Relight my Fire

Our small group of Thursday volunteers braved the damp and dismal conditions today to continue coppicing a section of Hazel which we started doing on Tuesday.

This is a good example of a neatly coppiced stool, the older, thicker stems have been removed from the centre, leaving new growth to flourish.

The cuts have been made at an angle, which is to encourage the water to drain away from the stool, helping to avoid it succumbing to fungal infection and decay.

Coppicing is done on a rotation basis, this ensures a range of different ages trees and stools, which helps to increase biodiversity. Hazel stems traditionally were coppiced between 7 and 15 years and were put to use in thatching or making hurdles or as hedge laying spars.

Thank you to everyone who came out today, your hard work and good spirits were much appreciated.