Evaluating the potential for increased urban coppice management in the UK

Abstract

ABSTRACT Urban coppice management is a sustainable form of woodland management. Coppicing has the potential to provide renewable sources of fuel and wood products, increase the biodiversity of urban woodlands, create jobs and volunteering opportunities whilst reducing the carbon footprint of urban communities. Despite these extensive benefits, literature specifically addressing urban coppice management is sparse and, as a practice, it is far from commonplace. This study investigated the potential for increasing urban coppice management in the UK. Two separate research strands assessed the physical woodland resource and the human resource that are both essential for urban coppice management to flourish. First, an evaluation of woodland resources was conducted across twenty-four sites in four urban regions: Bristol, Cambridge, Manchester and Milton Keynes. Seventeen of these sites were identified as having strong potential for urban coppice management. Second, five UK-based urban coppice workers were surveyed, with their responses highlighting that the key challenges for urban coppice workers were earning a fair wage, a lack of coppice industry representation, a lack of understanding of coppice practice, animal browsing of coppice and the costs/stresses of urban living. Common opportunities identified by respondents included social engagement, volunteering and outdoor education, the large potential customer base, and the provision of sustainable produce within a local economy. We conclude by identifying key factors that are likely to affect any expansion of urban coppicing in the UK.