231 Corstorphine Road Restoration of Neglected Edinburgh EH12 7AT www.forestry.gov.uk Hazel Coppice INFORMATION NOTE BY RALPH HARMER OF FOREST RESEARCH MARCH 2004 SUMMARY The biology and silviculture of hazel coppice woodlands are briefly explained. Practical procedures for management of stools are described and the results of a recent case study on growth and yield are presented. The month of felling, or height at which stools are cut, has little long-term effect on either mortality of stools or regrowth of coppice shoots. Adequate protection from browsing animals is necessary to ensure success. Excessive browsing will reduce economic potential and may kill stools. INTRODUCTION Table 1 Estimated areas (ha) of simple hazel coppice, and hazel coppice In bygone days hazel coppices played an important role in with standards, in different regions of Great Britain. Data taken from the National Inventory of Woodland and Trees. the rural economy by providing small diameter material for a wide range of products. While such woodlands Simple coppice Coppice with remain a valuable part of the landscape, many are standards neglected (Figure 1) and generally thought to be in need of South of England* 1113 1378 management to ensure that they retain the biological interest for which they are highly regarded (Buckley, North of England 102 260 1992; Fuller and Warren, 1993). Wales 104 – Scotland 16 33 Figure 1 Total 1335 1671 Neglected hazel coppice with standards at Herriard Park, the *All counties to the south of, and including, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Berkshire study site, which had not been cut for about 50 years. and Greater London. amount of hazel coppice are unavailable. Some areas of the country appear to have no hazel coppice, but this is probably an artefact of the sampling system used; woodlands were recorded as hazel coppice only when there was obvious evidence that they were being worked or capable of being worked. Consequently the figures are unlikely to be a good indicator of either the area of neglected hazel coppice or that available for restoration. For example, the National Inventory estimated that there was a total of 211 ha of hazel coppice in Hampshire, which is less than the 345 ha of in-cycle coppice in 1994 (Howe, 1995). In addition c.650 ha were restored with grant aid from Hampshire County Council between the The area of woodland actively managed by coppicing has mid-1980s and mid-1990s, and most of this should be in- been in decline for many years. The recently completed cycle or capable of being worked if it has been managed National Inventory of Woodland and Trees found a total properly. All of these figures are small when compared of only 1671 ha of hazel coppice with standards and 1335 with the 1947 census (Anon., 1952; 1956) that estimated ha of simple coppice (Table 1). Precise data on the total an area of c.13 000 ha of hazel coppice which was 20% 1 FCIN56 of Hampshire’s total woodland area. How much of this grows best on well-drained, reasonably fertile, moderately remains in a neglected state and is suitable for restoration acid to basic soils; it will thrive on both loam and chalk. It is unknown. is a widespread component of many woodland communities and is often the dominant species of the Although many hazel coppices are long-established shrub layer. It is typical of lowland oakwoods that were ancient semi-natural woodlands, their wide range of previously managed as coppice with standards. wildlife interest generally relies on regular management to provide discrete patches with canopies that differ in age- class. However, the species mixture and structure of these Hazel grows quickly and individual stools can produce a woodlands is artificial and has been strongly influenced by large number of small diameter stems that can be cut their past management; for example increasing the using simple hand tools. The shoots are supple, readily proportion of hazel, planting oaks to grow as standards, split, and can be easily twisted and woven by hand to and the unintentional promotion of a flora and fauna that make a range of products. During the past few centuries thrives under a regime of regular felling at short intervals. hazel was primarily used for wattles (‘wattle and daub’ Much of the recent management of coppice woodlands plaster), sheep hurdles, sheep cages (to hold fodder), has been carried out for conservation purposes, but the barrel hoops (for dry or solid goods), crate rods (for long-term viability of this as a reason for managing packaging of pottery), garden fencing, pea sticks, bean woodlands as coppice should be carefully considered rods, thatching spars, hedge stakes and ethers, faggots before restoration of a coppice regime (Booker and (fuel for kilns and ovens), and fascines (bundles of rods Tittensor, 1992; Goldsmith, 1992). for river control or revetments). A