SherwoodForest, One of the Oldest Forests in Europe, Returns to an old- style of Woodland Management.
Stuart Reddish and Lynda Mallett are woodland owners and foresters in Sherwood Forest England. Their sweet chestnut and oak woodland has been coppiced for hundreds of years – to grow timber for fencing, for furniture, for pole-lathe turning, and for fuel as charcoal and firewood.
The term 'coppice' means to regularly cut a tree to promote growth so it can be cut again.This can only be done to hardwood trees.Trees can be cut in cycles from every 2-3 years (as in hazel, alder and willow coppice) right up to every 21-30 years, depending on what you wish to use the timber for. The picture below shows 'overstood' coppice. Coppicing really means 'cut and come again' – and does not kill the tree.
This is a picture of a coppice stool in the wood that may be more than 400 years old. "We have many coppice stools that appear to be at least 150 years old, but could could be much older as it is difficult to judge the age of trees when a closed canopy slows growth" said Stuart. Coppiced trees can live many times longer than if not cut at all – coppicing can considerably lengthen a trees life.
Coppicing is an ancient woodland practice – evidence of it's use goes back thousands of years, and was used to grow a regular supply of firewood for cooking and heating, and wood for making charcoal.
We are reaching a time when clear-felling a woodland is no longer looked upon as a sustainable practice and at the same time we need alternatives to carbon fuels. What we need is a fast growing nativetree than can be harvested on a short rotation to provide 'biomass'. These trees will not 'replace' forest but become an adjunct to it.
We have thousands of hectares of under-utilised and marginal farmland. We could grow alder or willow, sweet chestnut or ash on some of that land and use this as a source off fuel.It is clean, environmentallysustainable, low carbon, and soil replenishing and provides habita tfor insects, birds and mammals.
Hazel rods used for fence and hurdle making.
If we can preserve our forests and provide wood fuel and fibre on a sustainable level by growing short rotation coppiced trees on marginal land then that is a win/winsituation. It takes the pressure off the forests we have, with no need to clear-fell. Woodland owners could grow good quality trees with the wood being used for building and furniture as well as biomass. The forests would be given time to regenerate, to increase in biodiversity and to grow the trees of the future.
Short rotation coppice will not meet all our energy needs, but it could be part of a 'green' portfolio of renewable resources.Coppiced trees have been used for thousands of years in Britain and Europe and it was taken to Canada and North America where it was a practice for hundreds of years. A new age of Short Rotation Coppicing( SRC) will provide a renewable timber resource and an energy resource that can provide farmers with a new source of income, jobs in rural locations, and local fuel for local services and users.
Our local international airport in Nottinghamshire – East Midlands Airport is planning to plant 26hectares with short rotation willow coppice to provide renewable fuel to heat the terminal building through a biomass boiler – they plan to engage local elementary pupils in schools to help with the planting process and engage them in the 'roots' of the project. They are working towards a carbon neutrality goal set for 2012.
King's Wood Sherwood Forest Recycles its Storm Damaged Trees.
This wind storm toppled tree is to take pride of place at Rufford Gallery, Rufford Park next spring as part of an exhibition of traditional hand-made furniture by Patrick Turk.
Woodland owner Stuart Reddish and Patrick Turk use a method of low impact extraction of old trees based on a portable mill developed in Canada for wilderness cabin building.
By cutting planks and boards on site using an Alaskan Mill damage to the woodland floor is prevented
In most cases enough of the base of the tree is left so that regrowth can begin. and the planks are taken out of the wood by wheelbarrow.
Patrick wastes nothing when he is working with his Sherwood Forest wood. Even the bark and off-cuts are used in his wood burning range to heat his home and cook his food.
This is a picture of Stuart and Patrick looking at their day's efforts neatly stacked to dry in Patrick's solar powered kiln.
Traditional Fence Making
The trees in King's Wood Sherwood Forest are mainly Sweet Chestnut and that is no accident. The woodland was situated at the side of King John's Deer Park and it is most likely that the trees grown in the wood were used to provide fence posts and rails for the deer park.
Simon Fowler makes traditional hand crafted post and rail fences and he is one the best - he uses cleft rails of Sweet Chestnut because they are the best rails you can get. They have a high tanin content and they last up to 400 years.
A Coppice of Sweet Chestnut is very productive place - if 'standards' (older (trees) are retained along side for seed and nursery trees - a productive woodland will be created that will supply raw materials to many rural crafts men and women and help to keep your home warm in the winter. You may even be lucky enough to get to the chestnuts first for an added autumn treat.
King's Wood Bodging
Last, but not least, when all the wood has been planked and made into furniture and fences, Bryan Eskriett the Bodger uses the the pole lathe to make chair legs, stretchers and spindles out the branches that are left.
Woodmanship is one of the oldest of all crafts. Man has been working green wood for over 5000 years. Wood is the most remarkable raw material on this planet. As Ray Tabor states in his book 'The Encyclopedia of Green Wood Working': "When properly managed it is infinetely renewable as testified by our ancient woodlands. Every tree species has some unique property of use to man - and who knows what still remains to be discovered".
One of Bryan's chairs is pictured right.
And Bryan is pictured below at one of the many public demonstrations he gives.
So, the 350 year old tree that finally fell over in a wind storm lives on through all the hard work and skill of the people that still know how to work wood with their hands and the right tools for the job. Tools that make the woods and the wood beautiful to look at.
Oh, and guess what? True to the coppice tradition the 350 year old tree has sent up new shoots this year from the root plate - and so it lives on - may be for another 350 years if we all try really hard to help it.
There are examples of the work done by Patrick, Simon and Bryan in other parts of the website.
This is a picture of a coppice stool in the wood that may be more than 400 years old. "We have many coppice stools that appear to be at least 150 years old, but could could be much older as it is difficult to judge the age of trees when a closed canopy slows growth" said Stuart. Coppiced trees can live many times longer than if not cut at all – coppicing can considerably lengthen a trees life.
Coppicing is an ancient woodland practice – evidence of it's use goes back thousands of years, and was used to grow a regular supply of firewood for cooking and heating, and wood for making charcoal.
This wind storm toppled tree is to take pride of place at Rufford Gallery, Rufford Park next spring as part of an exhibition of traditional hand-made furniture by Patrick Turk. 
Woodland owner Stuart Reddish and Patrick Turk use a method of low impact extraction of old trees based on a portable mill developed in Canada for wilderness cabin building.
By cutting planks and boards on site using an Alaskan Mill damage to the woodland floor is prevented
In most cases enough of the base of the tree is left so that regrowth can begin. and the planks are taken out of the wood by wheelbarrow.
Patrick wastes nothing when he is working with his Sherwood Forest wood. Even the bark and off-cuts are used in his wood burning range to heat his home and cook his food.
This is a picture of Stuart and Patrick looking at their day's efforts neatly stacked to dry in Patrick's solar powered kiln.
The trees in King's Wood Sherwood Forest are mainly Sweet Chestnut and that is no accident. The woodland was situated at the side of King John's Deer Park and it is most likely that the trees grown in the wood were used to provide fence posts and rails for the deer park.
Simon Fowler makes traditional hand crafted post and rail fences and he is one the best - he uses cleft rails of Sweet Chestnut because they are the best rails you can get. They have a high tanin content and they last up to 400 years.
A Coppice of Sweet Chestnut is very productive place - if 'standards' (older (trees) are retained along side for seed and nursery trees - a productive woodland will be created that will supply raw materials to many rural crafts men and women and help to keep your home warm in the winter. You may even be lucky enough to get to the chestnuts first for an added autumn treat.
