Initial Cuts .
First Cut
The first cut should be done 4-5 years after planting. This gives time for the plant to establish a good root system. This is the only time that I would recommend the clear-cutting of Hazel stools. Do not expect any useful material, other than small diameter firewood and kindling, from this cut. Place the smallest, twiggy material in a loose heap over the cut stump: to provide a benign micro-climate for the new shoots to develop. This applies to all three management systems mentioned here.
Second Cut
For Coppice-with-standards and Pure Coppice systems the second cut should normally be done after a further 4-5 years. From now on, I would only clear-cut a Hazel stool as a last resort: e.g. to correct any previous mistakes I had made. I should stress at this point that, in my experience, all problems with hazel are the fault of the grower/cutter. I am definitely an expert in mistakes.
For Mini-Pollard(Coppard) systems the second cut will depend on the shape of the plant and diameter of the stems at the intended cutting height.
Cutting technique .
People have been cutting coppice for at least 8,000 years. For almost all of this time they have used axes of one kind or another. Cutting down a tree with an axe of whatever material results in a stump which is fairly badly smashed up: the stumps are of irregular height, splintered and jagged. Yet hazel will regrow strongly from adventitious buds which develop on the wounded areas as well as from the dormant buds in the root and stems.
With this in mind, it is not necessary to be too fussy about your cutting techniques. The one golden rule when using a hand or chainsaw is always cut leaving an outward facing slope. I tend to cut the thinnest stems up to 2.5cms(1") as low as possible. Thicker stems 15cms(3")+ particularly if cutting with a chainsaw, need a higher and more steeply-sloped cut.
Leaving a flat surface on a stem, especially a large diameter one will, eventually, result in it going black and rotten. Academic research by the Forestry Commission has found that the angle of cut makes no difference; but I think that this may be because these studies have only been short-term ones, extanding over a single coppice rotation.
I find it useful to have a sharp knife handy to cut away any loose areas of bark left by the saw. It is not necessary to cut all of the stems at the same height or make it nice and tidy.
I prefer to use a Silky Fox Super Accel 210 with large teeth for cutting hazel stakes and binders. The combination of handle grip and cutting ability is first-rate.
Management Methods .
Over the past ten years, I have experimented with three types of Hazel coppice management with varying degrees of success.
The three techniques are:
See also the Planting and Aftercare of Hazel in the Our Trees section for advice on weed control.
Post Coppice Work .
The work involved in coppicing does not end with the actual cutting of the plants. It will be necessary to check on the health and condition of the plants annually during the intervening years between each cut. This will show up any problems with browsing and regrowth of stems which can be corrected before the next full cut.
Conclusions .
I have found that the conventional method of clear-cutting coppice stools at the ground is not suited to a new plantation on an ex-arable site. The best Hazel regrowth seems to develop from an intimate mixture of standard trees and partial cutting of coppice stools: in order to achieve optimum light management. The best partner tree for Hazel is Ash (Fraxinus excelsior). Ash has a much shorter growing season than Hazel and casts a much lighter shade than other trees, allowing higher light levels for hazel. However Ash grows quickly enough to raise the general canopy level and so induce primary regrowth in Hazel. The lower general canopy height of pure coppice results in an insufficient balance of primary growth (height) to secondary growth (diameter) in Hazel, unless enough stems of sufficient maturity are left to compensate.