2026-2027 Coppicing Season Start!

A year or so ago, we picked a section of Oxleas Wood and got going on restoring the hazel coppice. After a winter's worth of cold knees, rainy tea breaks and tired backs and arms, we stopped work as spring warmed up and the trees started to grow. A summer later, and the area we worked in is very different in character. The hazel and the chestnut stools have put out growth; the bramble and honeysuckle have not taken over, and the people who use the woods for recreation have not picked the area for an informal football pitch. In general we're calling it a success.

That means, of course, that it's time to do it again. This year, knowing more about how much we can get done in a winter than we did last year, we've picked an area that's about the same size. We've also picked one that's adjacent to last year's area. If we're all still going in 8-10 years time, we'll cut the two areas together - it should be faster when it's not 50 years since last cut!

This years area is just south of last years; it's the same mix of hazel, chestnut and oak. Holly, sycamore, laurel and a few yews have found homes there too, with guelder rose, wild service, rowan and hawthorn thrown in for luck. There's more birch in this area than in last years, and some of the oaks are very badly damaged. We've started work on marking trees to cut. While its easy enough to identify our worst interlopers, holly and laurel, no matter the time of year, its a bit more tricky to sort the rest out after the leaves drop.

Our first session in September will be focussed on clearing out over competitive and hazardous growth - and we very much thank FOW's special volunteering sessions and Friday sessions for their great progress so far in making us space to work.

Fancy joining us? All the info you need is here.

Curious about what coppicing is, and why we do it? We've got info about that here.