Bryan's Wood - once more for coppicing: 08-12-2015

The promise of a dry day (and therefore a less perilous stream crossing) encouraged 10 NCVs and a team of 5 Heritage Skills folk to visit Bryan's Wood to complete the current round of coppicing. There was a variety of tasks that had to be done. These can all be seen in the photos below.

• First up - removing a tree that had fallen across the path near the wood's entrance.

• The coppice's deer fence needed some refurbishment:

Team work makes life easier - both with post knocking....

...and tying.

• Coppicing ensured a rapid rate of hazel pole production:

 Jan felt it easier to kneel down to the job...

... whilst Laura preferred the deep forward bend approach.

John used the vertical tree impersonation method.

James orchestrated the whole affair.

• Two new brash piles were needed to accommodate all the extra waste material: 

Well done - that's nice and tight.

Ros K. rooted around for any remaining twigs 

at the end of the day.

Finally it was all done. The fence and ground was visible at last.

• The cut hazel poles then needed bundling up, ready for transporting out of the wood (until the string ran out!):

 Tony practised his knot tying.

Vanessa wisely kept the bundles to a 
sensible size for carrying.

The bundles just kept mounting up.

• The additional poles needed stacking on a wooden platform to keep them off the ground, until such time that we can return with more string!!

This week's competition - guess how many poles still need bundling.

Winner gets to carry them out all on their own!!

• Finally - the bundles had to be carried out to the lean-to near the entrance. They will be left there to keep dry until they are needed elsewhere (e.g. during hedge laying).

James making a 'two bundle' trip.

By 2:30pm the job was complete and some managed to get back to their cars before the rain started to pour down. Others were not so lucky!!

Ros E.