Coppicing Willow, Why, When and How.

If you want information on coppicing willow on a small scale then in this video I go over Why, When and How to get started.

[@ukewarrior]

Great Video. Very informative. thank you.

[@northernembersoutdoors1045]

Hi Trev, I have a fascination with coppicing and this video is much needed on youtube, seriously this is a great video on the subject. I did that nitehawk hide video and took off the start because I had a doubt that it was an old coppiced wood. I think the ditches were literally for drainage a long time ago. To lower the water level to be able to plant trees. Perhaps the were grazed by deer or maybe some were coppiced, I'll never know. Fantastic video, I sent to an email, cheers Chris

[@bundufundi]

I like the link to the traditional crafts and working with natural systems rather than fighting against them. It’s great fun to try and read a forest to determine the past actions that shaped the landscape, sounds like an interesting spot.

[@ridingvenus]

Cropicing is new to me…thanks

[@ricardodafonseca9043]

Very informative. Learned a lot from this and your hazel video

[@bundufundi]

Cheers, the knife one will be up next week.

[@user-nh9cx7by9o]

I've planted willow upside down and it has still grown !

[@bundufundi]

Did it just flush out from the initial moisture in the stem and then die back later?

[@natangweiitula]

Wow, this is lovely. This video has non of my passions or interest but its so good to watch. ❤ thank You

[@bundufundi]

Thank you, that's very kind!

[@suzycumming6596]

Great short and concise and clear video on the subject.

[@brianwhite9555]

Great instructional video. Thanks!

[@brettbrown9814]

Interesting video. Thanks!

[@bundufundi]

Thanks Brett!

[@palfab962ify]

Great video...thank you..

[@bundufundi]

Thanks!

[@themonkeybraintamed6282]

Excellent video

[@bundufundi]

Thanks!

[@JonathanBaileyn2u]

This is very fascinating.. I am very new here.. my interest stemmed from needing a parameter fence, but not wanting to buy a commercial fence… as I feel a living fence would be more beneficial as a whole. Is this the willow species for live fence building? The type that can be weaved… curious because I see some large trunks in the goat willow. But upon a little research… it has many benefits.

[@bundufundi]

Hi, As a pure windbreak, goat willow is pretty good as it is quite dense and can cope in windy conditions. For a living fence however, I would suggest something like Salix alba (white willow) or a hybrid version which is often a variation of white willow. This has long straight stems that can be bent and woven more easily. Goat willow tends to be more brittle so probably not the best for a woven fence.

[@markdilley3918]

Excellent

[@bundufundi]

Thank you!

[@fungalbob]

Great

[@kurts64]

Liking this series man, informative and well presented. Very interesting!👍

[@bundufundi]

Cheers mate! Are you managing to get out into the bush at all?

[@kurts64]

@@bundufundi the rains slowed a bit now, so plenty of work but no real chopping time. Killin' me! Been thinking of putting a vid together showing the bush regen work (for e.g..clearing vines or trees with machetes and axes) but not real sure how to approach it. How bout you, any chopping or shed time?

[@bundufundi]

@@kurts64 You should definitely do that vid, the regen work sounds very interesting. I'm in SA at the moment so no chopping or she'd time but lots of sun.

[@kurts64]

@@bundufundi have fun down there man, enjoy that summer sun!

[@davejones4269]

Great vid

[@bundufundi]

Thanks!

[@KuukkeliBushcraft]

Been wanting to plant some willow at the farm for making baskets. The boss not too keen on the idea but I have my own land now so maybe next summer. I should do a basket making video one day( not that I am very good at it, but it's enjoyable). There was a coppice where I used to do voluntary work many years ago that last time I passed looks like it hadn't been touched in years. Awesome video Trev, good stuff.

[@bundufundi]

Thanks Tim, it sounds like a good idea to plant some willow at your place, do you know what species do well at those northern latitudes? I know there are some that have adapted to life high on the Scottish mountains but they would probably be too small for producing basket willow. Thanks for watching.

[@KuukkeliBushcraft]

@@bundufundi we have at least 3 different species. One is dwarf willow and the other 2 I know the plants but not the names. I also know wich one makes the best baskets. I only use te willow for the spokes for the infill I use split pine roots. I like the look of the roots, looks more earthy.

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Lovely video, very informative. I think I recognise that small kent hatchet haha

[@bundufundi]

Thanks Ben, as always, I really appreciate your feedback! Yup I love that little Kent pattern, you did a great job on the handle. BTW I think you should do a video on Billhook designs and history, that would be really interesting.

[@benscottwoodchopper]

@@bundufundi will do at some point, i have quite a few different ones

[@Steve_G88]

Interesting that you can grow a willow tree from basically just a stick.

