‘Coppicing in the Kent Downs AONB’

Coppicing is an ancient woodland management technique, which is thought to date back thousands of years. Most ancient woodlands in Kent show signs of a history of coppice management.

Put simply, coppicing is the cutting down of a tree or shrub where the stump is left to grow again, to form new growth that can be cut down and the stump left to grow again, etc. The new shoots on these stumps grow for anywhere between 3 and 30 years, to then become a new crop of poles ready to cut again.

Most (but not all) broadleaved trees will coppice and produce a periodic supply of materials. In fact, our treehouse structure was built entirely from coppiced wood that grew just 100 metres away from where it has been built!

More information on coppicing in the Kent Downs AONB can be found here and this information is also displayed under the bus shelter beside our main activities area/treehouse for you to read at your leisure.

We would ask you to ensure that your children do not play on our coppiced areas to allow the coppice and undergrowth to recover. You will see signs illustrating where these areas are.