Coppicing

When you explore the Riel House property, you will find several locations where trees have been removed for safety reasons. If the tree is not dead, then new straight shoots immediately begin growing from the edges of the stump. Initially, we treated these shoots as an annoyance and cut them back each year.

Tree removed in September 2015

Coppicing is a wood management technique from pre-historic times. After the tree is cut down, the shoots that grow back are similar in size and straight with no branches or knots. These shoots can be used for basket weaving, pegs, arrow shafts, or poles of a consistent diameter depending upon the type of tree and the frequency of harvesting. For a North American perspective, see M. Kat Anderson's Tending the Wild. 

We have a requirement at Riel House for bean poles. And consequently a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate coppicing.