They've cut down the trees in an area that's part of one of my regular walks 😭

On the one hand, it's sad to see the trees gone, on the other, if it wasn't for #forestry , there probably wouldn't be any woods to begin with. It would probably be all fields.

The trees they cut down are sweet chestnuts using a technique called #coppicing where they cut down the trees to a stump every 10 to 20 years, then let them regrow.

TIL how to make a hurdle from coppiced hazel.

Two hurdles were made today and a couple others are off to a good start.

It’s tough work on the fingers twisting the hazel rods to enable them to bend around the end stakes where they act as stays.

I had an enjoyable and very satisfying time making this.

They will be used to make a barrier between the nature reserve and the allotment site next door. #Nature #Gardening #NewSkills #Allotment #Coppicing

Dear Friends of #Chalk #Streams, 
Went for a walk along the Wandle, early morning.

These carp, one is part #koi, are nearly impossible to see. So I enhanced the image. Above the carp top right are tiddlers, small fish. The #Wandle is the fastest #flowing #river in #England. It was until fifty years ago a waste of suds, sewage and pollution. Before that, water mills powered the industrial revolution.

Now it is coming back to life. ✔️

Restocking, #hazel and other #trees being #planted on its banks. Excellent #coppicing. Thrush was #singing for a mate. #Parakeets are now common tree nesters. I always keep a look out for the #kingfishers.

Coppicing (Habitat 🌄)

Coppicing is the traditional method in woodland management of cutting down a tree to a stump, which in many species encourages new shoots to grow from the stump or roots, thus ultimately regrowing the tree. A forest or grove that has been subject to coppicing is called a copse or coppice, in which young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to n...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing

#Coppicing #Trees #Habitat #WildfireEcology #ForestManagement #HorticulturalTechniques