Threats to Coppice Woodlands and their Management

Dereliction - When coppice woodlands fall out of management for a significant length of time, (this varies between species), the coppice grows on beyond its normal harvestable size and looses its productivity as a coppice ‘crop’. Such areas are often termed ‘derelict coppice’ 

Coppice stools are prone to rot from the center when left unmanaged and coupled with the increasing size and weight of the multiple stems often leads to instability and the 'falling' apart of the stool. This kind of decline can often lead to the death of coppice stools. Hazel coppice is particularly at danger from dereliction. Hazel rarely grows more than 5- 6m or so in height, so once hazel coppice is abandoned it slowly becomes over topped by species such as oak and ash along with other species such as birch and sycamore, that would have been ‘cleaned’ from the coppice as it was cut, but through lack of management are allowed to establish. These 'forest' trees can eventually form a closed canopy which shades the hazel below. If prolonged, this shading will also lead to mortality of coppice, often in combination with the rotting and instability of stools described above.

At the beginning of the 20th century active coppice management would have been a common site in many counties. The Forestry commissions census of woodland 1947-1949 estimated that there were around 130 000 ha of working coppiced woodlands in England (figures do not include woods under 2 ha). The latest Forestry Commission Survey (2001) www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/HCOU-54PG4D gives a figure of 21 853 ha of woodland actively managed or capable of being managed as coppice, showing a large decline in the area of coppice woodlands.

Although much of the loss in coppice woodland area indicated by these figures is due to direct loss to development and agriculture a far larger amount has been lost through dereliction and reversion to high forest.

This dereliction is driven by a lack of demand for coppice products. If there is no demand. then these woods will not be managed unless the works are paid for by grant aid to provide one or more of the benefits of coppice management.

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Imports - Coppice products such as charcoal, thatching spars and hurdles are increasingly being imported. Very often these are inferior in both the quality of materials and the craftsmanship. Imports reduce demand for home produced coppice products and contribute to both the dereliction of coppice woodlands and loss of coppice craftsmen.

Unless marked with the FSC logo there is also no guarantee that an imported wood or timber product comes from a sustainably managed woodland.

Remember, when buying products from well managed local woodlands, the price you pay for the product is also providing the other benefits that coppiced woodlands provide! You might be able to buy a cheaper alternative that is imported or mass produced, but you will not be unlocking the many benefits that managing local woodlands can offer.

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Damage from Grazing - Deer and rabbits can destroy coppice as a useable 'crop' through grazing the regrowth from the stools. At worst grazing pressure can also lead to mortality of stools.

Deer - in recent years there has been a steady increase in the numbers of deer in the countryside ( http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/vertebrates/deer.htm ). This is coupled with a number of species, such as roe, fallow and muntjac deer, increasing their geographic ranges. Many species of tree are highly palatable to deer and even more so the fresh young regrowth from coppice stools. If severe, grazing by deer will lead to the death of coppice stools but even light levels of grazing damages the quality of regrowth and reduces the useable number of rods or poles making the coppice uneconomic. As well as damage by grazing, the rubbing of antlers by bucks causes fraying damage to rods. This is particularly disadvantageous in hazel coppice where the fraying wounds make them unusable either because of their appearance or because the damage makes them too difficult to split for use as spars or hazel rods.

Deer damage can be reduced by laying brash, ( unusable branches/ waste from newly cut coppice), over the cut stools when they are cut. However once the growing shoots emerge from this protective ‘covering’ they are once more at the mercy of the deer. This approach is more effective if brash is laid across the whole coupe rather than just over the coppice stools. By the time the coppice is ready for its next cut this brash will have broken down and not impeded access for cutting. However this is not favoured by many woodland owners as they perceive the initial untidy appearance to be a sign of poor management or because it makes life difficult for beaters driving pheasants.

Controlling deer numbers through stalking is another method, though this relies on a concerted effort on a landscape scale. If neighbouring landowners are not culling deer effectively this can have minimal effect on a site based approach.

If stalking is not a viable option, the best method to ensure that coppice is free from deer damage is to protect it with fencing. Grants are available to help with the costs of deer fencing (link to grant aid page)

Rabbits - can cause similar grazing damage where their populations are high. They will also feed on the bark of trees including coppice rods and poles especially during cold winters. This also reduces the quality of the coppice as a product. Fencing is an option here but is costly. Other options are culling using approved methods. For more information go to

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/vertebrates/rabbit.htm

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Workforce - rising living costs particularly related to housing and insurance premiums, coupled with relatively low returns for coppice products and related works, means there is little financial incentive for new recruitment to the workforce

Today’s coppice workforce is far smaller than it once was. It still includes some of those that have spent their lives working coppice as did their fathers and grandfathers before them. Sadly this is a dying breed. More recent recruits come from a variety of backgrounds and have had to be more diverse in their approach to business and produce a far wider range of products than the traditional mainstays (see the illustrated glossary).

What they all have in common are fairly low returns and an ever increasing cost of living primarily due to the rising costs of insurance premiums and rural housing. Although many are willing to forgo a high income for the opportunity to work outdoors in coppice woodlands, there is a fine line between it being reality or impossibility. Like many other lower paid trades and professions there are problems with recruitment. Coupled with a mindset of many that manual work is menial and not deserving of reasonable financial returns. As we struggle to staff our prisons, schools and hospitals there is a similar parallel in our rural economy where there is an equivalent shortage of people to manage our countryside.

Inappropriate management - can lead to impoverishment of coppice. This is most common where restoration works are carried out and too many standard trees are left uncut. This leads to shading of coppice stools and resulting poor growth. Where this is coupled with grazing pressure, this combined effect will lead to mortality of coppice stools.

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