As always, October has been a busy month for the Three Copse team, with plenty happening both at #threecopseHQ and further afield. From work in the woodland and workshop to activities and events elsewhere, there has been plenty to keep us occupied!
As always, the beginning of October saw us at @blackmoorestate for their fantastic Apple Tasting Day. This was supposed to be our final show of the year, or so we thought!
Apple Day is always a favourite with the Three Copse team, and this year was no exception. There were plenty of interested visitors stopping by for a chat and to find out more about what we do.
Our Broom Squires camp was as popular as ever, attracting visitors of all ages with questions about traditional broom making and the skills behind this wonderful heritage craft. 🌿🧹
A huge thank you to the Selborne family and their team for all their hard work in putting on such a brilliant event. We’re already looking forward to next year!
It’s no secret that we love a good battery-powered tool. We’ve been running a STIHL MSA 220 C for seven years now, and it probably gets more use than our petrol saws!
Last month, you may have spotted another addition to our quiet crew: the STIHL ASA 20 Cordless Secateurs. These have been getting a good workout tackling smaller material in the coppice, particularly the clematis, which is an ever-present problem up here on the chalk of the Downs.
October saw yet another addition to the quiet crew: the STIHL GTA 26 Battery Garden Pruner. This nifty bit of kit has been on our shopping list for a while, but with a big order for hedging stakes to get out (see Hedging Stakes R Us), it was finally time to take the plunge.
We’ll be doing a proper review of both of these handy gadgets very soon, but suffice to say, they’re already making a big difference to our productivity!
Once again, the beginning of the month saw us carrying out our Monthly dormouse survey alongside our qualified ecologist.
The survey is part of a nationally recognised monitoring scheme, helping us to study and better understand one of our cuter woodland residents. It also gives us valuable information about how our woodland management can help support dormice in the longer term.
Although the overall numbers were lower than in previous Octobers, we did find a family sharing one of the dormouse boxes: a mother and four juveniles. That’s certainly an encouraging discovery, particularly given the weather patterns we’ve experienced this year!
This has been an ongoing project for the last couple of months, but October saw us getting into the coppice in earnest. With several large orders to fulfil, it was all hands to the coppice to get the stakes cut, prepared and processed.
Hedging stakes are a simple but essential part of traditional hedge laying. Here at Three Copse, we’re keen to keep traditional woodland skills alive by making useful products from the materials our woodland produces.
Over the past 20-plus years, we’ve been quietly restoring large areas of our hazel and ash coppice. During that time, we’ve brought around 20 acres back into some form of coppice rotation, making better use of the woodland while encouraging its long-term restoration.
With David from Fox’s Hazel & Woodland Products joining us in the woods, the future of the coppice is looking a lot brighter. The orders are David’s, but we’re always happy to lend a hand where needed. It’s a great example of how working together can help keep traditional woodland skills and crafts alive.
Once the timber has been cut, there’s still plenty of work to do. Each stake needs to be prepared and pointed by hand with an axe before it can be bundled up and sent off to do its job in the hedgerow.
Cut, prepared, bundled and ready for their next job in the countryside – it’s all part of making good use of our woodland and keeping traditional skills going.
October wouldn’t be October without a few days when the weather has other ideas about our plans. When the rain makes working in the woodland less appealing, it’s a good opportunity to turn our attention to some of the jobs in the workshop.
This time, I’ve been working on a sheath for a drawknife, made from a substantial 12mm thickness of leather. A drawknife is a useful tool for many traditional woodland and green woodworking jobs, but its exposed blade needs protecting when not in use. A decent sheath helps protect both the blade and the person handling or storing the tool.
The sheath is being saddle stitched by hand, a traditional leatherworking technique that produces a strong and durable seam. Working with leather this thick takes a little patience, but the aim is to produce something that will stand up to hard use and hopefully last for many years.
It’s a rather different sort of work from cutting timber and processing coppice, but there’s a common thread running through it. Whether we’re working with wood or leather, we like making things properly, using traditional skills and producing something that’s built to last.
Different tools, different skills, same Three Copse approach!
Thanks to @foxs_hazelwp for the footage
That brings us to the end of our October Woodland Diaries at Three Copse.. From the woodland to the workshop and out and about at events, October has certainly kept us on our toes. As the seasons change and the days get shorter, there’s still plenty to do, and we’ll be back with more from Three Copse in our next Woodland Diary. 🌳