6 days diary of a coppice worker

Thursday 16th Nov Tors Wood, coppicing hazel - 11 stools in total
18 stakes
9 binders
80+ weaving rods
10 small basket rods
18 pea sticks
 Martin cut: 3 white willow, 10 hawthorn, 5 poplars, 3 1yr willow, 1 viminalis
Bonfire + logs.

Weds 17th Nov - Tors Wood
10 stakes
11 binders
16 beanpoles
30 weaving rods
4 pea sticks

Martin cut: 2 white willows
5 hawthorn
2 shrub willow



Sun 28th Nov - Tors Wood
Walking along meadow  towards Tors wood in the afternoon before sunset. Saw 2 muntjac playing along the hedge. -7 degree C in the morning. Not above -2degree C all day. Snow, terrific red sunset. Woodcock.

Mon 29th Nov - Spinney 1
Finished coppicing willows in Spinney 1 and dogwood on opposite bank. Snow still on ground. Started laying hedge from the corner nearest farmhouse. Martin fell in the ditch pulling out a post with his legs stuck up in the air, ha ha ha.. Toasted chicken sandwiches. Kingfisher spotted. Nice bonfire.








Tues 30th Nov - Spinney 1
Hedgelaying from corner with crab apple trees. Craig and Martin took lower branches off the ash and oak trees in the hedge line. Disturbed squirrel in ash tree. Toasted chicken baps, mince pies. Meg the dog stole my hot potato with cheese I was saving for late afternoon break. Kingfisher, snow flurries.












Wed 1st Dec Spinney 1
Hedgelaying with Martin up to one hawthorn tree overhanging the brook. Waiting for permission to pollard the ash tree with a crack in it. Snow drifts. -2 deg C.
* Need to put more hazel in near the hedge and plant up hedge.

Mon 6th Dec - Tors Wood
Coppiced 9 hazel stools making:
29 stakes
24 binders
20 beanpoles
50 ish weaving sticks
70ish basket weavers
10 pea sticks
9 faggots
1 gandalf staff
2 Y sticks
+ logs.

Martin cut 20 poplar and white willow for converting into fence rails. Left ready for splitting and cleaving.
Prepared posts cut to height  5ft in poplar for a cleaving break and log store.

-6 deg C start in morning. Drove down in truck and collected previous stakes. Delivered corrugated sheets and pallets for log stacks. HAW frost, snow still on ground. Woodcock flew out of shrub near ride. Curlew, robin, goldfinch, magpie. Lovely frosty sunny day. Sparkling white tips to poplars in the top of the trees caught in the sunlight. Mist falling towards 4pm. Ground still frozen walking back up field.