The forest plots (bunders) here are planted with American oak. These plots have been used as coppice for centuries.
Every 20 years, the young trees are pollarded by Natuurpunt and forest management. Great that this tradition is honored for posterity.
Historical interpretation:
After the depletion of peat stocks in North Flanders, firewood became the main source of energy for normal household use until well into the twentieth century.
Chop wood is a forestry form of business in which a tree or shrub is deposited just above the stump or base. After the cap, several runners form, or shoots that develop into trunks. These trunks are cut 15 to 20 years ago in a relatively short period of time.
The underground portion of these trees can be hundreds of years old.
The coppice culture was widely practiced in the Middle Ages.
The wood was mostly used as firewood. Branch wood was made ready for use for heating the living rooms, firing washing tubs and heating the ovens. The finest twigs were cut to lengths and bound together in bundles: mutsaards.
The thicker coppice was also sawn to length, split and bound together into a 'fassel' with a circumference of about 40 to 80 cm. These were mainly used to heat ovens. The thickest wood was sawn and split into blocks.
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