typical crop from 1 acre (0.4 hectare) of good hazel coppice would have yielded The management and utilisation of large areas of around 10 000 rods which was enough to produce neglected hazel coppice remains a problem for many about 300 sheep hurdles of 6 ft x 3 ft (1.8 m x 0.9 m) owners. While demand for good quality crops from in- in size, 5000 pea sticks, 250 bean rods, thatching wood, cycle coppice remains high in some parts of the country, stakes and other material (Durham, 1956). The initial the complexities of managing for a regular supply of good felling to restore neglected hazel coppice will produce hazel coppice may not be a realistic option for many relatively few of such products, but if stools and woodlands. woodlands are properly managed useful crops can be produced at subsequent harvests. The only Forestry Commission publication dedicated to the silviculture and utilisation of hazel was published nearly half a century ago (Anon.,1956) when the total Although hazel can grow as a small, single-stemmed tree, area of hazel coppice and scrub was 60 times that it is naturally shrubby – having a tendency to form many estimated for today by the National Inventory of basal branches – and is usually found as a large multi- Woodlands and Trees. The earlier publication described stemmed shrub up to 5–6 m tall. Bud burst occurs in April the underwood industry, the management of woodlands, and the shoots grow indeterminately throughout summer, and use of produce from worked coppice, but a with leaves persisting until October or November. Female substantial part of the publication comprised the results flowers are wind-pollinated by pollen shed from catkins from a study of yield from worked and unworked during the leafless period of winter/early spring. Nuts coppice. However, no clear conclusions were drawn or ripen in September and October. While hazel will tolerate recommendations made. The aim of this Information some shade and persists beneath reasonably dense Note is to provide silvicultural information about hazel canopies, it performs best in open sunny positions. coppice to aid the restoration of neglected coppice woodlands. Existing information is summarised and After felling, new coppice shoots regrow from dormant supporting data from a recent case study are presented. buds on the remaining stumps. New shoots can also arise from buds located below ground. Stools of managed hazel coppice are generally long-lived and some can probably BIOLOGY OF HAZEL survive for several hundred years attaining large diameters. Neglected stools which develop massive stems Hazel is native and common more or less throughout can become unstable and are likely to have shorter Great Britain, occurring at altitudes of up to 600–700 m. lifespans, perhaps a maximum of 70–100 years. However, While it will tolerate a wide variety of soil types, hazel such stools can resprout naturally if they are windblown. 2 SILVICULTURE survival of stools and the growth of new shoots. However, it is generally inadvisable to carry out operations during Hazel coppice can be grown either as simple coppice or late spring and early summer (April–July) when they may coppice with standards. In simple coppice there are no disturb or damage nesting birds and other wildlife. As overstorey trees and the woodlands are managed by wood from coppice cut in summer appears to be less sequential cutting of small coupes, creating single-storied, durable, subsequent cuts of the restored, in-cycle coppice even-aged patches. Woodlands managed as coppice with should be made during the dormant season (approximately standards are multi-storied with even-aged patches of October to March) when the quality of the crop is understorey coppice, and a partial overstorey of uneven- thought to be highest. The coupe size felled will depend aged standards. In Great Britain hazel coppice with oak on management objectives, but areas of 0.5–2 ha are standards is the classic example of this system. Coppice with probably appropriate (Forestry Commission, 1994). standards is more difficult to manage than simple coppice. There is some recent evidence to suggest that hazel stools Tools in some areas may have been managed on a selection system Whereas in-cycle hazel can be readily cut with a billhook, with stems harvested as required (Coppins et al., 2002). a chainsaw is probably the only option for the large stems on neglected stools. In general, all stools of hazel should Woodlands with coupes that are cut at an appropriate be cut as close to the ground as possible. This will time in order to produce a crop of the required size and encourage new shoots to grow near or below ground quality, are described as being ‘in-cycle’ or ‘in-rotation’. level, allow them to develop their own root system and Relatively small areas of woodlands traditionally managed reduce the risk of instability and butt rot.