What is Coppicing?

Coppicing is the traditional woodland management process of cutting down broad-leaved trees to ground level in winter, and thereby encouraging the regrowth of multiple stems from the stump, or `stool'. This process is repeated throughout the woodland on a cycle of normally 7 to 25 years. One part of the wood is harvested each year, allowing for regrowth and the formation of a sustainable cycle. This periodic cutting has been proved to extend the life of the trees, and create an ideal habitat for native flora and fauna to thrive.

Why Coppice?

Coppicing has been a major woodland industry since Neolithic times and has shaped the native woodland that we know today whilst supplying a huge range of products; from fencing to firewood, walking sticks to charcoal. Woodland wildlife has adapted to this form of management over thousands of years, but in recent years the practice of coppicing has declined as the need for charcoal, sheep hurdles and other farm products decreased. Old, unmanaged coppiced woodland are unable to support the diversity of birds, mammals, insects and flowers that an actively managed woodland can.

How Does it Work?

Broad-leaved woodlands which have been coppiced over a long time are rich in wildlife and provide a rich environment and habitat to many native flora and fauna. This is achieved by maintaining small scale structural diversity, from newly felled open areas (creating glades and thus letting in light and life) to tall dense wooded areas, all in the same woodland. This process closely mimics the natural ecology of Britain’s ancient woodlands and ensures an abundance of diverse wildlife to create a true native wood.

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