[deepinthewoods]

ive about a dozen old neglected hazel trees that i want to coppice, any tips on timing and how to do this to get a good yield of whips?

[bealers]

[Insert amateur advice disclaimer]

Take it back down to the ground, but only if the canopy is opened out too, to bring in a lot more light. Angle your cuts so the water runs off the stools.

Make sure the stools are protected from deer/rabbit nomming. I used chicken wire last year on my first attempt (1/2 acre coup) and all the stools 12 months on have good growth. The one big mistake I made was to have a few brash fires. The fire areas are now deserts as I killed off everything hiding underneath. If you must burn your brash (rather than pile up as habitat areas as I am now doing) then make sure you bun it on your rides.

Here's the before:


During


..and after

[bealers]

I meant to add that traditional timings are Oct to late April. My observation for North Shropshire is that Nov/late Feb is the only window. Before and the trees are still active and after, the trees are already waking up.

[deepinthewoods]

thats really useful thank you.

[bealers]

This FC article (PDF) is pretty useful. I'm about to plant some extra trees in that first coup above as I don't think the density is good enough

[FiB]

agree with all - and next time bealers if you want to increase density you can just leave one whip  from each stool and layer it (pleach it (cut it enought to bend over as for hedge laying) and peg down at a set of buds as shown of page 3 of this http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/Rin259.pdf/$file/Rin259.pdf  (might be the same doc as previously posted).  Works really well and you should never have to buy again where there is astablished hazel!  I also agree that the window seems to be getting shorter - my hazel are allready showing signs of coming out of dormancy (and Ive got some coppicing to do too so Im going to get cracking this week.  oh and for anyone new to coppicing  - the tops are the traditional pea sticks.  Best tree in the world hazel!!!  Enjoy

[bealers]

Hi FiB,

+1 on the whip/pegging trick but in this case my stools were huge, multi-stemmed each 8" diameter minimum. Easily  50+ year overstood so no whips I'm afraid.

[deepinthewoods]

as is mine. i thought of layering it tho, might give it a try if i can find a suitable candidate.

[Fleecewife]

My hazel prob is the opposite - planted whips 3 or 4 years ago and I'm wondering when we should try the first coppicing (not yet I know).  Trees grow slowly here, so what size should the trunks be when we cut and how many shoots should we expect?
 
At the same time, we planted ash - that will go down the drain when the ash disease gets to us, so I will try your layering of the hazel to fill the gaps FiB 
 
And while we're all here, should birch coppice OK?  We chopped one down last year and nothing has appeared since, but maybe the pesky rabbits got them.

[Bramblecot]

Our hazels are already starting to green (south coast Dorset) but we have not been able to work on the land as it is waterlogged and everything is out of sync. this year.
We usually lay the brash over the coppiced stools  to keep out deer.  It may not be ideal but the whips grow through with no problem.

[FiB]

My hazel prob is the opposite - planted whips 3 or 4 years ago and I'm wondering when we should try the first coppicing (not yet I know).  Trees grow slowly here, so what size should the trunks be when we cut and how many shoots should we expect?
 
At the same time, we planted ash - that will go down the drain when the ash disease gets to us, so I will try your layering of the hazel to fill the gaps FiB 
 
And while we're all here, should birch coppice OK?  We chopped one down last year and nothing has appeared since, but maybe the pesky rabbits got them.

I worked in a woodalnd once that had been 'lawn mowed' by mistake (it was on a school field)year 1 or 2. 15 years later - a whole woodland of multistemmed birch hazel and oak.  Birch coppices great - but as you say , the rabits and other beasties find the new growth delicious, so it just wont happen unless you can protect