One morning in the woods

New member Martin Dod shares his experience of laying hazel rods, to create new stools, on a tranquil morning in Castor Hanglands.

The bright morning sun was shining on the hazel coppice, which in the main had been harvested.

Each harvested stool had been left with one or two long hazel rods intact. My job was to take those remaining hazel rods, find an adjacent clear patch of ground, then gently bend the rods down, scoring their undersides and pegging them down into the ground, slightly below the surface. In time, the rods should, with any luck, take root and form new stools.

Other people were working in the coppice, but no one was speaking. It was very peaceful; only the birds seemed to want to chatter.

Some distance away, in an adjoining part of the wood, a kiln had been lit for charcoal burning and a lazy white plume of smoke drifted upwards through the branches of the trees. An indistinct murmur of voices could be heard from that direction.

Every so often, the rhythmic ‘thwacking’ of an axe could be heard.

It was interesting to think, whilst working, that the various crafts and skills that were being used that morning were passed down from previous generations, and the techniques had not changed substantially in all that time.

As a new person to Nene Coppicing & Crafts, I would describe my time spent in the woods as an enriching experience, with so much to learn.