One of the last tasks at the end of forming the first hazel coppice coupe, was to chainsaw the cherry tree stumps as near to the ground as possible. The wild cherries will almost certainly regrow from the stumps but, the lower they are the less likely they are to become a nuisance in terms of shade, and the more likely I will be able to keep on top of and regrowth through periodic pruning.
The actual job of cutting the stump down with the chain saw was relatively easy and I soon had each of the stumps down to the ground. The more challenging job was breaking the resultant lumps of wood into manageable chunks that I could carry out of the gate. Yes, this is one of those jobs that should have been done in a different sequence – earlier! I should have cut these down, loaded them onto the log carrier and carted them off before I fenced the area in. Instead I left them until I had completed the planting and the fencing resulting in the log carrier not being able to get through the gate!
Simple issue though, why not just split the logs down using the wood splitter wedges and carry them out. What could be difficult about that?
The problem is that the cherry wood simply doesn’t split, at best it tears apart with fibres holding it together until the last one is severed.
The cherry is naturally more resilient to splitting than say oak or ash but this was further exacerbated by the grain of the wood being so convoluted, twisted and intertwined near the base of the stem. Still got there in the end.
cherry stumps taken right down 
hazel stools also taken down 
clear coppice ready for all that regrowth
The last coupe of days have been a mixture of sunshine and showers so hopefully the hazel whips that we planted will have the right conditions for growing away and starting to get established in their new home.
More next time………….
Tim Burr 