4?4 



English Coppices and Copsewoods. 



happens to be the principal portion of the crop. Usually, 

 this will be found to have already adjusted itself to the pre- 

 vailing local demand for poles, hurdles, hoops, faggots, etc. 



The modern scientific (continental) method of storing and 

 utilising standards must, of course, be regarded as merely for 

 rough guidance, because it cannot possibly be followed with 

 anything like the mathematical precision with which it is 

 set out upon paper. The fundamental principle is that 

 whatever the number of stores left per acre (this depending, 

 •of course, on the quality of the soil), each older class of 

 standard should consist of one-half of such number; and at 

 each time of cutting the coppice, there shall be felled all the 

 •oldest class, the sums number of the next class, twice as many 

 of the following, and four times as many of the next. This 

 is intended to provide a constant supply of timber of various 

 ages at each fall. Two examples may be given of the way in 

 which this system is now being applied to English copse- 

 woods : — 



(i.) Extract from the Working Plan Report for the High Meadow Woo fs, in the 

 Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire [the property of the Crown, and administered by 

 the Commissioners of Wojds and Forests). The copses in question are worked with 

 a rotation of thirty-five years. "A normal store, such as may be kept in view, may 

 be taken as : — 



Age of coppice, 35 years 

 Aged 70 „ 



i, 140 



Total of all classes 75 



" The general rule should be, as far as possible, to store forty trees per acre of the 

 age of the coppice, and wherever twenty promising trees of 3 feet to 4 feet in girth 

 are found suitable for reservation, not more than fifteen of the larger sizes should be 

 kept. For stores of the coppice age, preference should be given to oak. larch, ash, 



and birch In the next class, or 'double stores,' oak and ash should 



be preferred In the ' treble stores ' or older classes, oak only should be 



kept." 



{it.) Extract from the Working Plan for the Right Honourable The Earl of 

 Selbome's Blackmoon\ Bradshott and Temple Woods, in Hampshire. The ccpses in 

 •question are intended to be worked with a rotation of twenty years. 



Owing to the great irregularity of the present crops, in which old standards are 

 frequent but young stores scarce, the speedy formation of different classes of standards, 

 varying regularly according to age, can only be achieved in coarse of time. With 

 this end in view, the storing of overwaod should be regulated as follows. 



40 trees per acre. 

 20 ,, ,, ,, 

 10 ,, ,, ,, 

 5 7, „ ,, 



