permaculture

["steveread" <steveread@free.fr>]

When one sees techniques that have been around for centuries, such as 
pollarding and coppicing, trying to discover the original strategy is always 
fun. Pollarding, originally and in many places in Europe, is cutting useful 
firewood at a height where the young regrowth is above browsing height. So we 
tend to see, as in Normandy (Northmen) these trees planted as field dividers 
at ground level. Here in neighbouring Brittany (Celtic) pollarding is not the 
practice and trees are coppiced, these trees are on berms at about 1,5 m high 
so once again most of the bushy regrowth is protected. These trees are 
interplanted with gorse (Ulex) which was chipped as feed for horses. The wind 
protection afforded by both systems acting to raise yields.

Pollarding is also doen a lot around roads, especially in the south of France 
and in cities. This gives more light and reduces problems of snow laden limb 
breakage and lots of shade in the summer, which is much appreciated. Pooran 
Desai, founder of the London based Bioregional group used the 'problem' of 
woody waste in urban areas to launch his charcoal production initiative which 
has helped reduce imports of bbq charcoal from the Phillipines into the UK.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiHQU_p8rCY    
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WL58i5QbZQ

This is Phil Corbett presenting his coppice orchard system of food production 
which involves the coppicing of own root fruit trees.  
http://steveread.free.fr/webzine.htm   scroll down and there are 3 articles 
by Phil, same subject.

Coppicing acts to rejuvenate the tree, so we have no real idea how long the 
productive life of the apples here will be, probably/hopefully centuries.

With regard to post coppicing yield there are several variables and one 
invariable, this latter being, as Robyn points out that fruit will form on 
branches after the 3 year. The variables are the age of the coppice stool, 
old coppice stools have a massive root system which gives enormous bush like 
regrowth, with the coppice orchard system we cut to leave the strongest on 
the apples, hazels we simply control the size of the bush. Then there is the 
light factor, if some trees go uncut and get more light chances are they will 
produce more fruit buds, thus compensating, again a strtegy with the 
copp-orch.  Then there is the training of the new growth/planting density, if 
close planted then most regrowth will go straight up, this tends to delay 
fruit production, if widely spaced the outers will tend to curve down, 
encouraging fruit, you can do this by training.

In terms of perennial/annual food production systems well managed coppicing 
definately IMO has its place, for the cool-temperate climate here I've yet to 
see better thought out multi-functional, soil producing, sustainable etc etc 
systems than Phil Corbetts coppice orchard(which is ideally suited to bigger 
scale/commercial growing) and Robert Harts forest garden (which is for 
reafforestation low maintenace backyard production.) I find it amazing that 
Phils work is so under-exposed in British Permaculture, He recently taught 
with Bryn Thomas in Brighton but frankly the Brits should be cheering him on.



  
Kenavo, 


Steve

Directeur de     l  'Université Populaire de Permaculture
Biographie     (SteveR) http://permacultureinstitute.pbwiki.com/

 
2008-04-0708:37:56 


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