As the hazel coppicing in Banstead Woods draws to a close, the winter has seen approx. another hectare cleared and brought back into rotation after having been neglected for over 4 decades (with some coppice stools estimated at 55+ years old), the point at which hazel starts to deteriorate. Not only will this work therefore greatly benefit the hazel, by promoting vigorous regrowth to replace the aged stems, the removal of the cover will also encourage the dormant woodland flowers to emerge, which in turn will attract invertebrates and wildlife into the area. Some woodland fritillaries are known to only inhabit newly coppiced woodland. Meanwhile, the wildlife habitats we have created from the stacked logs will form valuable homes for wildlife and fungi.
Many of our woodlands have only survived because of their ability to provide coppiced timber – referred to as ‘underwood’ because it grows beneath the canopy of the larger woodland trees - for a wide variety of uses, upon which the rural economy once relied. Coppice products were used for building, fencing, hedge-laying, fuel, furniture, charcoal, thatching spars, sticks, tool handles and many other uses; nothing was wasted. It also provided work for numerous woodland workers: cutters, timber merchants, craftsmen and purchasers.
With the hazel coppicing completed for another season we turned our attention to thinning a dense stand of large sycamore that had take over another part of the woods, preparing it for replanting with native hazel and hornbeam, with additional plans for planting small-leaved lime (a once common woodland tree that was seen as an ancient woodland indicator). Where numerous trees have already been cleared it is encouraging to see the mass of dormant bluebell shoots taking full advantage of the area being opened up (see picture earlier in blog).
Below: The cleared area being replanted with native hazel and hornbeam.
The metallic hum of the saw, the creak of the falling tree and the crash and splintering of the timber all made for an exciting and pleasurable accompaniment to the industrious work - especially when the trees fell exactly where intended. And where things didn't go quite according to plan (resulting in the falling tree getting hung up against the branch of another) a rope and a bit of muscle power soon rectified the situation.
And, whilst bringing down some quite large trees (12ins to 14ins diameter and 60ft tall) can be a daunting prospect, the teamwork involved in evaluating the situation and in using the saw added to the pleasure of a successful job.
The restoration programme has been going for the past 5 years and has also involved re-instating a hazel coppice cycle as a traditional method of woodland management, as well as removing storm blown trees (of which there are many) and clearing trees that are either damaged, poor specimens or out-shading better examples. The woodland is also heavily shaded by yew and holly, leading to many twisted stems as young trees fight desperately to get to the light.
Meanwhile, it is encouraging to see the regeneration of the hazel stools coppiced in those previous years. You can read all the books and know all the theory about woodland restoration, but nothing beats actually being actively involved and subsequently witnessing the results of that work.
However, it is not all good news. A small stand of young ash trees is sporting the brown dead tips that indicates that the dreaded ash dieback disease has reached the area. Sadly, there is nothing to do but remove them and add them to the fire. Early studies indicate that ash trees here might be more resistant to the disease than those in Denmark, where over 90% of ash trees have been lost. Fingers crossed as, behind oak and birch, ash is our 3rd most numerous tree. To lose a major proportion of them will seriously reconfigure many of our woodlands, with the resulting impact upon wildlife. Meanwhile, why we were importing ash from Holland (when they are probably the easiest tree to grow here), right next door to Denmark, is a question that I and many others struggle to answer.
Whilst the work on Riddlesdown, as with all tree clearance, is quite physically demanding, the excessive storm damage over the years and the poor condition of some of the trees has added to the level of danger and every tree has to be carefully assessed prior to going in with a saw - trees holding other trees up, tangled limbs and trees bent under tension all provide their own challenges and all have to be approached with care. Trees under tension in particular have a very nasty habit of snapping without warning, sometimes in the most spectacular fashion.
Below: Woodland restoration on Riddlesdown - after.
Below: Trackway clearance on Coulsdon Common - after.