Woodland benefits
We promote the benefits of small woodlands and their products
England’s small woodlands are an invaluable resource providing a well documented range of economic, social and environmental benefits. The UK National Ecosystem Assessment (2010) notes that woodlands provide perhaps the highest level of ecosystem services including regulating climate, air quality, water flows, providing timber and wood products as well as a number of cultural benefits.
These benefits are often overlooked, and woodland owners and managers are given little credit for maintaining such a valuable contribution to all our lives, but together these woodlands provide rich habitat for many rare and threatened woodland species, profit for small woodland businesses, and add value to rural and urban landscapes. They provide places for employment and industry especially for those who seek a second chance in life. Wood products help to reduce fossil fuel use and combat climate change.
These products, sustainably produced and locally sourced are an enormous asset to the fight against climate change, by locking up carbon in the wood that products that are made from, and in substituting for less environmentally friendly products
What we do to help
- Run campaigns to increase interest in wood products : National Bean Pole Week, the Venison Pledge, Support for coppice groups
- Train volunteers to measure the impact of woodland management and to assess the value of wood products
Information sheets
A brief history of coppicing by Edward Mills
The Current Market for Coppice Products The latest report from Professor Ted Collins, from Reading University, on the current state of the market for coppice products. Ted edited and part wrote the ‘Crafts in the English Countryside’ Report
Maximising the Quality of Produce from Hazel Coppice
Stool Density as a Factor in the Quality of Hazel Coppice by Rebecca Oaks
Rebecca Oaks’ dissertation explores the relationship between hazel stool density and the quality of the yield. She also presents a series of useful recommendations for improving hazel quality. Rebecca is an experienced coppice worker based in Cumbria.
Chiltern Hazel Coppice and Thatching Spar Survey 2006 by Graham William Thorne
Our projects that help to deliver this objective
Coppice Development
Green Wood Centre
Advice and Technical support
Green Wood Trades courses and apprenticeships
