Revenue !

[oldclaypaws]

A nice Christmas present in the post today, my first commercial cheque for produce for Hazel Sticks to a Walking Stick manufacturer. They pay £1.25 for a straight stick and £2 for thumbsticks. (For blackthorn, they pay up to £4.50). It took about an hour to select and cut a couple of dozen carefully selected quality staves, but it's enough to buy a bottle of Christmas Single Malt, and there a few hundred more left standing.

Another reason to crack on with restoring my coppice; thinning, getting in the light and cutting back the overstood stools.

[SimonFisher]

How very satisfying to harvest and sell some of your own produce. Are they a local company? Did you deliver yourself or ship them? What's a thumbstick?

We started hazel coppice restoration about three years ago and looking forward in due course to seeing someone want something out of our woods for other than firewood.

[oldclaypaws]

They are about 3 miles away from the wood, which is very convenient to deliver them. They use mainly Ash, Hazel and some Blackthorn. They pay the most for 'knob' sticks, that is with sufficient root on the end to make it into an integral handle. Thumb sticks have a 'V' shaped branching at the top to rest a thumb in.

They reckon if you have an area dedicated to coppiced sticks with good light, the cash yield per acre can be higher than arable cereals.

Theres a good and varied demand for Hazel, from thatchers, stickmakers, hurdlemakers and others. Makes nice rustic garden and indoor furniture too.

[The Barrowers]

Hello

Just got back from Civilisation ( The Woods, no radio , no Tv etc ) to the Brick house (Home ) We had a lovely Xmas in the wood and it is pleasing that in this age of commercialism that you are seeing a return Enjoy your just rewards

B and T

[splodger]

i don't go anywhere without my walking stick - for me, it's perfect