The first task of 2003 got off to a very cold and frosty start in Littleworth Woods near Snowshill, where we were coppicing on behalf of the National Trust. The weather was excellent with the sun and clear blue sky making a very welcome change to the damp and dreary weather of late.
The woods and countryside were covered in a hard frost, making it extremely picturesque and seasonal. A brief tools and safety talk was given before starting work.
Movement was required to get the blood circulating and keep warm! Fortunately, Martin the National Trust Warden for the site got the fire going straight away and we were able to start cutting up and burning the brash from the previous task in December.
By lunchtime a good sized area of coppice
had been cleared and another large pile of brash had accumulated.
Coppicing is the cutting of trees, normally hazel, to allow light
into the woodland which encourages plants to flourish in the opened
up areas or 
'compartments'.
The hazel soon re-grows and the cut material can be used for a variety of purposes including hedgelaying and hurdle making. Some sizeable logs provided ideal seats for sitting on around the roaring fire, whilst eating our sandwiches, washed down with plenty of tea and coffee.
The afternoon shift saw additional people cutting up branches and burning up material, whilst the remainder of the group carried on coppicing. As the sun set in the clear wintry January sky we left the woods feeling satisfied having coppiced another area of woodland benefiting local flora and fauna in this corner of the north Cotswolds.
