Gardeners are being urged to purchase coppiced beanpoles, sourced from local forests, to help protect birds such as the nightingale.<\/p>\n
Bringing coppiced woodlands back to our countryside will help threatened birds including nightingales and willow warblers, according to \u00a0the RSPB.<\/p>\n
Coppicing is the craft of carefully cutting trees to ground level and managing the new shoots to a usable size before cutting again.<\/p>\n
[pullquote]When you buy beanpoles and pea sticks from your local coppice worker you are also helping to manage a valuable woodland habitat for some of our favourite woodland bird species. This practice produces long straight stems,with few or no side branches, ideal for use in the garden as plant supports.<\/p>\n Coppiced timber is also used to produce\u00a0hedge stakes and binders, baskets, walking sticks, ties for fastening thatch pegs and charcoal.<\/p>\n Events<\/strong><\/p>\n Events are being organised across the country by the Small Woods Association<\/a> to highlight the plight of traditional coppiced woodlands which have declined by 90% in the past century.<\/p>\n Richard Thomason, from the Small Woods Association, said: \u201cWhen you buy beanpoles and pea sticks from your local coppice worker you are also helping to manage a valuable woodland habitat for some of our favourite woodland bird species.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nRichard Thomason, Small Woods Association<\/strong>[\/pullquote]<\/p>\n