National beanpole week

By switching to British-grown coppiced beanpoles, gardeners and growers will be doing their bit to support the environment, wildlife, rural jobs, ancient skills and traditions - and their beans.

“Traditionally managed coppiced woodlands are a really important part of our countryside because they supply us with truly sustainable wood, provide an incredibly rich wildlife habitat, support hundreds of rural jobs and keep many ancient skills and traditions alive,” said Judy Walker, Executive Director of the Small Woods Association - the charity organising National Beanpole Week. “Britain lost 90% of its coppiced woodland during the 20th century - and to protect what remains, we need to support the coppice workers who manage these woods by buying their excellent eco-friendly coppiced beanpoles,” she added.

This appeal was made alongside the announcement that this year’s National Beanpole Week will run from 25 April until 3 May.

National Beanpole Week 2009 will celebrate Britain’s coppiced woodlands, the animals and plants that live in them and the coppice workers who look after them. Special events will be held nationwide, from coppice wood gardening workshops to family beanpole festivals.

“This year’s events will offer something for everyone, so we look forward to seeing a great turnout,” said Richard Thomason from the Small Woods Association.

“You’ll be doing your bit to secure the future of Britain’s coppiced woodlands - and their wildlife and coppice workers - if you come along to a beanpole week event and switch to using coppiced beanpoles,” he added.

As well as being very good for the countryside and the environment, coppiced beanpoles are great for the garden because they provide excellent support for bean plants and make an attractive addition to the vegetable patch.

“Using coppiced beanpoles helps my runner beans grow at the same time as creating the traditional rustic garden feel I love, and coppiced hazel pea sticks help protect my peas from pigeons without turning the garden into a mess of plastic netting,” said Geoff Sinclair, from Allotment Forestry.

A large proportion of Britain’s coppiced woodlands were neglected during the 20th century - mainly because many coppice products were displaced by alternatives, which today are often imported and less eco-friendly. However a growing interest in local wood products, and a greater awareness of the benefits of coppicing, has created new markets and wider support for the hundreds of skilled coppice workers who continue to manage the countryside. And keeping the countryside working is more important than ever during the current recession.

“There are now over 500 coppice workers like us across the country, and gardeners can do their bit to support our jobs, traditional skills and woodland conservation, by buying our excellent products,” said coppice craftsman Dave Jackson from Wildwood Coppice Crafts, who works alongside his apprentice, Jenna Higgins, in the Malvern area of Worcestershire.

Traditional coppicing is Britain’s most sustainable method of woodland management. Coppicing is the craft of carefully cutting trees to ground level and managing the young new shoots to a usable size before cutting again. Coppiced wood is grown to produce long straight stems with few or no side branches.

Most deciduous British native trees and shrubs can be coppiced. The time between cutting varies, depending on the tree species and the intended use of the wood. For example, willow is usually cut every one to three years, hazel every 6-8 years, and chestnut and oak every 20-40 years.

Coppiced woodland is harvested in rotation, ensuring a continual supply of wood and creating a habitat patchwork that is crucially important for all kinds of wildlife, including woodland fritillary butterflies, nightingales, willow warblers and the endangered common dormouse.

“Traditional coppicing is a method of management which greatly improves a wood’s ability to support a wide range of species,” said Rob Atkinson, Northern Reserves Officer with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.

Coppice workers avoid the use of synthetic sprays and fertilizers, which can damage wildlife and the environment in general. And coppiced beanpoles and other coppice products are usually produced and sold locally, whereas the alternatives often need to be imported over long distances by polluting transport.

For more information about coppicing and National Beanpole Week, or to find out where you can buy coppiced beanpoles and other coppice wood products, please visit www.beanpoles.org.uk or telephone the Small Woods Association on 01952 432769.