Coppicing

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/coppicing

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the regenerative mechanism?Stimulates epicormic sprouting from dormant buds on the stool and roots
2. What is the ecological outcome?Creates habitat heterogeneity, supporting high levels of biodiversity through varied age structures
3. What is coppicing and how does it help trees grow again?Coppicing is when trees are cut close to the ground, leaving a living stump called a stool. The stool then sprouts many new shoots that grow into new trees.
4. Why do trees keep growing after being cut?The cut leaves behind dormant buds on the trunk and roots. These buds wake up and produce new shoots, letting the tree keep growing.

Epicormic sprouting: The growth of shoots from dormant buds on the trunk or roots of a tree after injury or cutting.