We are not quite at this point but have a rapidly growing alder tree (not planted by us - no idea how we now have at least 5 examples in our pots), and a lovely 2m unblighted Ash tree, which we did plant some time ago.
I am hoping there is some agency here in Ireland which might take these and replant them in a woods or forest - particularly the Ash which I believe there is a serious disease issue over here.
If anyone has any constructive suggestions please feel free to post them.
Thank you.
I wouldn’t try to move such big trees. They might survive but won’t be as healthy afterwards as they are now.. I suggest you coppice them - cut them down to about 15 cm high once they have lost their leaves in the autumn. They are both species which coppice well. You will then have small multi-stemmed trees next year. Coppice them again very few years when they get too big. You say the ash is currently healthy. There is a theory (not sure it is any more than that) that if an ash gets ash die-back, quick coppicing can get rid of the infected stems and save the tree.
I have never heard of coppicing but I assume it is a form of pruning ? Coppicing from 2m to 15cm seems pretty drastic, do you just discard the coppiced, or do you re-plant them ?
Thank you for the response !
Coppicing is cutting off the main trunk so that the stump will resprout in a bushy form. It is used, for example, in sustainable forestry as a means of harvesting wood (for firewood, for instance) without killing trees.
You can use them for whatever that size and type of wood is good for.
Coppicing goes back to prehistoric times. The ancient trackways through the Somerset Levels were made from coppiced wood. It was a way to get more small-bore timber per acre - each coppice cycle produced more stems per tree. Coppice-with-standards was the typical woodland management in lowland Britain for centuries but petered out in the 20th century when railways made coal readily available for fuel. It is pretty good for wildlife too. The coppice ‘stool’ that the new stems grow from has exposed heartwood that invites fungi and insects to colonise it. And whole woodlands of coppice are the typical habitat of nightingales.
Alder and ash won’t grow readily from cuttings so no use planting them. You could reduce them down to a wood pile and leave it to rot for the benefit of the fungi, insects and the vertebrates that feed on them. If there are any donkeys in the area, they love ash branches. Bean poles and pea sticks? Wood-burning stove?
That is really good background so I will now view some youtube on coppicing trees safely and without damaging them. Thank you to all who responded, this can be closed.
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.