Blue Remembered Hills
Riverside Alders
Coppicing of alders along rivers such as the Onny, Clun, Teme and Kemp helps to restore the balance of light and shade and varied bankside vegetation on which much river wildlife is dependent.
Coppicing is the best known way to protect the trees from the virulent water-borne Phytophthora disease which is now widespread in these catchments.
Since the project began 31 sites, totalling 10.6km of river bank have been coppiced, and 33 sites (42.5km river) have been surveyed and are now under management plan.
Where possible, economic end uses for the timber are sought, most often for firewood, but the project has also commissioned construction of a bass guitar made from alder as a demonstration of potential higher value uses.
Click here to read a 2 page case study.