 |
| A Charcoal Burn at Attenborough Nature Reserve |
At the far end of the
Nature Reserve, behind the locked gates of the Delta Sanctuary, a light coloured
smoke appears above the tree canopy. As the smoke starts to thin and take on a
blue tinge we can relax - as this is our clue to close off the air intake to
the charcoal kiln, during our first charcoal burn of the year.
The process of making
this year’s charcoal actually started over two years ago when the alder was
coppiced and stored as large logs to allow it to season. Coppicing is a very traditional
method of woodland management and involves cutting back broadleaved trees to
near ground level in winter and letting them regenerate in the spring. The
re-growth of coppiced trees produces multiple stems that we can continue to
harvest in a sustainable way for decades. Managing the woodland like this has benefits
for a wide range of species including native flora as it enables light to pass
through the otherwise dense canopy. Coppicing also creates a varied age
structure in the trees which is beneficial to many invertebrates.
 |
| Preparing Wood for the Charcoal Burn |
Sadly, across the UK, coppiced woodland has
diminished as a habitat by 95% in the last century and species such as the
pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly and the nightingale have declined sharply
as a result. The Delta is considered to be one of the largest willow and alder woodlands
in the region. This carefully managed woodland, with its glades and rides, provides a
sanctuary for many threatened species including willow tit, lesser-spotted
woodpecker and nationally scarce species of fungi.
Amazingly of the
60,000 tonnes of charcoal purchased each year in the UK, only around 5% is actually
produced in this country. 20% of what we import does
not have a Forestry Stewardship Council certificate and this means it is either
unsustainably logged, illegally supplied or both. Countries such as Ghana, Nigeria,
Brazil and Indonesia are
exporting uncertified charcoal into this country with massive impacts for
tropical rainforests and fragile mangrove habitats.
Attenborough charcoal
is a by-product of this sustainable method of woodland management and it is
sold in both the Attenborough Nature Centre and Out of This World in Beeston.
with all proceeds helping to support the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.
