Coppicing for wildlife

Coppicing leaves an irregular patchwork of different age trees and open spaces. This diversity is great for wildlife, particularly those species requiring an open woodland habitat. Coppice lets more sunlight into the wood - four times more in spring and up to 20 times more in midsummer.

A sequence of changes is triggered, a surge of growth from dormant seeds and plants. In the second or third year, spring flowers, such as bluebells, oxlips, violets, primroses, wood anemones, ground ivy, yellow archangel and water avens, will carpet the ground. More vigorous light demanding species, such as grasses and brambles do not get a chance to dominate as the coppice canopy closes between five to eight years after cutting. This rapidly shades out most of the undergrowth although some plants, such as dog's mercury and herb paris prefer the shady conditions of older coppice.

The warm microclimate and diverse vegetation of young coppice is a haven for Insects. Large numbers of ground species such as wolf spiders and ground beetles establish a year after cutting followed by numerous and diverse species in years two to five. Woodlands support more species of butterfly than any other habitat in the UK. Most butterflies have just one, or a small number of plants which their larvae will feed on. Usually these plants occur in open sunny areas created by coppicing or along woodland rides. Species such as the Duke of Burgundy fritillary whose larvae thrives on primrose, and the heath fritillary which needs cow wheat, wood sage or foxglove, have declined because of loss of habitat in neglected woodlands.

The flourishing insect life benefits birds and different species prefer different parts of the coppice cycle. In very open coppice, during the first three or four months of growth, tree pipits may be the first to colonise, followed by yellowhammers, linnets and whitethroats. By the third or fourth year, when low vegetation is becoming dense, there will be summer visitors such as the garden warbler, willow warbler, nightingale, blackcap, and chiffchaff. They remain until about the 10th year and rapidly decrease afterwards. Old coppice species include the robin, blackcap and blue tit. If the coppice contains large mature standard trees woodpeckers, nut-hatches and tree creepers will often be present.

Small mammals, like birds, are strongly influenced by the coppicing cycle. Mice, shrews and voles are often the first to appear in recently cut coppice. By the third year the small mammal population will probably be at a peak before decreasing gradually until the cycle is repeated. Coppiced woodland in the south and west England is one of the most important habitats of the common dormouse which needs a high diversity of tree species to provide food throughout the year. Dormice spend most of their lives in branches and foliage and require a continuous canopy of coppice and standards, but do not thrive in very old coppice.

The succulent young shoots from the coppice stools attract browsing deer. Large deer populations of today may mean that stools need covering with brash, or brash fences built around newly cut coupes, to protect the regrowth.