Bio Factsheet

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Number 233www.curriculum-press.co.uk

Conservation Techniques: Coppicing

Fig 1. Coppice

deciduous tree(e.g. hazel, ash)

cut near toground level

multiplestems ofnew growth

Fig 2. Coppice with standards

10m

The advantage of this coppice with standards technique is that thewoodland provides large, economically highly valuable timber aswell as the many small products that can be made from the smallercoppice shoots (Table1).

Table 1. Some uses of cut trees

Tree species Rotation time (years) Uses of cut trees

Alder 10 - 20 Chair legs, clogs, boardwalks, charcoal

Ash 10 - 25 Tool handles, rakes, fencepalings, hurdles, gates andfirewood

Hazel 6 - 10 Thatching spars, hedgingbinders, firewood

Willow 3 - 5 Basketry, hurdles, beanpoles

A wood to be coppiced is usually divided into a number ofcompartments (coupes) which are coppiced in rotation (Fig 4.)

Fig 4. 15 year coppice rotation

Benefits of coppice• Deciduous species, often native and thus provide habitats for

many invertebrates and birds• High light intensities reaching the floor of young coppice

provides good conditions for wild flowers• Consists of different aged compartments so they have a diverse

internal structure (tree age and size), plus varying abioticconditions offering many microhabitats and niches

• Coppicing hugely extends tree longevity - coppiced trees canlive for hundreds of years

2003

2006

2009

2012

1. 20002. 2015

1/5 th of the wood is coppiced every 3 years

path or"ride"

area to be cut (coupe)2003

year in which coppiceis cut

This Factsheet:• Describes the conservation management of woodlands by

coppicing• Reviews recent exam questions on this topic

Most broadleaved trees, including hazel, ash, oak, hornbeam andsweet chestnut are able to vegetatively regenerate in this way (Fig 1).

Coppicing is an ancient traditionalwoodland management techniqueknown to have been in use sinceNeolithic times (4000BC). It involveschopping the main stem of a tree downto a sloping stump which will thenrespond by producing many smallershoots which can be left to grow onfor 1-25 years, depending upon thedesired products, before beingcoppiced again.

In most coppiced woodlands some trees are not coppiced – theyare left to grow on to become large trees or standards (Fig 2).

Bio Factsheet

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www.curriculum-press.co.uk233 Conservation Techniques: Coppicing

Practice Questions1. Outline the use of coppice with standards in sustainable

woodland management (4)

2. The diagram shows the food web in part of a coppiced woodland.

The greatest value for wildlife comes in the early years of the rotation– before and just after the tree canopy has closed. Table 2 summarizesthe main management principles that will maximize conservationvalue.

Table 2. Maximizing the conservation value of coppice

(a) Identify the organism that feeds at two trophic levels (1)(b) Suggest why some dead and diseased trees are allowed to

remain in the woodland (2)

Principle

Areas to be cut (coupes)should be at least 70m x 70m

Cut at least one coupe everyyear

Cut successive coupesadjacent to each other

Maintain less than 15 largestandards per hectare

Maintain large areas of all agesup to 10 years

Maintain high density ofstools by layering (partiallycutting through stem, bendingand pegging it along theground until it sends out newshoots

Explanation

Smaller coupes than this tendto get too heavily shadedfrom adjacent coupes andattract heavy deer browsing

Maximizes range of habitats

Makes it easier for speciesthat aren't very mobile tocolonize new habitat

Provides larger blocks ofhabitat for species withrelatively high spacerequirements

More than this causes over-shading and poor coppice re-growth

Maximizes range of habitats

Birds such as nightingalesand warblers depend onmiddle-aged growth but mostof the flowers andinvertebrates thrive in thevery youngest growth

Replaces inevitable dead ordiseased stools

Badger Weasel FoxGreenwoodpecker

Great-spottedwoodpecker

Rabbit Beetle larva Moth Bullfinch

Heathfritillarybutterfly

Bluebell Hazel Willow Common cow wheat

Following coppicing, the biomass of the coppice re-growthincreases over time. Ecologists investigated the effect of the re-growth on the biomass of plants on the woodland floor. Thegraph shows the results of the investigation.

Acknowledgements:This Factsheet was researched and written by Kevin Byrne.Curriculum Press, Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, Shropshire, TF1 1NU.Bio Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that their school is a registeredsubscriber. No part of these Factsheets may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any otherform or by any other means, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISSN 1351-5136

(c) Explain the changes in the biomass of the small plants overthe period shown (4)

The ecologists collected the data on the biomass of the smallplants on the woodland floor with quadrats.

(d) (i) Describe how the quadrats would have been placedrandomly (2)

(ii) Describe how the ecologists would have decided howmany quadrats to use in order to collect representativedata (3)

biomass of coppice re-growth/tonnes ha-1

0 10 20 30 4 0 50 600

1.0

2.0biomass ofplants onwoodlandfloor /tonnes ha-1

0.5

1.5

2.5

Answers1.tree cut to sloping stump close to ground;

new shoots form;harvest periodically in same way;rotational coppicing to maximize age and size range of trees/ maximizehabitats;ref to how coppicing increases biodiversity e.g. by increasing habitats/ increasing light intensity for seed germination / seedling growth/ createsvaried abiotic conditions;provides continuous source of products/fencing/poles/furniture/charcoal;standards provide larger planks/ more valuable timber;

2.(a)Badger;(b)Provide habitat e.g. for beetle larva;

Provide food source;

(c)Biomass of small plants increases rapidly following coppicing as lightintensity reaching woodland floor increases;More photosynthesis;Less competition for water/minerals;When the biomass of the coppice re-growth exceeds 5 tonnes, thebiomass of small plants decreases because less light reaches the groundvegetation;greater competion;so less photosynthesis;

(d)(i)Tapes at right angles to delineate area;Use of random number tables/calculator to generate coordinates;Quadrats placed on the coordinates;

(ii)Calculate running mean;Plot on a graph;When curve levels off/running mean no longer increasing thenthis indicates no further quadrate required;Large number will ensure reliability;Not so many that there would be insufficient time;