“By using hazel beansticks you are buying local, buying sustainable and buying beautiful” - Monty Don

Britain’s first ever National Beanpole Week - supported by Forestry Commission England - will be held between 19th and 27th April 2008. It will celebrate native coppiced woodland and the ancient tradition of coppicing, together with the beanpoles and other excellent products made from eco-friendly coppiced wood.

The week, which is being run by the Small Woods Association, will be launched at a free Beanpole Festival at the Green Wood Centre near Ironbridge in Shropshire, on Saturday 19th April between 11am and 4pm. Other special events will be held nationwide.

Coppiced woodland is very important because it is a source of sustainably produced wood and provides a unique and valuable habitat for animals and plants such as dormice, warblers, nightingales, wood violets and primroses. In addition, the production and use of coppiced wood supports hundreds of jobs in the countryside and keeps many ancient skills and traditions alive.

“When we use products made from coppiced wood, such as hazel beanpoles, we help protect the environment, wildlife and our ancient traditions,” said Judy Walker, Executive Director of the Small Woods Association.

People in Britain have been using products made from coppiced wood for thousands of years. However, despite their impressive quality, these products have been largely displaced by alternatives, like imported bamboo beanpoles. As a result, the amount of managed coppiced woodland in Britain has fallen by around 90% during the 20th century, from around 230,000 hectares in 1905 to an estimated 23,000 hectares in 1997.

National Beanpole Week aims to help reverse this drastic decline by increasing the demand for products made from coppiced wood. Organisers are calling on everyone to do their bit to support Britain’s coppiced woodlands by going along to a special Beanpole Week event, or simply by buying hazel beanpoles made from coppiced wood.

“Hazel poles make the best and most handsome beanpoles for any garden or allotment. They are also part of an ancient tradition of sustainable production in coppice woodlands which are one of the great wildlife treasures of Britain. By using hazel beansticks you are buying local, buying sustainable and buying beautiful,” said celebrity gardener Monty Don, in support of National Beanpole Week.

Coppicing is an ancient method of sustainable woodland management. The most commonly coppiced trees are hazel, alder, ash, birch, oak, field maple, hornbeam, small-leaved lime, sweet chestnut, sycamore and wych elm.

Coppiced trees are harvested by having their stems cut down close to ground level. When new shoots emerge, they are allowed to grow for a few years before being harvested again.

This growing and harvesting process is ongoing and can continue on the same tree for many hundreds of years. Coppicing usually extends the growing life of trees - the oldest trees in woodland are often the coppiced ones. Woodland near Westonbirt in Gloucestershire includes a coppiced lime tree which is 48ft in diameter and at least 2000 years old.

In order to be of maximum benefit to the countryside, coppiced woodland needs to be carefully managed.

“The ongoing management of coppiced woodland is really important because if they’re not maintained, coppiced woodlands become derelict and less valuable to the countryside and environment in general,” said Richard Thomason, a project manager with the Small Woods Association.

Coppicing is good for the environment because it is an eco-friendly, sustainable way of producing wood.

“Products made from coppiced wood are often produced and sold locally - reducing the need to transport them over long distances, which causes pollution,” said coppice worker, Rebecca Oaks.

“So you can be kinder to the planet and cut your polluting ‘beanpole miles’ when you buy locally grown hazel beanpoles instead of alternatives which have been shipped over from the other side of the world,” she added.

Wildlife benefits from coppicing because managed coppiced woodland provides a rich habitat for plants and animals, including endangered dormice.

The countryside benefits because coppicing keeps ancient skills and traditions alive and supports rural employment. Coppiced woods provide work for a broad range of rural craftsmen and women, including beanpole, hurdle, spar and charcoal makers.

“There are now over 500 coppice workers in Britain and their numbers are increasing each year, so if you want a living, working countryside then supporting local coppice workers by buying their products is a must,” said Paul Hill-Tout, Director of Forestry Commission England.

To find out more about National Beanpole Week, and discover where you can go to a special event or buy hazel beanpoles and other products made from coppiced wood, visit www.greenwoodcentre.org.uk, or telephone 01952 432769.

ENDS


Notes for Editors
Reference: ‘the amount of managed coppiced woodland in Britain has fallen by around 90% during the 20th century, from around 230,000 hectares in 1905 to an estimated 23,000 hectares in 1997’ - statistics taken from ‘The Silviculture and Management of Coppice Woodlands’ by Ralph Harmer and Jonathan Howe (Forestry Commission, 2003).

