Sunny Coppicing at Sustead

We struck lucky with our work party in Spurrell’s Wood three days before Christmas: it was the only sunny (and cold!) morning in the midst of a chain of murky, grey days. 10 of us arrived in Sustead at 9.00 a.m. John quickly deployed us to a number of hazel stands that hadn’t been coppiced for a long time and we set to sawing and lopping, then dragging the sawn lengths of hazel over to the north side of the wood to use them to reinforce the rough and ready fences lining the main northern path. The sawn boles were then covered in brash, placed to deter hungry deer nibbling the new shoots. Aside from rejuvenating the hazel, the coppicing allows more light onto the floor of the wood, which in turn encourages more growth.

John and Peter had brought along a large number of mince pies, most of which were consumed very quickly. We called it a day around 11.30, wished one another a Happy Christmas and went home pleasantly warmed by the exercise. The next work party is on January 6th – details nearer the time.