[@bundufundi]

It is amazing how well willow regenerates. There’s a joke in the UK that if you plant a cricket bat it will grow back into a tree!

[@katec9893]

I've just got a new allotment and there is quite a tall thin willow tree on it, a Plant ID app says it's either an apple leaved or almond leaved willow tree. If I cut it back to the stump like you have here will it grow lots of new shoots? Is that what coppicing means? There's also a Hazel tree which seems to have already been coppiced as it has lots of branches coming from the base. Thanks.

[@bundufundi]

Hello, Most true willow (Salix spp) coppices well and yes that means cutting back the main stem which encourages the roots and stump to rejuvenate and flush energy into buds in the bark to send up fresh shoots. Hazel is another tree which usually coppices very well.

[@hschwartz9277]

I wish I had the space to grow willow for coppicing. I have a few in large pots but there isn't a place to put any in the ground because they can be invasive especially to water lines

[@bundufundi]

Yes, willow will thrive in a wet area. We have a very exposed site and they have very useful as windbreaks because of their fast growth habit.

[@DiamondHell]

Is it possible to make Hazel whips from Hazel stems, too? I need to patch up a couple of hedges and was thinking of doing this, but not sure if they'll take?

[@bundufundi]

I don’t believe using whips for hazel would really take. Typically with hazel, layering is used. A stem from a hazel stool is left uncut and bent down to touch the ground where it is pegged and the pegged section covered with soil. Roots and a new stem will develop at this point while the joining stem is still nourished from the mother plant. After a couple of years and once the new tree has sent out shoots and roots the joining stem can be cut and the new tree moved if needed or just left in place.

[@marymcandrew7667]

Your videos on coppicing and pollarding are interesting and I've always wanted to try it myself. We just planted 7 bareroot hazel trees (just a 3-4 foot tall stick). Do you know how long it will be before we can cut sticks and will this help the trees to grow more?

[@bundufundi]

The growth rate is very dependent on your location. It will be significantly quicker in the south of England than an exposed site in Scotland for example. Depending on what size sticks you want, then a 5-15 year rotation is fairly common. Hazel will naturally produce multiple stems so in five years you should have a few stems developing on each tree at which point you could coppice them if you wanted to. They should be fairly vigorous in their early years so won’t need cutting to help them grow at that stage. Keeping grass down around then is more useful in the early years.

[@marymcandrew7667]

@@bundufundi Thank you for your reply, I can't wait for them to leaf out and grow, but with trees you've got to have patience! haha

[@bundufundi]

@@marymcandrew7667 patience is definitely required! I am really glad you are trying out native trees, there are so many other benefits like improving local biodiversity etc. good luck!

[@vikingninja5033]

I did some research on Willow but almost every website says that Willow is not good as Firewood😅

[@mariagibbons8437]

Hi Trev, could you advice me on the best willow type for using for firewood in Ireland?

[@bundufundi]

Hi, firstly willow is not amazing wood for firewood so if that is your only goal then other good coppicing trees might be better like hazel or sycamore (they are significantly slower growing though). However, we have a very wet and exposed site and also use the willow as a fast growing shelter belt and habitat creator. In this instance willow is very good and we use the coppiced stems to bulk up our firewood supplies. As Ireland has very similar weather conditions to where we live, willow might a good option for you too. In my experience from our situation, Goat willow (Salix caprea) was particularly resilient in strong winds and quickly provided good shelter. We also planted a hybrid willow variety based on Salix viminalis or possibly alba, which is what we primarily use for our firewood supplies. The best is to see what is growing locally to you and get some whips from these trees as you know they will grow well in your conditions. You should be able to get these for free and stick them into wet areas and they should grow well.

[@amberemma6136]

Can you explain to me what happens to the roots when you coppice willow? I'm concerned about the roots finding my above ground pool and am curious if I might be able to manage them using coppicing and also use the branches as fodder for my livestock?

[@bundufundi]

Typically, the roots are not reduced through managed coppicing and the system relies on a robust root system to rejuvenate new growth after the disturbance of cutting. The branches are often used as fodder in agro forestry systems as livestock will browse on trees for food. They will also sometimes self-medicate with species like willow which contains salicylate which is an ingredient in analgesics.

[@amberemma6136]

@@bundufundi but the root system on a willow is supposed to reach a diameter equal or slightly greater then the canopy is tall, so wouldn't keeping it short keep the roots within a confined smaller space then say a tree allowed to grow unchecked to full maturity?

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

You sound South African but you say south is towards the sun (not north as it is in SA) - what country are you in nowadays?

[@bundufundi]

Yes, from South Africa but living in the UK now.

[@Joey-L]

I knew there was going to be an axe in there somewhere....I just knew it

[@bundufundi]

I can’t seem to leave home without one! 😂