hedge coppicing

anez

I have to coppice a hedge before the end of 2010 and was wondering what it would cost. Will I need to hire different people to cut the hedge, remove the cuttings and replant the gappy areas,or are there contractors that do all of the above, any help will be appreciated, Ann

the al kid

Ann,you are unlikely to get a contractor to do the complete job at least not in my neck of the woods.A complication of this work is if there is a dyke/ditch or drain on one side of the hedge you might have to hire a small track machine to retrieve the cuttings from same. The infilling with quicks is not difficult -usually done when nearby growth is dead or dormant ie January/February.You can spray with a total weedkiller along the line of sowing -I was recommended to use "Basta" but cant remember why but I think it has to be done before buds appear.Not much help as regards total cost but a lot depends on whether you need a track machine or not and how much you are prepared to do yourself.

Al

reilig

Our local Farm Relief Service offers this service, its expensive enough though as the person that does it needs to have a chainsaw cert for insurance purposes. But the lady that does it can get through an awful lot in a day and is very neat and tidy. I did my own hedges, how long it will take depends on the material to be coppiced - whitethorn or blackthorn is hard handled. For Reps 4, I have to coppice birch and black sally trees that are growing along the drains in some bog fields that I have. they're much easier to do and I got a lot of firewood out of them last year. PM me if you're in the north west or midlands and want details of the Farm relief service.

the al kid

Reilig,
I had to do about 500 metres under REPS4 before end of year 1.Did it last year -it was a tall gappy hedge on top of a bank -there is no way id even consider doing it manually.By coppicing I presume you mean cutting it down to roots and letting it regrow and then infill any gaps.I will agree that a small hedge with access from both sides could be done manually with a chainsaw.I hired a hedge cutter with a heavy duty saw,and as i said tidied it up with a small 10 ton digger on tracks.It was a very clean neat job-cost me 160 plus vat for the hedge cutter and about 300 plus vat for the digger but he scudded the ditch as well.Quicks for the infill cost me about 300 euros-but did that myself.All I can say is that if I tackled it manually Id still be at it.I have another 120 metres to do before end of year 3 and I intend to do a similar approach.

Al

anez

Thanks for your help, I will hopefully get a contractor to cut the hedge, and take it from there. Thanks for your advice. Ann