Coppicing
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Bill Jones explains to us how Coppicing can be done.
Please Note that this tutorial is dangerous and should only be done if you are qualified to use a chainsaw and have all the safety equipment.
Transcript
Bill Jones: Coppicing is to take the stalls of chestnut - we're taking the stalls of chestnut down or some of them down, so it regenerates for the next generation of coppicing. That's what we call coppicing, so it all grows up again in another 12 to 15 years' time, and they'll cut it down again. Once it's cut off you can use it for fencing; most of it goes for fencing. The last of it we cut into lengths. We'll be using it for stakes. The bark has to be stripped off of it. And we use it in stakes, it has to be sharpened up. We just use it for fencing stakes.
It can be treated, but normally it's not treated, because it's got its own treatment in it. It normally lasts up to 15 years in the ground as a fencing stake, or longer if it's been treated.
What I'm about to do, I'm going to clear this stub out. I'm going to take all the small stuff out from it and take all the obstructions out of it, so it just leaves me the bare stalls of the stub, which we'll cut down as suitable as a chestnut forester will do.
[sound of chainsaw]
Bill: There it is, all brightened up of the stalls, and taking the top off and just leaving a bare stub. [sound of chainsaw]
Bill: Making sure we've got a nice, clean stub. It's not too high. It should be about an inch or two inches above the last cut. That's actually the last cut. It covers the stall, and allows the next stall of the chestnut to grow out of sight and down as low as it can, to get the last low stuff. Anybody can do this chestnut coppicing, as long as they're trained and have been shown how to do it. You have to be sort of like properly trained, especially in the chainsaw, which is the main part of the coppicing. If you know the chainsaw you need all your safety equipment, your gloves. You need a tight-fisted, tight garment, close around to you, to stop you getting hooked up. And safety trousers and safety boots. These sort of boots with the toe caps. And also you're going to need a helmet and a visor, to stop the twigs poking you in the eye.
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