Typically, a coppiced woodland is harvested in sections or coups on a rotation. In this way, a crop is available each year somewhere in the woodland. Coppicing has the effect of providing a rich variety of habitats, as the woodland always has a range of different-aged coppice growing in it, which is beneficial for biodiversity.
Trees being coppiced cannot die of old age as coppicing maintains the tree at a juvenile stage, allowing them to reach immense ages. The age of a stool may be estimated from its diameter; some are so large that they are thought to have been continually coppiced for centuries." (Wikipedia)A July storm toppled a number of trees in our neighbourhood including this moderately large basswood (genus Tilia) which landed on a house. The city removed the tree and placed the stump and grass back in their proper positions. Basswood trees are one of many species that produce new growth from felled stumps. In past centuries, woodlands were systematically coppiced as a source of fuel and building materials. The trees were never destroyed. Ancient coppices are found in Europe, with France having the greatest number of hectares of this type of woodland.
In the past two months, vigourous new growth has virtually hidden the basswood stump, and if properly pruned, new trees would continue to grow from the mature root. So many life lessons...!!
I read a comment recently that described how people will update their clothing, their furniture, their kitchens, but they resist updating their thinking and stop learning. People think older citizens are the only ones who bemoan "the good old days", but I have met people in their 20s and 30s with very rigid thinking. The mature tree, whose individualistic trunk is removed, becomes host to the vigourous growth of many juvenile shoots. Just as the mature root is untouched, our morals and values do not have to change in order to support new ideas that bring progress.
I highlighted two characteristics of coppiced woodlands in the Wikipedia description.
- They provide a rich habitat for biodiversity
- Coppiced trees cannot die from old age
I am currently reading Adam Grant's latest book, Think Again: The power of knowing what you don't know. The author discusses the need to examine our opinions, and describes how to unlearn so we can relearn from our own experiences as well as from other people. He encourages positive "cognitive conflict" with productive disagreement and discussion. This is not the same thing as "emotional conflict" which can be very destructive. I am halfway through a library copy but feel the need to underline many good points in the book.
The most beautiful biblical picture of growth from a stump is found in Isaiah 11 where the prophetic words concerning Christ are written.
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord...
Colossians 2:6-7 continues the theme, encouraging us as we grow and mature in Christ.
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him,
strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
and overflowing with thankfulness...
I want to live in a figurative coppiced woodland with the freedom to prune away old traditions so that new growth can appear. I want to hear the voices of others and demonstrate the ability to say "I was wrong", forming new perspectives and thinking. Well-rooted generational interdependence flourishes in this environment.
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