Before the sap rises too much it’s time for me to take one of our big poplars (18m 60′) down for next winter’s firewood. This coppicing means that the stool does regenerate and produce plenty of new poles. Also we do have over 200 of them - so at the current rate of one a year…well you get the picture!

Now I know poplar is not the best wood to burn…according to folklore it will rot before it dries and even if it is dry, it burns too quickly! However, this has not been entirely my experience and but we do have a great drying shed and a very efficient Danish stove with precise control. As this is the fifth year I’ve done this at Shangri La…then I am allowed to say, well “it just works!”

In you case you are interested (!) in the felling method - that was a 70 degree face cut followed by a central plunge cut, wedged, then back cut!