Coppicing for Ecological Health, Wildlife, and People

Coppicing and pollarding are techniques to actively manage woody species for wood use, wildlife management, and ecosystem rejuvenation. Willow species along with cottonwoods and other species that resprout after disturbance have been managed by coppicing and pollarding across the globe for millennia. Across the globe and in cultures with long roots in land tending, cutting and fire are used to not only rejuvenate habitats, but to create materials that are useful to humans and wildlife. There is a misconception that cutting vegetation always hurts plants and the ecosystem. Research from Europe in active Short Rotation Coppices (SRC) of willow and poplar has shown that multiple stages of growth have the largest impact to benefit the most species. In natural areas in the Metro area that are in historical floodplains or are missing key coppicing mammals (beaver and humans), coppicing and pollarding can be an important management tool to improve bird habitat, sequester carbon, and supply materials for Indigenous cultural practices.