h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thank you, Sue, for this entry! I like open spaces with trees and animals and birds, as you might tell if you perchance visited my uspace. If I lived close to such a forest I would spend much time sauntering through it. I would love to see such ancient trees! I wonder if coppicing or pollarding somehow revitalises a tree, because many of the most ancient specimens have been treated in this way... or maybe it's just because they are never chopped down? But apart from the age, the trunks of such trees are also often thicker than undamaged specimens, not so? In the part of the world where I live, coppicing and pollarding is not frequenty used to harvest wood ... trees are usually destroyed completely.

Soothsaya.

Hi Soothsaya, sorry the reply is a bit late.

Given half the chance, I do spend as much time as I can in the forests, usually Epping Forest (A531974), its a bit closer to home for me.

Coppicing and pollarding aren't technicques that have been in regular used around here for the last 200 years or so, the crop produced isn't really suitable for modern uses, the branches are too thin. This has caused a few problems for the trees though, the ancient pollards have got so top heavy the trunks are spitting. The management of the woodland are trying their best to rediscover the art, but for the oldest of the trees, too much attention now seems to kill them, so it's a fine balancing act.

I'm pleased you liked the entry.

Sue