What is coppicing?
Coppicing is an ancient form of sustainable woodland management which provides both fuel and raw materials. Coppiced trees are harvested by having their stems cut down close to ground level. When new shoots emerge, they are allowed to grow for a few years before being harvested again. Harvesting takes place in rotation, which ensures a crop of poles and other coppiced products are regularly available from each woodland. This technique creates age diversity in the woodland, which is valuable for biodiversity.

Which products have traditionally been made from Britain’s coppiced woodlands?
Products made from coppiced wood have shaped people’s lives for thousands of years. Beanpoles, fencing, barrel hoops, walking sticks, fishing rods, whip handles, ties for fastening thatch pegs, baskets and fuel are just some of the products traditionally made from British coppiced woodlands.

How are hazel beanpoles grown?
Hazel branches that grow from the ground-level tree stump (stool) are harvested by being cut back down to the stump when they reach the right size for beanpoles (approximately every 10 years).This might sound quite drastic, but it actually increases the lifespan of the tree and provides a sustainable source of wood. When new shoots emerge, they are allowed to grow for a few years before being harvested again.

Events - National Beanpole Week, 19th-27th April 2008
Beanpole Festival - National Beanpole Week Launch Event (Coalbrookdale near Ironbridge, Shropshire)
At: Green Wood Centre, Station Road, Coalbrookdale (near Ironbridge), Telford, TF8 7DR, Shropshire
When: Saturday 19 April 2008, 11am-4pm
Cost: Entry is Free
Tel: 01952 432769
Website: www.greenwoodcentre.org.uk
· Sales of beanpoles, pea sticks and bean plants.
· Hazel beanpole gardening demonstrations and advice.
· Hurdle, besom broom, trug and basket making.
· Charcoal making and willow work demonstrations.
· Coracle making.
· Children’s activities.
· Refreshments (vegetarian café + outside hog roast).
· Live music.
· Walks through local coppiced woods.

Celebration of Beanpoles and Local Woods (Hereford)
At: Hereford town centre (Hightown district) - Farmers’ Market style event
When: Saturday 19 April 2008, 10am-3pm
Cost: Entry is Free
Tel: 01952 432769 (Green Wood Centre)
Website: www.greenwoodcentre.org.uk
· Beanpoles and other coppice products for sale.


Dorset Coppice Group Open Day (Bonsley Woods, Dorset)
At: Bonsley Woods off A357 in Durweston - turn left into Norton Lane and follow signs for Living Classroom
When: Saturday 19 April 2008, 10am-4pm
Cost: Entry is Free
Tel: 01258 472299
Website: www.dorsetcoppicegroup.co.uk
· Beanpoles and a range of wood products for sale

Woods at Work Open Day (Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire)
At: Wendover Woods near Wendover, Buckinghamshire
When: Sunday 20 April 2008, 11am-4pm
Cost: Entry is £3 per adult (under 16s are Free)
Tel: contact Cathy Rose - Tel: 01844 355 506, or John Morris - Tel: 01844 355 503
Website: www.chilternsaonb.org
· Free parking.
· Story teller.
· Music.
· Children’s craft activities.
· Wood crafts.
· Pole lathes.
· Horse logging.
· Displays and Information.

Beanpole Weekend (Malvern)
At: Leigh Sinton Garden Centre, Malvern, WR13 5ED
When: Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 April 2008, 10am-4pm
Cost: Entry is Free
Tel: 01952 432769 (Green Wood Centre)
Website: www.greenwoodcentre.org.uk
· Bean poles, pea sticks and local sustainable coppice products for sale.
· Demonstrations of willow work and whittling.

T.W.I.G.S. Spring Open Day, in conjunction with National Beanpole Week (Swindon)
At: Grounds of Manor Garden Centre, Cheney Manor, Swindon
When: Sunday 27 April 2008, 11am-4pm
Cost: Entry is Free
Tel: 01793 523294
Website: http://www.richmondfellowship.org.uk/twigs
· Free parking.
· Rustic arches, plant supports and clothes props.
· Creative ways to use hazel for National Beanpole Week.
· Explore the themed gardens and discover new ideas and plants to take home for your own garden.
· Handcrafted items will be available and on display in our craft studio.
· Stroll around the lake to see our organic allotment site.
· Planters and a range of items produced in our carpentry workshop using recycled materials will be available.
· Enjoy the peace in our replica Iron Age Roundhouse.
· Jack and the Beanstalk children’s activities.
· Relax on the patio with homemade refreshments and live music.
· Swindon Beekeepers will be joining us.
· See the F.A.B. Haven Wildflower area and the exciting new D.A.S.H. project.
· Run In conjunction with Swindon and District Beekeepers Association and F.A.B. (Flowers and Butterflies).