some friends of mine put gaurds - bout 1 foot diameter , 5 foot high round all but one of their coppiced ash . THe first year's regen was phenomenal - all 'cept one !!

good luck .
If it's too steep to plough , put sheep on it , if the sheep fall off , plant trees .

Carolinajim

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • Eastern North Carolina, USA
    • Red Bay Farm
Re: Coppicing
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2009, 08:33:06 pm »
Really like the idea of brush (brash) over the stools.  A loose pile can keep the deer away and in about 3 years its rotted away and the new shoots are tall enough to survive the deer.

I have the same problem here...they (the white tails) love the shoots comming off the stools.
« Last Edit: January 16, 2009, 08:53:24 pm by Carolinajim »
Best Regards,
Jim
www.redbayfarm.com a website about a small 46 acre family owned tree farm
Become Carbon Neutral - Buy Land and Plant Trees

Carolinajim

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • Eastern North Carolina, USA
    • Red Bay Farm
Re: Coppicing
« Reply #9 on: January 16, 2009, 09:15:09 pm »
hello CJ ,
              http://handbooks.btcv.org.uk/handbooks/content/chapter/690
 
 lots of info about coppicing, and all things wood really, on the above link. Good ones over here in the UK for coppicing are :willow, hazel and ash. Others are good but these are very fast to grow and have lots of uses other than fire wood/chips.

cheers

Russ

Thank You, Very informative books.
Best Regards,
Jim
www.redbayfarm.com a website about a small 46 acre family owned tree farm
Become Carbon Neutral - Buy Land and Plant Trees

Lemming

  • Joined Jan 2009
Re: Coppicing
« Reply #10 on: January 17, 2009, 09:50:55 pm »
Many thanks for the suggestions about deterring the deer.

Electric fencing isn't a viable option because of various factors I won't bore you with; I don't know if it works, because I don't know anyone who uses it against deer (which seems to imply it doesn't; unless you had a lot of strands going up to about 7ft high, my guess is they'd just jump over it)

Shooting them reduces the number, obviously (and I've got a freezer full of venison, which eases the pain somewhat); but there's just too many of them, and they live in the huge woods on either side, not in my little scrap of ground.

I like the idea of piling brash up round the stools. I'll give that a go, and let you know if it works.

Thanks again for the advice

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
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    • ABERDON GUNDOGS for work and show
    • Facebook
Re: Coppicing
« Reply #11 on: January 17, 2009, 10:20:51 pm »

Our eventual plan is to offer a days shooting to people in return for their hard earned cash lol!

Karen  :pig:

Would you consider Gun dog Clubs for Pointing tests, working tests and training?  You'd be very popular if you did. Not much payment in it but your keeper gets a cash sum (you) and a bottle for the landowner(you)
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: Coppicing
« Reply #12 on: January 18, 2009, 11:30:46 am »
Hi Doganjo,

Yes - that sounds very interesting.
I'm not sure if our set up's quite what is needed, we've got approx 130 acres in total, some with old mixed forrest and some more recently planted firs and spruce. Some of the ground is quite open and some is quite densely forrested - does that sound like the kind of thing that's needed ?
Where & how would you suggest getting started ? Not sure if we have any gun dog clubs in the area, but I'm just away to check it out.
Thank you for the idea - it'd never even crossed my mind !

Karen  :-*

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
    • ABERDON GUNDOGS for work and show
    • Facebook
Re: Coppicing
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2009, 12:41:06 pm »
Sounds perfect - could I bring my young lad over to try it out - he'd be on a long line.  I'm a member of various gundog clubs - the HPR club of Scotland is one that doesn't do training as yet because of the lack of ground - I will ask my Committee if they are interested.  Look up www.brittanyclub.co.uk for info on my own breed - there are also other HPR sites on our links page.  Could be the start of a beautiful friendship, but check with your guy who puts birds down. Don't want to step on his toes, as there's a protocol in the shooting and trialling fraternity.  I don't think 130 acres is enough for a Field Trial.  But he might be interested in taking some HPR's for 'shot over days ', or one to ones - we would pay him/you for those. Maybe even some training days without shooting would be good too.
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

 

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