What is Coppicing?
Coppicing pruning has been around since Neolithic times, according to archaeologists. The practice of coppicing pruning was particularly important before humans had machinery for cutting and transporting large trees. Coppicing trees provided a constant supply of logs of a size that could be easily handled. Essentially, coppicing is a way of providing a sustainable harvest of tree shoots. First, a tree is felled. Sprouts grow from dormant buds on the cut stump, known as a stool. The sprouts that arise are allowed to grow until they are of the correct size, and then are harvested and the stools allowed to grow again. This can be carried out over and over again for several hundred years.
Plants Suitable for Coppicing
Not all trees are plants suitable for coppicing. Generally, broadleaf trees coppice well but most conifers do not. The strongest broad leaves to coppice are:
Ash Hazel Oak Sweet chestnut Lime Willow
The weakest are beech, wild cherry, and poplar. Oak and lime grow sprouts that reach three feet (1 m.) in their first year, while the best coppicing trees – ash and willow – grow much more. Usually, the coppiced trees grow more in their second year, then growth slows dramatically in their third. Coppice products used to include ship planking. The smaller wood pieces were also used for firewood, charcoal, furniture, fencing, tool handles, and brooms.
Coppicing Techniques
The procedure for coppicing first requires you to clear out foliage around the base of the stool. The next step in coppicing techniques is to prune away dead or damaged shoots. Then, you work from one side of the stool to the center, cutting the most accessible poles. Make one cut about 2 inches (5 cm.) above the point the branch grows out of the stool. Angle the cut 15 to 20 degrees from the horizontal, with the low point facing out from the stool center. Sometimes, you may find it necessary to cut higher first, then trim back.
