Coppicing is cutting a broadleaf tree within 5-15 cm of the ground in the dormant season so that the stump, called the stool, sends up several new shoots, then cutting those shoots again after 3-25 years. The same stool can keep producing wood for a very long time, and standards, trees left to grow to full size, are left among the coppice for timber.
Part of Coppicing & Fuel Management
The vocabulary and mechanics of coppicing: stool, shoot, rotation, coupe and standard, and what makes it work.
The Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Stool | The stump left by the cut, from which shoots grow |
| Shoots (poles) | The new stems, growing together from one stool |
| Rotation | Years between cuts of the same stool, 3-25 depending on species |
| Coupe | A section of woodland cut in one year |
| Standard | A tree left uncut to grow to full size for timber and seed |
The parent article gives the cut height as 5-15 cm above the ground and describes the mechanism: the root system is far larger than a seedling’s, and pumps water and nutrients into the new shoots, so shoots grow faster than seed-grown trees. Cut stems from one stool are cut individually, not felled together.
How Long Does A Stool Last
The parent article says a single coppice stool can be productive for centuries, and that some coppiced trees in England are documented at over 1,000 years old. No source for the second claim was checked here; the practical point is that stools often outlast the people who cut them, provided they are cut cleanly and at the right season.
What Coppicing Is Not
It is not pollarding, which cuts higher up the trunk (Coppicing vs Pollarding), and it is not clear-felling followed by replanting, since the stool does the replanting. It is also not a way to get large timber from a short-rotation stand: poles are for fuel, fencing, hurdles and small timber.
Common Mistakes
- Cutting the stool too high. The new shoots then grow from a tall stump and break off more easily in wind.
- Leaving ragged cuts. Torn bark and splinters let rot in.
- No standards. Without any, the woodland loses seed trees and large timber (Coupe Layout & Mapping).
Safety
A stool under load can spring
Bent or leaning stems are under tension and can whip when cut, and a billhook swung low reaches the ankle. Stand to the side of any bent stem, keep your legs out of the line of the blade, and wear stout boots. See Cutting Technique for the cutting sequence.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Biology of Regrowth — why the stool sprouts
- Combine with: Species Selection — which trees to coppice