1st October 2026
This month, works will continue in Ham Wood. These include cutting hazel, a traditional method of woodland management used to rejuvenate old hazel, willows and other broadleaved trees and shrubs. This coppicing prevents the older hazel getting top heavy and collapsing. The aim is to create a patchwork of ages of hazel so that birds, butterflies and other wildlife benefit from a more diverse woodland structure. It can also provide a useful renewable supply of poles. The photo above shows where the third block will be cut.
The first area was cut in January 2024, with some more hazel cut in February 2025, and has now regrown well. Some poorer young trees, for example bark that has been damaged by grey squirrels, will also be thinned out by the contractors so that stronger oaks and other trees have light and space to develop. This work is being carried out under a felling licence approved by the Forestry Commission. Ham Wood was created as a Millenium tree planting project by the Woodland Trust; it is now managed by Thame Town Council.
