Coppicing, charcoal and hurdles
Some 90% of the charcoal used in the UK is imported. In terms of CO2 emissions, this is not good news as so much petrol/fossil fuel is used up transporting it to the UK.
So why not use home produced charcoal? This is now possible if your charcoal comes from the Bioregional Charcoal Company (BRCC) or if you are visiting Wakehurst Place in West Suusex, then you can buy their locally made charcoal from the Visitor Centre.
BRCC works with some 25 different producers in the UK to produce and sell around 300 tonnes of charcoal each year. It can even be bought through B&Q stores. Most of this is produced from wood derived from local coppiced woodland.
Coppicing involves the cutting back of trees to stumps that are then allowed to grow again. The timber is cut from the trees every 7 to 20 years (depending on the species of tree and the use to which the timber is to put to). Coppicing creates a mosaic of woodland stands of different ages (sometimes called coups), it helps promote biodiversity allowing certain endangered species (such as the dormouse, the wood white butterfly etc) to flourish.
Charcoal is not the only product from coppicing; coppiced ash and hazel can be used in the construction of fencing (sometimes referred to as hurdles) and other products, such as tool handles, plant supports, dibbers, and simple furniture.
Coppicing, which has been practiced in this country for hundreds if not thousands of years, is a sustainable woodland management system. Sadly, the area of actively coppiced woodlands has declined dramatically since the end of the 1940’s (when coppicing helped with limited fuel supplies). English Nature would like to see 70.000 hectares of woodland under active coppice management but this will not happen unless there is a market for the products of coppicing! So go out and buy a bag of locally produced charcoal.
For more information on coppiced woodland – see:
http://www.english-nature.org.uk/pubs/handbooks/pdfs/upland/08_woods.pdf
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Badgers, Beeches and Blisters
A book about the practicalities of managing your own woodland. Available free here.
7 comments so far
Tracy Pepler
14 April, 2007
Hi there
Do you know if there is anyone in East Sussex who does very simple, cheap courses in Charcoal making, or happy to have someone along for a day to help and watch? We would like to learn, and better to learn from a person than just a book!
thanks
Tracy
Sean
19 May, 2007
I see from the lack of responses that there don’t seem too many peopl interested in spreading the word. In the 90’s I ran, with another chap, a small fire wood buisiness and towards the end we started producing charcoal. It was mainly run by my partner but I did pick up the basics. Now I am to be the owner of my own wood I too would like to ‘go on a course’ but from what I have seen on the web they are all a little on the expensive side. Perhaps membership of the coppice sociaties might help. There is the Surrey and Sussex group - I don’t have a web link to hand: if you Google them you should find plenty of returns. Good luck
Mike
23 May, 2007
The Netherfield Centre for Sustainable Food and Farming in Battle, East Sussex, is running a charcoal making course in July which costs only £30. That might be worth looking into.
barkeater
17 July, 2007
Tim at cherry wood would probably be pleased to have you along at a charcoal burning. why not ask him?
http://www.cherrywoodproject.co.uk/
Tracy Pepler
4 August, 2007
Thanks for those , they look good. I am still hoping for somewhere in East Sussex! We would like to not travel too far and get to know people who have woods near us!
Tracy
Trish Dos Santos
6 April, 2008
Anyone out there know were we can lay our hands on a charcoal kiln?
We are in Kent.
Thanks
Trish
Tracy Pepler
15 July, 2008
Hi Trish
You could try asking in WoodLots.
www.woodlots.org.uk hope this helps you to find one!