A few coppice stools

Posted on 25 November 2016 by Flying Shavings

Here is a photo selection of hazel coppice stools I took at Wood Nook on Wednesday lunchtime.

Notice how the poles are bent and differing thicknesses when the stool has stood uncut for so long, there are some very old thick branches in there.

Here’s the next one for shaving, you can see the charcoal bag I’m using to collect dead and dry sun shoots for kindling. Hazel throws up sun shoots, new side shoots,even when there are loads of old branches which block out the light so much that many little shoots perish for lack of light.

An hour later, all flat and partly graded into the various useful items from brash tops to cover the stool to avoid browsing by deer, to deer parts and fencing poles. This one still needs to final big, low cut right across the base to encourage new growth from basal buds.
This is the regrowth a couple of years after cutting.

This one’s the best in the wood, I think it has a microclimate next to a wall, on a bank above the stream. Lots of good straight poles.

And here is the stream. At some point long ago it was partly culverted, I can’t think why in this rather remote rural location.

They made quite a job of it, but I think a lot of it has fallen in through neglect and heavy floods.

Jolly japes at the Strid

Posted on 12 March 2015 by Flying Shavings

David took a time-lapse video of our Tuesday activities felling near The Strid:

Most of this will end up either as fire wood or in the charcoal kiln, but there is some decent ash, sycamore and what seems to be willow, new one for me from this woodland.

Don’t take it too seriously, the shot where a bough nearly took my head off has been edited out, along with other inappropriate content. Also I am not in the habit of using a 24 inch bar for felling saplings. My 260 was in dock for carburettor cleaning so the 66 was hauled into service, most inconvenient, I can tell you.

Just for clarification, the punning title was supposed to be Tree Fellahs at The Strid, we had it several times during the course of the day.

Many hands make light work, thanks chaps.

Dead hedge, dead accurate, cremation.

Posted on 9 March 2015 by Flying Shavings

Been doing a little dead hedging.

With a little help from my friends David and Theo.

I’m the one with the chain saw who messes everything up with fallen trees and severed limbs then we try to make some order out of it all.

We are working a long narrow strip opposite the bodgery on a bank above the river. At times it’s rather challenging as the natural tendency of the trees is to go for a swim when they’ve been cut from their roots. Much use of the winch required. Some accurate felling.