Coppicing in Pound Wood
Christmas 1993
Coppicing
One-and-a-half acres around Digby’s Dell are being coppiced this winter in accordance with our contract with the Forest Authority. This area was last coppiced between 30 and 40 years ago. The majority of the underwood trees are Hornbeam and Sweet Chestnut, with a few birch, wild service, aspen, willow, hazel and holly. The standards are all oak planted about 180–200 years ago, with the expectation, no doubt, that they would be needed about now to build new fighting ships for the navy!.
The hazel, wild service and some holly will be allowed to grow on to provide food and shelter for the fauna. A single tall aspen by the pond will be left to take its chances in the wind. The chestnut will be used for the purpose for which it was planted, posts. The hornbeam, whose ancient uses are now fulfilled by plastics aluminium and fibre-glass, will be sold for firelogs. There is a single small beech sapling. There are two very ancient oak coppice stools, neither of which produced any good poles; we presume that they have been shaded out by the faster-growing and more recently-planted chestnut.
Within the area of coppice are two very large wind-blown trees. These will be left to rot down and in the meantime form habitat piles, supplemented by decaying timber from other parts of the worksite.
Spring 1994
Let there be light!
For the first time in twenty years, summer sunshine will reach the ground at Digby’s Dell in the centre of the wood. The coppicing of 1.5 acres was completed by the end of February, before the sap started to rise in the trees. Seeds which have remained dormant for almost two decades will now germinate and we are hopeful that the new growth will provide food and cover for our woodland wildlife. We will be making detailed species counts, and otherwise monitoring the regrowth of the trees to ensure a healthy traditional woodland mix. For those who are unfamiliar with the ancient techniques of coppice management, don’t be alarmed by the felling of the trees. It is rather like mowing the lawn on a larger scale; it actually stimulates regrowth. Information sheets are available.
Autumn 1994
All’s well in Digby’s Dell
Even the most sceptical will admit that the coppicing work at Digby’s Dell has brought the area back to life. The regrowth from the coppice stools is staggering, with many chestnut trees already eight foot high at the end of the first growing season. There has been a flush of new growth from the ground plants, including common cow Wheat, marsh bedstraw and lesser spearwort, and the new hazel trees have almost all taken. Butterflies, dragonflies and a host of other insects have set the area buzzing. The pond itself has attracted some plants e.g. water starwort and animals, notably frogs, and has provided a water hole for woodland fauna and birds. We couldn’t have asked for better.
Coppice Site
This year’s site for management is to the south of Hunford Brook, on both sides of Thompsons path. It is about 1.2 acres, slightly less than in Digby’s Dell. There is a severe problem with bramble in the area and the valley itself must be worked on first because we need to be finished before the bluebells get underway. Unusually, there is some Ash coppice here, and a number of fallen Oaks. We intend to experiment with a contract wood chipping machine for some of the brash, though most will still need to be burnt.
January 1995
Winter work-parties at Little Valley
Work has started on the coppicing of about 1.2 acres (now called Little Valley) on both sides of Hunford Brook, where Shorts Cut crosses Thompsons Path. The trees are mostly hornbeam, ash and birch, with oak standards. There are also some very large chestnut trees which are overgrown coppice in excess of 40 years old. The only low growth in the area is bramble, holly and ivy, all of which could hinder regrowth unless cleared as well. At least two large storm-blown oaks will need to be dealt with, if we get the time.
We think part of the area is home to bluebells, though it has been hard to see them in previous years because of the bramble. Next year’s plants were already above ground in some parts of the wood in mid-December. As with Digby’s Dell last year, consideration will be given to replanting with young trees, notably hazel, at the end of the season.
Work parties start at 10.00am on the first and third Sunday in each month until the end of March, and at 9.OOam every Tuesday. We meet at the tool-store opposite Haresland Close and new volunteers are particularly welcome. Bring warm and hardy clothes, stout footwear, tough work gloves and your own refreshments.
Power Cables
The 30,000-volt pylon line which passes through the north-east corner of the wood is the subject of an easement by Eastern Electricity. The growth under the lines must be coppiced regularly for safety reasons. We had hoped that this could be done by our volunteers a bit at a time, but the regrowth is already too far advanced for this, and for some reason there is also a reluctance by the volunteers to work under live cables! Therefore, the job will have to be done by contractors to the electricity company, presumably in 1995 or 1996.
