Coppicing trees for firewood is an easy way to sustainably maintain woodlots. All you need to do is cut hardwood trees like Alder, Birch, or Maple during the winter months. The next spring the stump will sprout new growth that will eventually regrow to the same diameter that the tree had been when originally cut.
Coppicing is an important part of traditional English woodland management. Some coppiced trees found in England are thought to be centuries old.
On my own property, I cut mostly Alder and Birch in late winter when sap is mostly in the roots. This enables trees to dry out faster. I am a teacher, and when school gets out in June and the ground has begun to firm up and dry, I drag logs out of the woods to cut and finish drying over the summer. By September, my firewood is stacked neatly under cover with plentiful air flow to help continue the curing process. Alder and Birch can be cut and harvested on 3 to 4 year cycle.
There is something so deeply satisfying to sit by a blazing fire with a beverage of choice, enjoying the dark, cold outside and the warm, peace inside.
Mike Stevens
Gathering Force Farm
Coppicing is an important part of traditional English woodland management. Some coppiced trees found in England are thought to be centuries old.
On my own property, I cut mostly Alder and Birch in late winter when sap is mostly in the roots. This enables trees to dry out faster. I am a teacher, and when school gets out in June and the ground has begun to firm up and dry, I drag logs out of the woods to cut and finish drying over the summer. By September, my firewood is stacked neatly under cover with plentiful air flow to help continue the curing process. Alder and Birch can be cut and harvested on 3 to 4 year cycle.
There is something so deeply satisfying to sit by a blazing fire with a beverage of choice, enjoying the dark, cold outside and the warm, peace inside.
Mike Stevens
Gathering Force Farm
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