Coppicing is the practice of cutting certain trees, to allow them to regrow, so that you can harvest and use the wood from the same tree again and again. Typically, one coppices Hazel and chestnut, but even Ash and Oak can be coppiced successfully, on longer timescales.

And, it has been around since pre recorded history. There is archeological evidence that coppiced wood was used to build shelters, fences, and other buildings, due to the way the coppiced stems curve as they leave the stool (the name of the repeatedly cut trunks).

Wood used to be coppiced all over the country, and was used for charcoal making, chairs, tools, fences, hurdles, and other household items, but as industrialisation and coal reduced the need, the practice slowly died out and ended up being carried out in a restricted number of areas in the south of England.

These days, coppiced wood products are coming back into use, from hazel hurdles and woven fencing, to hedging poles and binders, to bean poles and peas stick and even charcoal. Very little of the coppice is wasted once cut, as even the brash is bundled up and used for conservation projects such as dead hedges and river regeneration.

A Hampshire hazel coppice in spring, showing the diversity created in the mixed woodland created by careful and considered management.