Ash dieback in the Chilterns
Ash dieback, caused by an airborne fungus, is devastating the historic trees and beautiful woodlands in our care in the Chilterns.
We will have to fell a record number of trees, some 6,000 this year, because of the impact the disease is having in the area. The rangers will leave the woodlands to see what shoots up naturally in the cleared spaces and then begin to replace some of the trees with native species in the coming years.
Coppicing
This ancient practice of coppicing is a sustainable method of using woodland to produce timber. It involves the repetitive felling of the same ‘compartment’ or ‘coupe’ (group) of trees on a rotational cycle of 7 to 15 years. The coppiced material was traditionally used for a variety of purposes such as fence posts, sheep hurdles, tool handles, firewood, charcoal and furniture parts.
The practice makes use of the natural regeneration of tree species, such as ash, oak, hazel, lime and maple. The regrowth can be surprisingly fast (up to 5cm a day) and oak can grow as much as 2 metres in a season. The cut stump is known as the stool and the fresh shoots as rods, poles or logs, depending on the size.
Coppicing has huge benefits for the biodiversity of woodlands as it lets light penetrate to the woodland floor, which in turn leads to more ground flora and insects like butterflies. Hazel coppice is particularly good for dormice, one of Britain’s rarest mammals.