tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post3898562412169866848..comments2024-02-24T20:12:42.675-08:00Comments on Tales From Fox Wood: Coppice!Jason Heppenstallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-74593101084389277232024-02-24T20:12:42.675-08:002024-02-24T20:12:42.675-08:00You’re a sauna Expert. Beneficial tips and sights....You’re a sauna Expert. Beneficial tips and sights. Sauna program? <a href="https://saunajournal.com/" rel="nofollow">saunajournal.com</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-48745347398027612382014-01-27T11:21:33.558-08:002014-01-27T11:21:33.558-08:00Jason,
A interesting piece. I have heard of coppic...Jason,<br />A interesting piece. I have heard of coppicing. But it isn't much practiced in the US. Coincidentally, I just finished a two part piece entitled Woodlot Management in the Anthropocene on my blog http://www.wingedelmfarm.com/blog/. Perhaps it is just the cold weather making us think about firewood? Regardless, thanks for sharing the info.<br />Cheers,<br />Brian Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004675594664828668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-23362142081582622982014-01-24T02:23:05.873-08:002014-01-24T02:23:05.873-08:00Hi John. Glad to have spread some ideas!
I'm ...Hi John. Glad to have spread some ideas!<br /><br />I'm quite excited to explore the possibility of growing vegetables in the soil around the trees. The soil is incredibly rich after 25 years of leaf mulch has rotted down into it - and there are no weeds. Furthermore, some of the brash from cutting has been burned and the resulting charcoal and ash is being sprinkled around. It will be interesting to see the results.<br /><br />As for the deer - they are pretty small in these parts. The muntjacs are very small - only a couple of feet tall, so I doubt they can jump that high. They came over here from Asia and apparently escaped from a wildlife park in 1925. Now they have spread all over the place. Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-69307076923114899322014-01-24T02:17:32.643-08:002014-01-24T02:17:32.643-08:00Hi Carl. Yes, Sepp Holzer is an inspirational char...Hi Carl. Yes, Sepp Holzer is an inspirational character. I'm copying his method of randomly planting vegetables and fruits all over the land and seeing where it does best. I'll also be experimenting with planting ground cover, such as borage and other herbs, around fruit trees to see if it has an effect.<br /><br />Slash and burn? That would be too disruptive to the ecology, and in any case, then I would have to re-plant the trees. As it is, the trees have 25-year-old root systems in place that will quickly regrow the 'above ground' parts over the coming few years.<br /><br />As for the sauna - yes! It was always my plan to build one. It will be earth-sheltered and a bottle ceiling will allow dappled light to illuminate within.Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-72271689925474385452014-01-22T16:26:49.334-08:002014-01-22T16:26:49.334-08:00A nice post. Just curious, would "slash-and-b...A nice post. Just curious, would "slash-and-burn" be an option? (Maybe not in your case, but as it looks like you've cut a clearing, burning would get rid of much undergrowth). <br /><br />At which altitude is Fox Wood located? If everything else fails, maybe you could seek refuge in the Alps: Just read about Sepp Holzer, a farmer in his 60's who started on a mountain farm located at 1100-1500 meters above sea level (even got to court because he didn't want to follow the practices the officials asked for! ) and now decided to start anew in another part of Austria! Quite incredible what he's accomplished as a gardener.<br /><br />http://www.holzeragroecology.com/ <br />http://www.seppholzer.at<br /><br /><br />Btw, if you can't get a building permission for a "real" inhabitable building, how about starting off with building a sauna? There's a reason Scandinavians living in the wooden quarters built them, not only for personal hygiene but also for purposes such as to smoke meat (and trust me, having spent a winter night in mid-Finland, you can stay overnight in one as well!). Don't know if British Building Codes allow any-sized constructions but a sauna can be built into any size (in worst case, it can be used as a smoke house).Carl Nelsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-33093620125367270832014-01-21T08:05:33.703-08:002014-01-21T08:05:33.703-08:00Great blog, Jason, thanks for reposting on the Doo...Great blog, Jason, thanks for reposting on the Doomstead Diner, that's where I originally saw it. You've given me some good ideas for courses for the Perma-culture Education Network, http://www.sun4living.com/moodle . One thing to note: deer can jump high, and they can jump wide, but they can't do both at the same time. Two fences 4 feet tall and 4 feet apart is as effective as one fence 8 feet tall.John D. Wheelerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16203607452410210779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-66198611267383492042014-01-19T11:37:09.130-08:002014-01-19T11:37:09.130-08:00Good idea about slicing the woodland, or any piece...Good idea about slicing the woodland, or any piece of land amongst friends, which slipped my mind too. The only thing is, I don't know anyone here to do it with me. That's one big thing on my to-do-list: get to know people; enrich my social capital.<br /><br />Anyway, wish you every success in your coppicing efforts!Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13269105691549240389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-90316911110145612192014-01-18T23:44:27.343-08:002014-01-18T23:44:27.343-08:00Hi Manda. No, never heard of them before. I will c...Hi Manda. No, never heard of them before. I will check them out!Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-30394517078670504762014-01-18T23:43:23.112-08:002014-01-18T23:43:23.112-08:00Yes, when I get a moment. Yes, when I get a moment. Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-1648248790360680482014-01-18T23:42:57.442-08:002014-01-18T23:42:57.442-08:00Wolfgang - I suspect the fact that Europe has been...Wolfgang - I suspect the fact that Europe has been well and truly 'settled' for thousands of years has something to do with it. In the wide-open spaces of America it might seem easier to just cut the trees and move on, historically speaking.<br /><br />The benefit of coppicing broadleaf species, as opposed to re-planting firs, is that you get to use the root system again and again. It's faster! The roots are basically the tree's capital, and the branches and trunk are what it 'produces'. Of course, it's more complex than that, but that's one way of looking at it.<br /><br />Yes, do read Ben Law's book - it's very inspiring and full of practical knowledge.Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-78285164622929294242014-01-18T23:38:14.499-08:002014-01-18T23:38:14.499-08:00Thanks Martin. One idea is to team up with a group...Thanks Martin. One idea is to team up with a group of like-minded people to buy a larger piece of woodland, and then divvy it up between yourselves. <br /><br />Saying that, if letter press printing is more your thing then that'll be a pretty useful skill to have!Jason Heppenstallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17886109260870545074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-69337211406648964632014-01-18T04:42:30.401-08:002014-01-18T04:42:30.401-08:00Great to hear this in such detail - and to be par...Great to hear this in such detail - and to be part of your journey! Lots of similar experiences to share, as we learn how to manage the land we live in, and help enable more people to get back to be closer to the land than they are to a screen! Came across these guys this week - doing some great stuff in terms of land management and access...have you heard of them? They're also part of the 1000 Huts Campaign - inspired! http://centreforstewardship.org.uk/index.htm<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />MandaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-54407211216517374822014-01-17T02:13:08.199-08:002014-01-17T02:13:08.199-08:00Jason, can you please post some of these GREAT BLO...Jason, can you please post some of these GREAT BLOGS on SUN?<br /><br />RE<br />http://SUN4Living.comReverse Engineerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07062239687986775433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-60524376819447270462014-01-16T08:52:41.937-08:002014-01-16T08:52:41.937-08:00Thanks for the post, Jason. It answered many of t...Thanks for the post, Jason. It answered many of the questions I posed in an earlier comment about the economics of woodland management. My curiosity about coppicing mostly stems from my perception that while it is commonplace in Europe and especially in the UK, it seems to be pretty much non-existent in the US. Perhaps it has to do with population density. In the US, Oregon, west of the Cascades seems to have a climate similar to yours, but since the area was populated only recently, trees were still so plentiful that coppicing wasn't necessary. There does seem to be a parallel with Douglas fir management, however. Douglas fir which is one of the primary building materials in the US is usually clear cut since new seedlings need light and a clearcut encourages rapid growth of the new seedlings. Hence trees are not harvested selectively but rather like a crop of wheat. Another factor in the absence of coppicing in the US seems to be the lack of craftsmen/women to do something with the coppiced wood. Fencing and gates and other such items tend to be made out of milled lumber. As a matter of fact, if you go to a lumber dealer to purchase round lumber for fence posts or vegetable stakes, you will be buying wood that has been turned on a lathe. In any case, I am pleased to see that your wood lot is coming along. And good luck with the laws that prevent you from living on your wood lot. Thanks also for mentioning Ben Law's book. I will see if I can get a copy.Wolfgang Brinckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08314364206955412017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658129315126034386.post-86648241922181607192014-01-16T08:43:55.231-08:002014-01-16T08:43:55.231-08:00Hi Jason,
thank you for your posts here and over ...Hi Jason,<br /><br />thank you for your posts here and over on 22 Billion blog. You have been great help for me in making sense of things here in the UK, especially as I am British only by marriage (originally from Czechoslovakia).<br /><br />I have been thinking about coppicing myself, partly influenced by you and partly, because we have a working coppice wood near to Bury St Edmunds where I live, so I could see it first hand.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I don't have enough funds to acquire one, as the less land or wood you buy, the more you pay for an acre on average.<br /><br />Nevertheless, I was pleased to see one of my chosen crafts to be on the Seven list as well and one I have the means and skills to pursuit: letter pressing and at the same time type foundry, as I apprenticed as type setter before entering university. I was still working with moveable type, which comes very handy now (who'd have thought so!).<br /><br />So for me it semi-rural livelihood with intensive organic gardening to supply whatever I cannot get by letter pressing and vice versa.<br /><br /><br />Regards<br />MartinMartinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13269105691549240389noreply@blogger.com