Indeed, we meet many visitors when we are out working during the forestry season, who are distinctly unimpressed with all these trees that have been cut down with areas previously shrouded by canopy now open to the sky.
The following two-part article seeks to provide at least some of the answers to what is a very complex question and demonstrate why our woodland work is beneficial and how it fits into the cultural and ecological history of the area. The first part offers a brief introduction to traditional woodland management and will serve as a useful context and reference for all future woodland blog articles. The second part of the article, to be published soon, will give an overview of our current work and the outcomes we hope will come about as a result.
Background
It has often been written that long ago, much of Britain (although not necessarily Cornwall) was covered in a primordial blanket of woodland, sometimes called wildwood or natural woodland because it was unaffected by the actions of humans. None of this woodland is believed to exist today because it has all been either cleared or managed in one way or another.
Most ancient woodlands across Britain have only survived into antiquity as a result of some form of traditional management. A number of the techniques that were used are relevant to both the historical and the ongoing management of the woods on the estate and are greatly beneficial to the overall health of the woodland and its inherent wildlife:
Generally speaking, ancient woods were either managed as coppice or wood pasture.
Coppicing
Coppicing is a system of management where trees are felled, almost at ground level, and the next crop grows as shoots from the old, cut stumps. This system is only viable where grazing animals can be excluded from newly cut areas. Coppice can be re-cut at intervals of anything between 5-40 years depending on the growth rate of the tree species and the use to which the poles are to be put.
Generally, some trees are spared from each cutting and allowed to grow on to a large size. When eventually felled, at between 60 and 100 years old, these trees (referred to as standards) yield construction timber, bark and firewood.