Join Mark Krawczyk, farmer and author of Coppice Agroforestry - Tending Trees for Product, Profit and Woodland Ecology and Steve Gabriel, farmer and author of Silvopasture and Farming the Woods, for a deep dive into the art, science, and practice of coppice agroforestry.
Utilizing the working landscape of Wellspring Forest Farm as our living classroom, in this workshop geared to students of all experience levels, we’ll examine the many facets of resprout silviculture practices like coppicing, pollarding, hedgelaying and more, both in the field and in the classroom. The farm has been cutting and managing systems for the last five years so participants get to see actual examples of coppice, pollards, hedgelaying, and explore how they fit into other farm systems.
This weekend event kicks off with an introductory slideshow and talk examining the fundamentals of these practices, along with their varied histories from around the world. We’ll also explore why coppicing has been so crucial to peoples across the globe for centuries and discuss its potential to further diversity farms, homesteads and other working landscapes here in our bioregion.
On Saturday and Sunday, we’ll spend time in the field, looking at old and creating new coppice stools and pollards, discussing best practices, tools, techniques, and timing and then practice some of the most promising opportunities to transform small diameter rods and poles into value added products for the home economy, farm enterprises, and cottage industry.