Cropping the Willow

I have decided to crop the Willow plantation in the next couple of weeks. It is only half an acre but there is a fair bit of timber in there. This project has not been a great success. It has taken twice as long to reach a usable size but hay ho, it has been an interesting experience. The stalls will resprout as Willow does and this time I will restrict each one to one shoot only and see if this improves things.

It will be interesting to see what kind of firewood it makes. I'm guessing you'll have to season it for a twelvemonth. Half an acre should yield a pretty fair crop! Is it a chain saw job?

Mostly chainsaw but the loppers will do the small stuff. Willow is not great firewood and it does need to be seasoned. It also spits in the fire so probably only suitable for stoves. The plus side is that the cuttings strike easily and quickly. It also gives the Bees huge quantities of early pollen. The field has little topsoil so I will be happy with what I get.