|
Deer browsing of Hazel Corylus avellana coppice, to the extent that it inhibits regeneration, can be a problem in areas of high deer population. This can be overcome by fencing the coppiced areas, protecting individual stools, using repellent sprays or severe culling. All of the methods of controlling deer damage involve some expense and, for various reasons, may not be acceptable on certain sites.
At Bramley Frith wood in north Hampshire, the site of one of National Grid's Environmental Education Centres, a coup of around 0.5ha of Hazel was coppiced in February 1995. Half of the stools were cut in the normal way, with the old stems being cut down to ground level, and the other half were cut at a height of about 1.5m or higher. The distribution of coppiced or pollarded stools was random throughout the coup. No fencing, repellent sprays or other methods of deer control were applied. The rates of regeneration were then monitored. As expected, the stools cut down to ground level were subject to heavy browsing by Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus and Fallow Deer Cervus dama. The pollarded stools, however, sent out many vigorous shoots from the top of the old stems, producing up to 2m of new growth in their first growing season. By year three many of the pollarded stools had produced their first crop of nuts, some four years sooner than might be expected with coppiced Hazel in the absence of deer damage. In contrast, the traditionally coppiced stools, still without any protection, were suffering badly from browsing and had produced hardly any new growth.
Bramley Frith wood has a population of Dormice Muscardinus avellanarius, and coppicing is essential to maintain the structure and vigour of the woodland for them. Traditional coppicing means that there will be a gap of around seven years before Dormice can move back into an area and start feeding on Hazel nuts again. In the pollarded area, the Dormice could move back within three to four years to find a crop of nuts. The disadvantages of pollarding are the difficulties of cutting Hazel at this height and the loss of part of the crop. Making a proportion of the Hazel inaccessible to deer, as in this experiment, may also subject the stools cut in the traditional way to additional deer browsing. Pollarded Hazel also looks rather odd at first, although after four growing seasons it takes on the appearance of traditional coppice.
As this experiment is still in its early stages, it is not yet clear how long the pollarded stools will survive and how easy it will be to pollard them again. Early indications are that the pollarded stools are healthy, sending out plenty of new growth well out of the reach of deer and producing a crop of nuts several years ahead of traditionally coppiced Hazel. These advantages would seem to outweigh any possible disadvantages. For further information about this experiment, contact Andrew Cleave or Lee Morgan on 01256 882094 or e-mail: info@bramleyfrith.co.uk
|
|
