Hornbeam Coppice

Time today for a walk through one of our local (urban) woodlands. The wood contains many hornbeam trees, Traditionally, these trees were regularly cut low or coppiced. The wood of the hornbeam is very hard and was once used, amongst other things, for making ox yokes, piano hammers and wooden cogs for windmills and watermills. The wood was also used for making furniture, fence posts and for fuel. In the lockdown last year, when I was walking through the woods, I met someone collecting the wood to make a garden fence and someone else collecting a broken hornbeam branch, which he told me he was going to turn to make a small goblet. Good to know that the old traditions continue!