Coppicing update

The fourth year of winter coppicing is due to start soon on the Dorothy Elmhirst Playing Field, which is leased and managed by the Dartington Recreation Association from land owners Dartington Hall Trust.

With support of the Trust the overgrown and neglected hazel which runs along the Bidwell Brook is being coppiced: cut down to ground level to encourage re-growth. Hazel which was cut three years ago has re-grown and now stands a bushy 3m plus, so a traditional woodland management method stretching back millennia still works......

This winter trees which have been identified by the Trust as potential hazards will also be felled.

Due to the loss of an off-site store green logs will have to be stored on site, within a mobile fencing compound provided by DHT. While the compound may appear a bit unsightly it is necessary as logs worth approximately £100 have been pilfered each winter. Firewood donations support the DRA play park plan, and sales each winter raise several £100, so the loss of a significant proportion through theft is to be regretted.

Cutting may be halted if the ground is too wet. It is due to stop at the end of February.

Anyone who wants green hazel logs, or hazel poles, in return for a donation to the DRA please contact community trustee Allan Tudor, and if anyone wants to volunteer to assist please contact him via our website.