| or cooking on the barbecue and smoker is now | | | | use. The tree now free of disease is able to grow as |
| becoming a serious leisure pastime. Certainly in | | | | fast as possible and this makes for a thicker plant |
| England where the weather is not altogether reliable, | | | | that is also better for wildlife. |
| the advent of wonderful contraptions such as | | | | Coppicing is carried out in cycles from one year to |
| umbrellas and patio heaters has made outdoor | | | | many years depending on the species of tree and |
| cooking an extremely pleasurable recreation. In fact | | | | what the wood is going to be used for. This means |
| so much so that you’ll see people lighting the | | | | that a variety of coppicing activity will be taking place |
| barbecue in all weathers – a funny lot those | | | | in a wood thereby ensuring the continuation of the |
| English! | | | | ecology and an ongoing supply of wood. |
| Speaking as one of that “funny lot”, | | | | Coppiced trees can survive for many centuries and |
| an extremely enthusiastic fan of outdoor cooking and | | | | perhaps one of the most astonishing facts about the |
| now a creator and purveyor of outdoor bbq recipes | | | | English countryside is that very often the oldest |
| and free smoker recipes I thought is was I did some | | | | trees are those that have been cut down the most! |
| research into the subject of my chosen fuel of fun. | | | | Add to this the fact that because it’s |
| What concerns me is that I’m thoroughly | | | | sustainable there aren’t truckloads of charcoal |
| enjoying myself lighting fires, grilling fish and steaks | | | | pounding the roads, it really is a local industry. |
| and washing it all down with a glass or two of the | | | | So now I can write my free smoker recipes for your |
| falling down water and yet I must be damaging the | | | | enjoyment safe in the knowledge that outdoor |
| environment, mustn’t I? Charcoal comes from | | | | cooking on the charcoal BBQ grill can remain my |
| wood, so with all these barbecues there must be | | | | chosen method of relaxation and recreation. |
| serious deforestation going on followed by greater | | | | Please note that this article is not a statement of |
| transport costs to ship it from further afield and less | | | | scientific fact; it’s merely a way of absolving |
| trees to absorb the carbon dioxide greenhouse gas. | | | | me of guilt at lighting a fire. Of course we need to be |
| So in the spirit of my own education and learning I | | | | careful whenever the earth’s natural |
| wanted to find out about how charcoal is made and | | | | resources are consumed and I work on the principle |
| as a result I’ve found out about the process | | | | that the cooking process itself is no more or less |
| of coppicing. | | | | environmentally unfriendly that turning on the stove |
| Coppicing is the cutting of a tree or shrub to ground | | | | or the oven. Of course I maybe wrong but at least I |
| level. Doing this stimulates the tree to sprout a | | | | feel happier knowing that I’m not contributing |
| number of new shoots and they grow very | | | | to serious deforestation. |
| vigorously. Coppicing could be described as similar to | | | | Not all charcoal is produced the way I have described |
| pruning except that with coppicing all the wood is | | | | above so please be careful when buying charcoal to |
| removed and not just a few branches. By cutting the | | | | check that it does indeed come from a sustainable |
| tree or shrub to the ground, all dead, diseased and | | | | source. |
| old wood gets removed and that can be put to good | | | | |