The domestic supply lines running down the side of Bramble Road also pass through our trees. The Tree Cutting Manager from Eastern Electricity visited us at the wood recently, and stated that these were OK at present, but he would continue to monitor the position. Since then a complaint has been lodged with the Castle Point District Council that these same trees are scratching passing lorries. So action cannot be delayed for much longer.
Spring 1995
Scientific Challenge to the tradition of coppicing?
A recent learned article in British Wildlife magazine was greeted with relish by the media as it questioned the adoption of the principles of coppicing for the benefit of wildlife — controversy is always good for circulation!
The professional ecologists involved are concerned with “biodiversity” — the inter-reaction of all living things. The majority of living species, and most of the UK’s most endangered ones, are very small (“smaller than a butterfly’s eye”) and spend most of their lives deep in rotting wood and other decaying plant matter. They argue that these species would do best if half the wood in a woodland was dead. Clearly coppicing, with its emphasis on regeneration of young growth and increased light for fruiting shrubs and flowering plants, is going to be counter-productive.
The Trust must consider this advice, and where appropriate adopt management policies which provide for the protection of these micro-organisms. But we do not think that the majority of our supporters will want us to manage our reserves exclusively to these ends. Thus we will continue to coppice but not in ancient woodland which hasn’t previously been coppiced, and we will extend the practice of leaving parts of some reserves unmanaged and largely undisturbed for microscopic species to proliferate. Also we shall continue to leave piles of dead wood within and around the coppiced areas for the same reasons. In Pound Wood, our plans to coppice just over an acre a year will mean that more than half the reserve will remain uncoppiced when it is necessary to start again on Digby’s Dell in the year 2009!
Autumn 1995
Long Term Coppice Rotation Plan
Whilst not set in stone, the Trust has approved a rotation which covers half of the wood over a period of approximately 17 years. The remainder will be managed as high forest with the exception of the border with Bramible Road and alongside the paths and rides. Details will be available to view at the Open Day.
The site of Year Three coppice is situated south-east of Henry’s Bridge and south of the pylon line. We start in November.
January 1996
Gunpowder Plot: Last Year’s Coppice Site
On the 5th November 1995 we held our first winter Sunday coppicing workparty at a site close to Henry’s Bridge. The name, which was suggested by Bob Topley, at 87 our oldest volunteer, was chosen for obvious reasons but please see Bob Delderfield’s History File for the full story.
The tree mix is different from the other coppice sites, with virtually no birch but a surprising number of young beech trees. Wild Service is present again. The area is close to the line of the 33,000-volt cables and, once the work is complete, we hope the diverse seed bank of shrubs and flowers from that area will spread across the bare ground.
Little Valley
Last year’s coppice site is regenerating well but with young chestnut stools, the regrowth is less marked. We do not think it necessary to plant new trees but we are monitoring the situation carefully. We are startled by the huge number of hombeam seedlings which have germinated near the bridge. Hopefully we can use these as a seed bank of young trees for other places where there are less because they have been shaded out.
May 1996
Gunpowder Plot: the Third Coppice Site
Most people now realise that to improve woodland for wildlife we have to restart the coppice cycle, at least in some parts of the woodland. If you want to know more of this practice, which involves clearing the smaller trees and underwood, please contact us. Most of Pound Wood was coppiced in 1947–1954 (we have aerial photos), and some parts again in 1966-1976 (we have maps). Each year we plan to coppice about 1.5 acres which means that we will only have done about half of the wood when we need to start again at the begining! Our volunteers did a good job in “Gunpowder Plot” with the help of a professional contractor near the pylons. The map shows the work undertaken so far.
September 1997
Coppicing for Winter 1997–98
The area in Pound Wood approved by the Forest Agency for this year’s coppice is the eastern side near to Codger’s Crossing. Fortunately it doesn’t straddle a main path this year which should make things easier. We will also slightly enlarge last year’s area at Rowleys.
Management of the area under the power lines has led to a remarkable profusion of cow wheat, which is one of the food plants of the endangered heath fritillary butterfly. We are planning to re-introduce this butterfly to Pound Wood next summer and will then manage these areas for them.
Work parties meet every Tuesday at 9am and on the first and third Sunday every month at 10am opposite Haresland Close.