Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland
One Woman, Three Acres.
There’s a hint of early autumn in the air. 
I have been working in the gardens, coppicing trees. 
Coppicing was carried out on all medieval woodlands and is the reason why there are so many old trees in counties of England. 
Coppicing regularly will enable a tree to live for several thousand years! 
The remaining small branches are shredded and used as a mulch on the Potager Beds! So everything is returned to the Earth. 
Meanwhile, 
as I worked, the cats relaxed, as only they can do…
And the bees kept working…
And the morning drifted effortlessly…
into a beautiful afternoon…
Do you ever harvest essential oil from your birch trees?
Hi Rachel,
No, I have never, but shall look into this. I have heard of Birch sap harvesting…
Birch sap, sounds wonderful . . . Essential oil requires a still, but there are small ones on the market for a few hundred dollars (US- no idea how that translates). I use birch oil in massage therapy.
We have cedars here which are considered invasive to the prairie, and I keep thinking if I had a still I could remove them, and produce something useful from them at the same time.
It sounds wonderful, Rachel, being able to distil one’s own essential oils!
I only thought of it because I had an idea to use native North American prairie plants in my massage therapy practice, but I can’t find a supplier. Easier to find the plants around here! But it’s kind of a big project I’m not ready to commit to right now.
We just did this to a lot of trees today. It didnt seem right to destroy the trees completely. Hadn’t known it was called coppicing or that it would definitely grow back. Im thrilled now!
Not all trees grow back…but most do. There is also pollarding which is part of wood harvesting here too!
There is a eucalyptus tree in my garden that grows at an alarming rate and I was wondering what to do about it. You have encouraged me to find out whether it is possible to coppice eucalyptus. I live in an area where willow is regularly coppiced. I wonder if there is a use for eucalyptus wood?
Your garden looks wonderful as do your feline friends. I notice one of your cats has a handsome Turkish Van tail, what a beautiful boy or girl? he/she is.
Blessings x
Cicely
Eucalyptus coppices wonderfully well and will afford you masses of foliage to put into flower arrangements too!
He!
Blessings
Colette
Oh good, I’m glad to hear it is ok to coppice the eucalyptus and yes, it does have lovely foliage.
Many thanks x
Very stormy here in the uk today.