Why coppice low

[Twybill]

Since most native trees send out new shoots when cut at whatever height, why is coppice cut near ground level? I can understand Hazel being cut in this way because the new shoots mainly come from the roots and thus help the stool to expand. Other trees could be cut much higher and still produce the goods.

I wonder if it was done for practical reasons because of the bill hooks and axes that were used, but now chain saws are ubiquitous maybe ground level is old hat.

A higher cut 'coppard' is easier on the back than stooping to the ground. Better still, why not pollard--no deer problems and you have a trunk that grows like a tree and the birds love to nest at that height from the ground. Coppice is a collection of sticks that never make a tree and can make a boring woodland. Experiment by cutting at different heights and make your woodland 3D vision with different layers of growth.

[RichardKing]

Stangely enough there is a tread running on another forum on WHY nobody pollards any more.

It was the traditional way of managing many trees.

I suspect Sweet Chestnut is cut low to get the maximum length of pole.

The only high cut ones seem to be cant markers.

[adrian rossant]

Hi there

Concerning your queries, from a purely practical viewpoint as the coppice stool was intended to be cut and re-cut the stool has to be cut as low as possible because when cutting takes place unless it lends itself perfectly to a flush cut you inevitably end up cutting an inch or so above the last cut. So it would not take many rotational cuts before you ended up with a very high stool.

Concerning pollarding, to be of any defense against deer it has to be done at a suitably high height, unfortunately this makes cutting the poles a very much more time consuming and labor intensive operation not to mention more hazardous as unless you climb into the tree you are using dangerous tools at or above head height.

[Meadowcopse]

Going off at a tangent slightly, the history behind some pollarded trees interests me - beyond the practical above grazing / browsing height. I have the large ash tree in the link http://tinyurl.com/294my6u in one of my hedgerows and am tempted to think it has at some time been deliberately pollarded, rather than had some accidental influence...

I was by a decorative lake within a farming estate in Cambridgeshire last month and noticed several willows along the waters edge had been severely trimmed to 'clubs' about 3 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 years previous growth as whips all up the sides. There were quite a few of these and I've seen similar in other areas too.

[Twybill]

Adrian Rossant wrote: 'Concerning pollarding, to be of any defense against deer it has to be done at a suitably high height, unfortunately this makes cutting the poles a very much more time consuming and labor intensive operation not to mention more hazardous as unless you climb into the tree you are using dangerous tools at or above head height.'

I stay on the ground and use a hand pole saw to recut the pollards and I find this very quick and safe. As with coppicing, the regrowth is not of any great diameter and with a pole saw you stand well away from the direction of fall. I find it more difficult when I coppice the Hazel because of the stooping to ground level and the consequent back ache! But maybe my technique is wrong.

[adrian rossant]

I do not want to turn this into a debate but regarding pollards, how is it possible to perform a horizontal cut on the front of the pole to prevent the bark stripping or if the pole was of a size to necessitate a directional cut, using a pole saw from the ground?

[Twybill]

I do not want to turn this into a debate but regarding pollards, how is it possible to perform a horizontal cut on the front of the pole to prevent the bark stripping or if the pole was of a size to necessitate a directional cut, using a pole saw from the ground?

Hi Adrian, the horizontal cut on the front isn't often necessary, particularly on Oak, as the limbs will slowly fall without severing as the saw cuts through. When the pollard limb is supported by the ground the remainder of the stem can be sawn. This ability of Oak to fall as a hinge is very useful. As in coppicing, the regrowth is often supporting each other and the stems can be cut right through and then be hooked out. If an undercut is needed, the pole saw is just turned over and cuts upwards a few strokes. Being on the ground provides a natural sloping cut. I find the worst species for stripping of the bark is Elm and willow. It doesn't really matter if the bark strips down a little as the tree responds with new shoots just the same. Sometimes its easier just to put a step ladder against the trunk to get a couple of rungs off the ground and cut directly with a curved handsaw.

[yackerty]

Hello all. I want to start some coppice in my wood but we have a lot of muntjack. Anyone know what the shortest pollard is that I can get away with?