Coppicing is a traditional method of managing woodland that involves cutting the tree down to the ground so that it re-grows from the stump as multiple stems. The coppice is cut on a rotational basis, so not all the trees are cut in the same year. Having different sections of the coppice in different stages of re-growth increases the bio-diversity of the woodland as a whole. Coppiced woodland supports more wildlife than an unmanaged wood, and also produces a crop.
Hazel is good for many things, but we use it mainly for bean poles in the veg patch. Most of our hazel is the common variety (Corylus avellana) and we have inter-planted with the occasional cobnut variety in the hope that will produce a larger size of nut. Naturally, the first year that our hazels produced nuts was the same year that squirrels arrived at Little Leat!
Chestnut is good for making posts and stakes for fencing. Chestnut is cut on a long rotation of 20 to 25 years. We cut one fifth of our chestnut every 5 years. Seeing as we started planting it in 2009 it is not fully productive yet. The first cut was taken at 12 years and made some good firewood but not much else. Future cuts should yield longer, straighter poles.