Coppicing<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Relatively few American gardeners have even heard of\ncoppicing and most probably don\u2019t even know what it is. However most have\nprobably noticed the phenomenon behind it; that when you cut down many deciduous trees (it\ndoesn\u2019t work with most conifers) their roots remain alive and send up a ring of vigorous new shoots\n(known as suckers) around the stump (known as a stool). They probably look upon\nthis as a bad thing though, and are then interested in finding an easy way to\nkill the root. In my opinion this is the wrong approach, though of course it\ndepends upon why you cut down the tree in the first place. If these stools are\nleft alone (and not eaten by deer) the shoots (suckers) will grow rapidly and\ncan eventually be put to use (leave them long enough and the tree will grow\nback).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coppicing makes\nuse of this ability to regenerate and gives you a way to control the size of\nyour trees. This enables you to coexist with trees that\ncast a lot of shade, rather than killing them. You can simply coppice it and\nkeep it as a shrub instead. You can even allow it to grow back into a tree at a\nlater date, if circumstances change. If done carefully coppicing doesn\u2019t hurt the tree at all and may\nactually extend its life be periodically rejuvenating it.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should add that re-growth isn\u2019t guaranteed;\noccasionally you cut a deciduous tree and it doesn\u2019t grow back. The ability to\nsucker depends upon the species, the health of the tree and the size of the\ntree. Younger trees sprout vigorously, while the large stools of older trees\nsometimes rot and die. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coppicing also\nprovides useful products for the garden. You can cut the growing shoots\nwhenever they reach a useful size (anywhere from 1 \u201330 years depending upon the\nspecies and climate) and the process will begin all over again. The wood\nproduced has a variety of uses depending upon when it is cut. The slender\nshoots of willow are harvested after only one or two years for use in making\nbaskets. Larger shoots and small poles can be cut in three to five years for\ngarden supports, while older wood can be used for fence posts or as firewood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coppicing is an\nimportant forestry management tool in many parts of the world (anywhere trees\naren\u2019t abundant), because it is the best way to get maximum production of wood\nfrom an area. Unlike newly planted seedlings, the new shoots are growing from\nestablished roots, so re-growth is extremely vigorous (shoots may grow 10 feet\nin a season).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coppicing can also be used to control the size of\nshrubs, in fact it is even more reliable with them because that is how most\ngrow naturally. When you cut shrubs down to ground level they will send up a\nnew set of shoots that are even straighter, cleaner and better looking than the\nprevious ones and these can be used around the garden as supports or chipped as\na source of biomass for mulch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I built my house all of the trees and shrubs\n(Ceanothus, Elder, Manzanita, Coffeberry, Oak, Walnut, Chestnut and Redwood \u2013\none of the few conifers to coppice) in the immediate area of the house were cut\nto the ground, but most ultimately sprouted back up. This was helpful in\nlandscaping as it gave me a nice random natural pattern of fast growing plants,\nwhich I incorporated into the garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My land is fairly wooded and I have coppiced quite a\nfew of the trees to admit more light, including several small (relatively)\nRedwoods. They were on the south side of the garden and seriously shading the\narea where I wanted to put annual vegetables. I would feel guilty about cutting\ndown something that could potentially live 20 times as long as I will, so this\nwas a great solution. If I leave here and someone who doesn\u2019t like gardening\nmoves in (which would be a shame), the redwoods can grow back again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are some North American trees that should coppice well:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alder, Basswood, Beech, Birch, Cherry, Chestnut,\nCottonwood, Eucalyptus, Hackberry, Hickory, Honey Locust, Oak, Maple, Mesquite,\nPersimmon, Plum, Poplar, Redwood, Sassafras, Walnut, Willow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"