Establishing SRC in N Ireland
Guidelines for Establishing Short Rotation Coppice in Northern Ireland PDF (0.5 MB)
Dr Alistair McCracken, (AFBI)
Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) is the practice of planting woody crops, usually willow (Salix spp.) or poplar (Populus spp.) at high density which is harvested every 2 to 5 years. Willow produces very vigorous juvenile growth when it is coppiced, that is, cut back to ground level. The coppiced stools that remain following harvest re-sprout to form multiple stems which can potentially grow to a height of 4 M in the first year increasing to 6 to 7 M by year three. While there are a number of candidate crops, willow is particularly well suited to Northern Ireland conditions and will consistently give dry matter yields in excess of 10 t ha-1 yr-1 depending on site and climate.
Dr Alistair McCracken, (AFBI)
Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) is the practice of planting woody crops, usually willow (Salix spp.) or poplar (Populus spp.) at high density which is harvested every 2 to 5 years. Willow produces very vigorous juvenile growth when it is coppiced, that is, cut back to ground level. The coppiced stools that remain following harvest re-sprout to form multiple stems which can potentially grow to a height of 4 M in the first year increasing to 6 to 7 M by year three. While there are a number of candidate crops, willow is particularly well suited to Northern Ireland conditions and will consistently give dry matter yields in excess of 10 t ha-1 yr-1 depending on site and climate.
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