![]() Undertake a risk assessment for both project and site. Mark the boundary of the area to be coppiced.Ĭheck for overhead services before starting coppicing work. Visit the work site in advance to gain a clear idea of what you will be doing on the day.Īssess the suitability of the project for the group you will be leading and the time available.Ĭonsider the following questions: How large an area can be coppiced in the time and with the volunteers available? Which individual tree species are to be felled or to be left? What tools will be needed? What is to be done with the products? Preparation and working with groups Site visit Unless deer are a problem, avoid piling brush on top of cut stools or where it will interfere with access later. Pile habitat stacks with the butts all facing one way. Dead wood, both fallen and standing, is an important habitat.īrushwood and excess timber should either be piled into habitat stacks to rot down or be burnt if so advised by the client. Clearing brushwoodĬlear the site, but don’t tidy it. Operators must wear protective safety clothing and equipment. To get a card you must have a National Proficiency Test Council (or equivalent) certificate and be able to provide evidence of continuing competence. Only those individuals holding a TCV chainsaw card may use one on any site where TCV staff, volunteers or local groups covered by TCV insurance are working. Sometimes a chainsaw operator may be needed in coppice work. Also let the local fire brigade know beforehand.Īfter work make sure fires are put out before leaving the site. If there is simply too much, small, controlled fires are OK, providing the client knows. Leave wood to decay where practical or chop it up for mulch. Situate it so that the smoke does not blow across the work area but close enough to minimise the amount of dragging. It may still be necessary in coppice work to use fires to burn excess regrowth. Timber which is to be seasoned should be stored as a cord – prior to removal from the wood. Make sure clearing and stacking keep pace with felling. Stacking and clearing should be done thoroughly to avoid problems later. Two people should sort the wood before it is stacked or burnt. Don’t let anyone walk underneath the tree until you have dealt with it. If the tree is too heavy to lift, seek someone with more experience to bring the tree down safely.ĭeal with hung up trees immediately – never leave them. To untangle these, lift the butt and pull it briskly away. In cases where it has been coppiced before and there is a lot of regrowth it is easier to cut higher than this, where the stems are more separate and the weight is less, and to trim the stump afterwards.ĭuring the early stages many trees will get hung up. It is important that the bark is left intact and tight to the wood. See more detail about how to fell trees.Ĭut an angle of 30-45 degrees from the horizontal, or trim the stump to this afterwards. ![]() On larger stems, cut a felling sink in the front. Stems up to 15cm diameter should be undercut on the front (side facing the direction of fall) before being cut through from behind. Support the weight of the stem with one hand whilst sawing with the other. Stems up to 8cm diameter can be cut straight through. Post a lookout and stop felling if people approach. Make certain that other people are at least twice the distance of the height of the stems you are about fell. Remove any young growth around the outside of the stool. Time spent on this will save problems and avoid accidents.Look carefully at the tree to decide which way to fell the individual stems. Leave the stumps and roots intact so that they will resprout. Watch out for stones, glass and tin cans that can ruin a saw. Hands-on techniques for coppicing Clearing the work areaĬlear any shrubs, herbaceous growth and dead timber that might hinder safe working. If you are not certain of the group’s ability to identify species, mark the trees to be coppiced. Make certain that everyone knows the species or individual trees to be coppiced and those to be left alone.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |